Retinal prosthesis to restore sight

José Antonio Garrido Ariza

Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), Spain

In certain degenerative retinal diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa or age-related macular degeneration, photosensitive cells cease to function but often the neural circuits that send information to the brain remain intact. I-VISION proposes the development of a new generation of bionic retinal prostheses for people who are blind due to these diseases, which allows the restoration of visual acuity in an artificial way by means of electrical stimuli.

These stimuli will allow the visual information of the environment from an external camera to be sent through the optic nerve. The challenge lies in the implementation of thousands of micrometric scale electrodes on the retina, combined with the application of new strategies for stimulating its electrical activity to adapt it to the needs of each patient. To meet this multidisciplinary challenge i-VISION proposes a revolutionary technology that combines the use of a new generation of graphite electrodes capable of bidirectional communication with the retina, along with new self-regulating stimulation strategies.

This technology will allow access to a new understanding of retina-brain connectivity and at the same time create a personalized map of each patient’s retina. The results of this project will allow progress towards restoring vision in patients affected by degenerative diseases through the use of new solutions that combine nanotechnology and neuroelectronics.

• Mokhtar Chmeissani, Institut de Física d'Altes Energies (IFAE), Spain

• Pablo Loza Álvarez, Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO), Spain

• Jeroni Nadal Reus, Fundació Barraquer, Spain

• Serge Picaud, Institut de la Vision (Sorbonne Université), Francia

Adaptive retinal implant technology for vision restoration

€999,715