Bionic Sight Technology
How it works
Normal Vision
In normal vision, light enters the retina through the photoreceptors. These cells convert the light into electrical signals and then pass them through the retina’s circuity to the optic nerve. The optic nerve then sends the signals on to the brain. The brain uses these signals to create visual perceptions, such as perceptions of faces, objects, or the environment around you.
Degenerative Disease
When a person gets a retinal degenerative disease, the photoreceptors stop working, so no signals are transmitted through the retina to the optic nerve. Without signals from the optic nerve, the brain doesn't get any visual information, creating the condition of blindness.
Our Approach
Bionic Sight’s approach is to bypass the problem - that is, bypass the photoreceptors and go directly to the optic nerve. If the optic nerve can be reactivated, then it can go back to sending signals to the brain.
The approach involves two parts - a gene therapy, which is used to reactivate the optic nerve so it can send signals again - and an external device to drive it to send signals that are meaningful - signals the brain can understand.