12. Eye Replacement Implants
What It Does: Improves Vision
Expected Rollout: Low-Tech Version Currently Available
Nearly 200 million people in the world have low, or no, vision. Enter: Bionic eye implants. Behind one’s eye, a micro-electrode is attached to the retina and is implanted through the eyewall, surgically. It’s then connected to an implanted electronic module on the outside of the eye. The module is then fed images that are transmitted by a digital camera that’s attached to the glasses on the device’s exterior.
Eye Replacement Implants ©BLACKDAY / Shutterstock.com
The retina subsequently receives electrical impulses that use the optic nerve as a conduit to send the brain a signal that helps to restore the ability to see shapes and movement. The bionic eye implant procedure, as it currently stands, costs close to $4,000 per eye and is still only effective on those who suffer from specific eye diseases, not blindness.