cybertrek
C.O.S.E.
Anmeldedatum: 05.04.2001
Beiträge: 5088
Wohnort: Leopoldsdorf im Marchfeld
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Verfasst am:
19.04.2006, 18:39
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Visor-ähnliches Gerät erlaubt Blinden zu sehen
| Zitat: |
Ein neues Gerät, welches ähnlich dem durch Geordi LaForge aus "Star Trek: The Next Generation" bekannten Visor ähnelt, erlaubt nun einer bei einem Autounfall erblindeten Frau wieder zu sehen.
Die Seoul Times veröffentlichte in diesem Zusammenhang einen umfangreichen Artikel zu einem Gerät, welches Cheri Robertson zumindest einen Teil ihrer Sehkraft zurückgebracht hat.
"Ich nenne mich selbst das Robo-Chick", sagt Robertson, die im Alter von gerade mal neunzehn Jahren erblindet ist. Da sie sich mit diesem Schicksal aber nicht so einfach abfinden wollte, wurde sie zur sechzehnten Person auf der ganzen Welt, welcher spezielle Elektroden direkt in das Gehirn implantiert wurden.
"Ich sagte 'Oh mein Gott, ich kann wieder sehen, ich kann wirklich wieder sehen'", erinnert sich Robertson an den Moment, als die spezielle, an ihrer Brille befestigte Kamera anfing Signale an den Computer an ihrer Hüfte zu senden, welcher die Signale verarbeitet und an die Elektroden in ihrem Gehirn weiterleitet. Mit dieser Technik ist Robertson nun in der Lage Helligkeitsunterschiede und die Umrisse von Objekten wieder wahr zu nehmen.
Anders als der aus "Star Trek" bekannte Visor funktioniert diese Technik allerdings nur bei Menschen, die einmal sehen konnten. "Künstliche Sehkraft für die Blinden war einst eine Vision für die Science-Fiction. Lt. Geordi La Forge aus ?Star Trek? und das bionische Auge des ?Sechs Millionen Dollar Mannes? sind hierfür Beispiele", wird weiter in diesem Artikel geschrieben. Gekostet hat diese Operation daneben 120.000 Dollar. |
Quelle: Corona Newsletter
| Zitat: |
St. Louis, Mo. ? More than a million people in the United States are legally blind. Many of them once had vision but tragically lost it. Now a breakthrough device could give them back some of their sight.
Some call her the bionic woman. Others call her a medical miracle. But Cheri Robertson has given herself another title:
"I just call myself the robo-chick."
Robertson is blind, but this device allows her to see, not with her eyes but with her brain! Fifteen years ago, she lost both of her eyes in a car accident. She was just 19 years old.
"When I realized yes, I am going to be blind, I thought, I guess I'm going to learn to do things a little differently now," Robertson says. And she did. She traveled to Portugal to become the 16th person in the world to have special electrodes implanted in her brain. With the help of a device, she could see again!
"I said, Oh my God, I can see it. I can see it,' and I was just so excited!"
Neurosurgeon Kenneth Smith, M.D., of Saint Louis University School of Medicine, said the procedure is the first to reverse blindness in patients without eyes. "They are really seeing. The brain is getting impulses just like when you and I see."
A camera on the tip of Robertson's glasses sends signals to a computer that's strapped around her waist. The computer then stimulates electrodes in the brain through a cord that attaches to the head. Patients see flashes of light and outlines of objects.
"Whatever I see is just two splashes of light, so I know something is there," Robertson says. She admits support from her mom and the local Lion's Club keeps her spirits high. "If I was all depressed, I couldn't affect anybody's life for the good, and I want to make a difference." Friends, family and doctors say she already has.
The surgery is not yet performed in the United States, but Dr. Smith said he hopes it will be in the next five years. The main safety concern is an infection where the port goes into the head. For the surgery to work, patients must have once had vision.
Research Summary
Background: More than 1 million people in the United States, and about 42 million people worldwide are legally blind. Many of them once had vision but tragically lost it.
New Help: Artificial vision for the blind was once the stuff of science fiction. Lt. Geordi La Forge from Star Trek and the bionic eye of The Six Million Dollar Man are both examples. Now, researchers around the world are studying a device that could help people who lost their vision see again. So far, the device has only been used on about 16 people worldwide.
How Does It Work? The device works in conjunction with a surgery that doctors perform to implant electrodes in the brain. A tiny camera that sits on the edge of a pair of glasses sends video signals into a computer. The computer processes the information and then sends it through two cables that actually plug into each side of the patient's skull. An electrode inside the skull stimulates the back of the brain, which creates visuals images. The image is described as what you might see when a flash bulb goes off in front of your eyes. It is also compared to the series of dots you'd see on the scoreboard at a sports stadium. Kenneth Smith, M.D., from Saint Louis University Medical Center, says: "They are really seeing. The brain is getting impulses just like when you and I see, except they're only seeing a very tiny outline ? a little white pattern of white dots."
Who Is It For? In order for the procedure and the device to work, patients must have once had vision. They also must have lost both eyeballs or optic nerves.
The Goal: Dr. Smith says the goal of the device is to allow patients to gain independence. "What they [blind patients] have to do is use a seeing-eye dog and a white cane, and that's what we're hoping to replace with this type of artificial eye."
Project On Hold? Renowned scientist William Dobelle from the Dobelle Medical Institute in Portugal was the pioneer of the bionic vision device. He worked on the device for 30 years. Tragically, Dr. Dobelle recently passed away due to complications from diabetes. Now, other physicians, like Dr. Smith, are looking to continue his work. Dr. Smith was the first American doctor to take part in the surgical procedure. He says: "We have several doctors working with various universities and companies, trying to get them to take over the product ... So, we're trying to get another sponsor to take over the development." Dr. Smith says he hopes the procedure will be performed in the United States in the next five years or so. He says, right now, governmental restrictions may get in the way of performing the surgery in the United States. "There were no governmental or hospital problems with getting permission to do the experimental operation in Portugal, whereas, it would be almost impossible here. Plus, it was much cheaper ? about one-third of the cost in the hospital as it would be in U.S. hospitals," he says.
Cost: The cost of the procedure runs about $120,000. However, the latest patient to have the procedure ? Cheri Robertson from St. Louis, Mo. ? was lucky. The local and national Lion's Club covered the entire cost of her procedure. Cheri traveled all the way to Portugal to have the surgery. Right now, the computer only allows Cheri to see flashes of light, and she can only use the device for about one hour a day. However, as the power is increased, Cheri will be able to see images with greater detail.
Future: Work is already underway to reduce the size of the computer equipment. Right now, the computer alone weighs 10 pounds and must be supported with a shoulder harness. The cables that connect the computer to the human skull are also heavy. The goal is to make the unit as small as a cellular telephone. |
Quelle: TheSeoulTimes.com
(Brille im offenen Zustand)
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