ABOVE: Berna Gomez wears the special glasses that interface with her implanted device, allowing her to see shapes and certain letters.
COURTESY OF EDUARDO FERNÁNDEZ, MIGUEL HERNÁNDEZ UNIVERSITY
A woman who totally lost the ability to sense light 16 years ago temporarily regained enough vision to discern letters and shapes thanks to a brain implant that interfaced with special glasses, reports an October 19 paper in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. A clinical trial of the device involving up to four other patients is scheduled to continue into 2024.
“One goal of this research is to give a blind person more mobility,” coauthor Richard Normann, a researcher at the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center, tells NPR. “It could allow them to identify a person, doorways, or cars easily. It could increase independence and safety. That's what we're working toward.”
Berna Gomez, now 58, lives in Spain and taught high school ...
