Argus 2 Research Paper
The Argus II
Have you ever wonder if there is some type of device that can help heal the blind? Brian Mech, who is vice president of Second Sight Medical Products, had created the Argus II. This device was created for those who suffer from a genetic disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa or RP. The disease causes someone to lose vison because the retina isn’t functioning properly. The Argus II can actually send a signal to the implanted chip in the back of the eye’s retina and translates the directives into sight. The humanitarian device is able to change lives for those who struggle from the RP disease.
Retinitis Pigmentosa is an inherited disease that causes the victim to lose their vision from the collapse of a rod photoreceptor cell in the retina. You lose eye sight and the ability to tell whether it is light or dark in a setting. This disease is horrible to go through, because the person experiencing it loses their vison very slowly. It usually starts in the teenage years, and the disease takes vision from both eyes, but usually not at the same time. The effects of RP can make the victim have a hearing loss. It is the …show more content…
common reason why people suffer from deaf-blindness in the U.S.
The Argus II was named after the Greek monster Argus Panoptes.
The Argus II is also known as the bionic eye. The bionic eye basically involves the doctor to place an artificial retina, which has a chip that would connect to the glasses. The glasses have wireless powers that can translate signals into vision. When you see these glasses you can tell there’s a lot going on. The glasses have an antenna, camera, and a video processing unit or VPU connected to it. There are three steps to how this all works. The camera takes a picture, which is then processed into electrical impulses, and then the impulses are directed to the chip through the wireless receiver. The signals are sent to the optic nerve in the brain. The cells that haven't been damaged by the eye disease are stimulated by the pulses, which then allows the brain to catch light
patterns. Mech took about 15 years to fully develop this device. He had sent out the Argus II to the Bionic Vision in Australia, and they were the first to approve of it on February 14th, 2013. Mech soon got the approval from the FDA and soon the product became popular afterwards. Roger Pontz is a victim of RP, and he got the opportunity to test this device. He started to lose his vision at 14 years old, but took years later when he became fully blind. He was a good candidate for the Argus II device, because his photoreceptor cells haven’t been completely destroyed. Going into the procedure, they had to place the artificial retina in its place so that the pulses can detect the signal later on. It was a successful procedure for Pontz. He needed to go to therapy for a while so that he can retrain his brain to how to interpret light he can see. Pontz was the second patient in the U.S to get this procedure done.
In conclusion this humanitarian device is able to change lives for those who struggle from the RP disease. The Argus II was fully developed in the year of 2013. Mech had it first approved by the Bionic Vision in Australia, which later lead to the device being approved by the FDA. The bionic eye’s performance is due to the VPU’s software and hardware that’s used. After the patient goes through therapy when they are fully healed from the procedure, it is most likely they will begin to see what is around them.
Have you ever wonder if there is some type of device that can help heal the blind? Brian Mech, who is vice president of Second Sight Medical Products, had created the Argus II. This device was created for those who suffer from a genetic disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa or RP. The disease causes someone to lose vison because the retina isn’t functioning properly. The Argus II can actually send a signal to the implanted chip in the back of the eye’s retina and translates the directives into sight. The humanitarian device is able to change lives for those who struggle from the RP disease.
Retinitis Pigmentosa is an inherited disease that causes the victim to lose their vision from the collapse of a rod photoreceptor cell in the retina. You lose eye sight and the ability to tell whether it is light or dark in a setting. This disease is horrible to go through, because the person experiencing it loses their vison very slowly. It usually starts in the teenage years, and the disease takes vision from both eyes, but usually not at the same time. The effects of RP can make the victim have a hearing loss. It is the …show more content…
common reason why people suffer from deaf-blindness in the U.S.
The Argus II was named after the Greek monster Argus Panoptes.
The Argus II is also known as the bionic eye. The bionic eye basically involves the doctor to place an artificial retina, which has a chip that would connect to the glasses. The glasses have wireless powers that can translate signals into vision. When you see these glasses you can tell there’s a lot going on. The glasses have an antenna, camera, and a video processing unit or VPU connected to it. There are three steps to how this all works. The camera takes a picture, which is then processed into electrical impulses, and then the impulses are directed to the chip through the wireless receiver. The signals are sent to the optic nerve in the brain. The cells that haven't been damaged by the eye disease are stimulated by the pulses, which then allows the brain to catch light
patterns. Mech took about 15 years to fully develop this device. He had sent out the Argus II to the Bionic Vision in Australia, and they were the first to approve of it on February 14th, 2013. Mech soon got the approval from the FDA and soon the product became popular afterwards. Roger Pontz is a victim of RP, and he got the opportunity to test this device. He started to lose his vision at 14 years old, but took years later when he became fully blind. He was a good candidate for the Argus II device, because his photoreceptor cells haven’t been completely destroyed. Going into the procedure, they had to place the artificial retina in its place so that the pulses can detect the signal later on. It was a successful procedure for Pontz. He needed to go to therapy for a while so that he can retrain his brain to how to interpret light he can see. Pontz was the second patient in the U.S to get this procedure done.
In conclusion this humanitarian device is able to change lives for those who struggle from the RP disease. The Argus II was fully developed in the year of 2013. Mech had it first approved by the Bionic Vision in Australia, which later lead to the device being approved by the FDA. The bionic eye’s performance is due to the VPU’s software and hardware that’s used. After the patient goes through therapy when they are fully healed from the procedure, it is most likely they will begin to see what is around them.