Sixteen years. That’s how long it had been since Carmen Torres last laid eyes on friends and family. But thanks to a revolutionary new procedure, she is now seeing the world through a whole new lens. Literally. Well, sort of. The Florida resident is the first recipient of what the University of Miami is calling a “bionic eye.”
The procedure involves “…placing an implant on the eye and then the patient wearing special glasses containing a video camera.” This according to the New York Daily News. The implant receives signals from a pair of glasses worn by the patient.
Image Courtesy of Bascom Eye Institute
At 18, Carmen was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, in which the vision declines over a period of time. Torres explained in an interview with ABC News that she can now see sidewalks and buildings as well as find windows and doors. And while her sight has not been completely restored by the bionic implant, Torres is able to function with a whole new level of independence.
The doctors and researchers at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the group responsible for partially restoring Carmen’s vision, are excited about the future doors that this groundbreaking procedure will open for the visually impaired community.
