Over 50,000 Australians suffer from profound blindness and are termed “legally blind”. The major cause of profound blindness is degeneration of the cells in the eye that receive light signals. It has been estimated that the cost of profound vision loss in Australia is upwards of $2.5billion p.a. The equivalent global figures are much bigger.

Preliminary research indicates the greatest issues for patients with profound vision loss are mobility and independence, particularly when they have had this ability before losing their sight. Other issues include the inability to recognise faces, detect objects and perceive depth or contrast.

Developing a bionic eye

Developing a bionic eye suitable for human use involves many steps and processes. The six steps that the Bionic Vision Australia partnership will implement to deliver a functioning bionic eye is shown here.