Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the cause of almost half of all legal blindness in Australia. It results in vision loss in the centre of the visual field and usually affects people over the age of 65.
AMD causes cells in the retina, the light sensing part of the eye, to stop converting absorbed light into electro-chemical signals. As the brain does not receive the signal, a complete image is not formed.
Patients with AMD have difficulty performing tasks that rely on central vision, such as reading and recognising faces.
In future, we aim to improve the quality of life of people with AMD and severe central vision loss with the second prototype vision prosthesis, the High-Acuity device.
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