Bionic eye implant promises a lifetime of perfect vision
An optometrist in British Columbia claims to have invented an easily implantable device that provides its wearer with vision "three times better than 20/20" for life. Dubbed the Ocumetics Bionic Lens by its inventor Dr. Garth Webb, this device appears to be very similar in structure to the conventional artificial lenses employed in cataract surgery. The eight-minute installation procedure is reportedly painless. It involves injecting the folded lense into your eye where it unfurls to replace your natural lense and correct your vision. There's also an added benefit in that with these artificial lenses in place, you'll never develop cataracts.
The technology is still quite untested, mind you. And despite Webb's assurances to Business Insider that the technology is both safe and effective, there isn't a whole lot of available information as to how the devices actually work. Webb presented his research on the lenses at the Latin American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons' annual conference in April. His company, Ocumetics Technology Corp, plans to first test the lenses on animals before moving on to blind humans trials. If all goes according to plan, the lenses could receive regulatory approval in Canada by 2017.
[Image Credit: Ghost in the Shell]
