August 01, 2015
A groundbreaking surgery to install a bionic eye in a blind women has successfully given her the gift of sight for the first time in more than a decade, sparking a new ray of hope for many others.
58-year-old Carmen Torres, afflicted with the degenerative genetic disease retinitis pigmentosa, had been gradually losing her sight since she was 18 years old. By the time she turned 45, the Florida resident was completely blind and at the mercy of advancements in technology and surgical capability.
Last November, Torres underwent a complicated procedure in which doctors implanted the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, marking the first surgery of its kind in Florida, The Huffington Post reports.
Created by California-based Second Sight, the system was awarded an FDA patent in 2013.
Only 100 patients worldwide have received the bionic device, which works by translating images into electrical signals through a camera attached to a pair of glasses. Those impulses are then beamed to the implant, stimulating the retina so that the patient's brain interprets them as light.
The successful surgery required Torres to learn how to interpret the visuals and understand a new language for "seeing." She described the powerful moment when she saw for the first time as both emotional and joyful.
"I was happy and I was just laughing like crazy," Torres told reporters at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami on Friday, describing what it felt like to see light after so many years in the dark. "It was very emotional, but I'm very strong. I didn't cry."
Nine months later, Torres can recognize buildings, sidewalks and even stars. But most importantly, the bionic system has enabled her to have more meaningful interactions with her grandson.
