Page last updated: Friday 8 August, 2008 12:26 PM

Technology - The way forward?

 

Years ago, the thought of ‘Bionic Eyes’ or computer chips placed in the eyes was a subject for Sci-fi movies – we all remember Jordi in Star Trek - however, we now live in exciting times.

Experiments with thin, photosensitive ceramic films that respond to light much as rods and cones do are offering the opportunity that in the future retinal blindness may well become a thing of the past. 

Scientists and researchers are experimenting with artificial corneas that adhere to eye cells could bring hope to people worldwide who are blind because of corneal damage or disease. There is always a possibility of tissue rejection but they have been extensively tested in rabbits and are expected to be in clinical trials almost as we speak.

Those of us that remember saw the news in 2002 about a device that transmits images from a computer chip attached to the retina at the back of the eye with electrical signals that ‘shock’ dying light-sensing cells in the retina so they work once again.

All of these technologies are out there being refined, tested and developed with a view to one day, perhaps not in the too distant future, where some sight problems will be eliminated.

Advances in genetic research offer another route to solve the problem of sight loss and ‘ambient technology’ – information is transmitted and received in a variety of media and formats for people of all disabilities – has a European Commission and is gathering pace.

Let us know what groundbreaking technology is out there and we’ll add it to our resources page info@rehabworker.co.uk

With all of this going on, how do you as Rehabilitation Specialists keep up to date? Do you surf the internet? Go to conferences, workshops or seminars? Word of mouth?

Finally, unless someone decides otherwise, it looks like the end of the road for UltraCane – not the first product to go this way and probably not the last! Let us know what you think about this info@rehabworker.co.uk