A blind man can now see again, thanks to a 'bionic eye' implanted in his skull.
The 73-year-old Englishman had been completely blind for 30 years until last summer, when surgeons implanted an array of electrodes directly upon his retina, the image-sensing area at the back of the eyeball.
Now he can see the world again — albeit in black and white, and in only one eye, the BBC reports.
"For 30 years I've seen absolutely nothing at all, it's all been black, but now light is coming through. Suddenly to be able to see light again is truly wonderful," Ron, no last name given, tells the BBC. "I can actually sort out white socks, grey socks and black socks."
Ron wears a special pair of eyeglasses with a built-in video camera. The camera sends data to a receiver on the outside of Ron's temple, from which a wire runs into his eye to the elecrodes upon his retina.
The entire system, dubbed the Argus II, was developed by Second Sight, a biotech company in Sylmar, Calif.
"My one ambition at the moment is to be able to go out on a nice, clear evening and be able to pick up the moon," says Ron.
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• Click here for the Second Sight site.
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