New brain implant bypasses retina and optic nerves to create artificial vision

Researchers implanted the Intracortical Visual Prosthesis in a third blind participant at Rush University Medical Center.

The wireless brain implant uses 34 stimulators and 544 electrodes to bypass the retina and optic nerves and stimulate the visual cortex directly.

The participant will undergo training and long-term follow-up to assess whether the signals can support perception and visually guided tasks.

The milestone suggests the artificial-vision system could be scalable and may one day help people with profound blindness.