A decade after she lost her vision, Carmen Torres can see her grandson again.
Carmen Torres. Image via YouTube
Ten years ago, Carmen Torres went blind. At the time, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease which cost her her vision. Torres didn’t think she would be able to see again, until she underwent a painful, elaborate surgery last November to restore her sight. Close to a year later, Torres can finally do what most people thought she’d never be able to do: she can see.
Image via Wikimedia
Torres’ vision isn’t perfect—she can mostly see large shapes, like sidewalks and buildings—but the transformation is remarkable, and the science behind it, equally so. Known as the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, surgeons attached a tiny camera to Torres’ glasses, which then beams the images it views directly into an implant in her eye. Her retina is stimulated and her brain interprets it as light, allowing her to see.
Only 100 people worldwide have received these implants so far, and the science behind them is expensive, and enormously complex. “It’s a meticulous technique,” Dr. Nina Gregori told Florida Local 10 news. Torres may be one of millions, but her story (and her science) brings some much-needed hope.
(Via: The Huffington Post)
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