Visual Prosthetics

Visual Prosthetics provides an in-depth analysis of the principles of operation, current state, anticipated developments, and functional aspects of visual prosthetics restoring sight to visually impaired individuals. This volume uniquely describes the human visual system in health and disease in a pedagogical and didactic manner, fitting to professionals and researchers with a bioengineering background. Readers will find a balanced overview of electrical, molecular chemical and synthetic chromophore stimulation, in addition to the biophysics and psychological aspects of vision restoration. Unlike competitive texts, this introduction also includes the need and methods for functional evaluation and rehabilitation. Professionals in the field of biomedical engineering and graduate and postgraduate researchers will find Visual Prosthetics a valuable reference.

For the millions of people with untreatable blindness the thought of a visual prosthesis that would allow them to live a normal life has always been a distant hope. There have been intermittent bright spots that periodically fan that hope such as when Dr. Dobelle’s visual prosthesis patient drove a car in an empty parking lot. This book will serve as an update of the work in developing a visual prosthesis. Chapters discuss the physiologic and engineering issues, alternative strategies, and patents, as well as recent research studies. Visual Prosthesis - A Concise Guide is a must-have resource for ophthalmologists, neurologists, engineers and physicists.

This volume details the latest technology in treating eye injuries and infections. It provides insight into the most up-to-date and established treatment options. The volume focuses on what can currently be achieved with a variety of ocular prostheses as well as what the future holds. Coverage reviews issues such as intraocular lens implants, biocompatibility of materials, retinal implants, testing models, and software designs.

Intended as a useful and practical guide primarily oriented toward ophthalmic practitioners involved in retinal prosthesis implantation and post-operative visual rehabilitation, this book focuses on the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis and its revolutionary incorporation into the practice. The reader will get an update on patient selection, expected visual outcomes, surgical implantation techniques, and post-operative visual rehabilitation. Retinal Prosthesis - A Clinical Guide to Successful Implementation is written in a clear and concise manner and includes diagrams and high quality photographs to demonstrate best practices in surgical techniques and desired outcomes. Covering topics such as history of retinal prostheses, bioengineering considerations, clinical therapies, and other therapies and future directions, this book is written for practicing ophthalmologists, residents, and medical students interested in retinal implants.

This book presents and analyses the most recent research dedicated to restoring vision in individuals who are severely impaired or blind from retinal disease or injury. It is written by the leading groups worldwide who are at the forefront of developing artificial vision. The book begins by discussing the difficulties in comparing and interpreting functional results in the area of very low vision and the principal prospects and limitations of spatial resolution with artificial tools. Further on, chapters are included by researchers who stimulate the surface or the pigment epithelial side of the retina and by experts who work on stimulating the optic nerve, the lateral geniculate body and the superficial layers of the visual cortex. Artificial Vision: A Clinical Guide collates the most recent work of key artificial vision research groups to explain in a comparable and stringent order their varying approaches, the clinical or preclinical outcomes and their achievements during the last years. Senior ophthalmic fellows and academic practitioners will find this guide to be an indispensable resource for understanding the current status of artificial vision.

Neural prosthetics are systems or devices connected to the brain that can restore damaged or lost sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. This book explores the neuroscientific and philosophical implications of neural prosthetics.

Neural prosthetics are systems or devices implanted in or connected to the brain that influence the input and output of information. They modulate, bypass, supplement, or replace regions of the brain and its connections to parts of the body that are damaged, dysfunctional, or lost, whether from congenital conditions, brain injury, limb loss, or neurodegenerative disease. Neural prosthetics can restore sensory, motor, and cognitive functions in people with these conditions and enable them to regain functional independence and improve their quality of life. This book explores the neuroscientific and philosophical implications of neural prosthetics. Neuroscientific discussion focuses on how neural prosthetics can restore brain and bodily functions to varying degrees, looking at auditory and visual prosthetics, deep brain and responsive neurostimulation, brain-computer interfaces, brain-to-brain interfaces, and memory prosthetics. Philosophical discussion then considers the degree to which people with these prosthetics can benefit from or be harmed by them. Finally, it explores how these devices and systems can lead to a better understanding of the brain-mind relation, mental causation, and agency. This is an essential volume for anyone invested in the current and future directions of neural prosthetics, including neuroscientists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, neural engineers, psychologists, and psychiatrists, as well as philosophers, bioethicists, and legal theorists.