Predicting visual sensitivity in retinal prosthesis patients.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

With the long-term goal of restoring functional vision in patients with retinal degenerative diseases, the eyes of blind human subjects were implanted chronically with epiretinal prostheses consisting of two-dimensional electrode arrays that directly stimulated cells of the neural retina.

Methods

Psychophysical techniques were used to measure the brightness of electrically generated percepts on single electrodes using a variety of electrical stimulation patterns.

Results

It was possible to predict the sensitivity of the human visual system to a wide variety of retinal electrical stimulation patterns using a simple and biologically plausible model.

Conclusions

This is the first study to demonstrate that, on the single-electrode level, retinal electrical

SUBMITTER: Horsager A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2729061 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature