Larry Hester, 66, has been blind for half his life from a condition called retinitis pigmentosa. In September, Mr. Hester was implanted with an electronic simulator. On October 1st, Duke Eye Center Dr. Paul Hahn turned it on. The result was amazing. The 66 year old man was able to see the flashes or the nerve being stimulated, and was able to distinguish different materials’ shades, much to the excitement of his wife and the resident doctors.

The implant received US commercial approval last year, following successful trials on 30 subjects.  The best vision achieved in trials of the Angus II implant, according to iflscience.com, was 20/1620, well below the threshold for legal blindness. However, this is the first step to combating retinal conditions like this, which have never before been treated.