Bionic eye op in London lets blind see loved ones

Two blind patients have been able to see their families for the first time thanks to Britain's first "bionic" eye operation.

Today the Evening Standard can reveal how London surgeons carried out the pioneering surgery, which could transform the lives of thousands of people.

The operations were carried out by a team at Moorfields Eye Hospital, based in City Road. The patients' identities are being kept secret, but it is understood they are men in their fifties.

The technology consists of a tiny camera and transmitter mounted in a pair of glasses. It sends a wireless signal to an ultra-thin electronic receiver and electrode panel implanted in the eye.

The electrodes are attached to the retina, at the back of the eye, and stimulate the remaining nerves, allowing signals to be passed along the optic nerve to the brain.

In the brain, patterns of light and dark spots are perceived - giving the patient basic vision.

The procedure, aimed at those suffering diseases of the retina, is currently being tested in a clinical trial, but doctors hope it will be available on the NHS within a few years.

Lyndon da Cruz, a consultant retinal surgeon at Moorfields, said he and his team carried out the two operations last week. Mr da Cruz said both patients were recovering well: " Moorfields is proud to have been one of only three sites in Europe chosen to be part of evolving this exciting new technology.

"The devices were implanted successfully in both patients and they are recovering well from the operations. It is very special to be part of a programme developing a totally new type of treatment for patients who would otherwise have no chance of visual improvement."

The operation was carried out under the supervision of American doctors who developed the technology, called Argus II, with the company Second Sight. Today the US team, based at the Doheny Eye Institute in Los Angeles announced they had carried out the same operation.

The Americans are also attempting to shrink the camera so that it will be small enough to be implanted into an eyeball.

They predict these pea-sized video cameras could be ready to be used in surgery in three to five years.

In this technology, the camera is linked to an artificial retina that transmits moving images along the optic nerve to the brain. The patient perceives a crude black-and-white picture.

Founded in 1804, Moorfields is one of the oldest and largest eye hospitals in the world. It is internationally renowned for its treatment and 23,000 operations were carried out there last year.