smarterplanet:

(Credit: Nano Retina)

Bionic eye implants are finally hitting the market — first in Europe, and hopefully soon in the U.S., ExtremeTech reports.

These implants can restore sight to completely blind patients — though only if the blindness is caused by a faulty retina, as in macular degeneration.

Second Sight

The first of these implants, Argus II, developed by Second Sight, is already available in Europe. For around $115,000, you get a 4-hour operation to install an antenna behind your eye, and a special pair of camera-equipped glasses that send signals to the antenna.

The antenna is wired into your retina with around 60 electrodes, creating the equivalent of a 60-pixel display for your brain to interpret. The first users of the Argus II bionic eye report that they can see rough shapes and track the movement of objects, and slowly read large writing.

Bio-Retina: 576 pixels

Nice catch, IBM crew! Lol