Abstract:
Vision is one the most important senses of the human body. In the evolution as well,
visual system developed at a very early stage indicating the importance of this
sensory mechanism. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular
degeneration (AMD) are two of the many malfunctioning states of the visual system
in which the photoreceptor or the other neuronal layers of retina are partially or
completely non-functional. This results in conditions like night, color or even
complete blindness. Artificial retinal implant is one of the latest approach in curing
the RP and AMD in which an array of electrodes is surgically implanted close to the
retina. This array of electrodes is connected to an imaging device like a charged
coupled device (CCD) that converts the external light signals into electrical signals.
The microelectrode array receives these electrical signals from CCD and excites the
neurons of the retina close proximity and elicit the perception of vision in the brain
[1-3].
