Minnesota man regains sight after 10 yrs with 'bionic eye' implant

A Minnesota man was recently able to see his wife of 45 years for the first time in 10 years after becoming one of just a handful of people in the world to receive a "bionic eye" implant.

The 68-year-old Allen Zderad, who has retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that began to progress at a rapid pace 20 years ago and led to total blindness, got the "bionic eye" device known as Second Sight Argus II retinal prosthesis system, the CBS News reported.

Zderad, who was implanted by Dr. Raymond Iezzi of the Mayo Clinic, told his wife and the medical team that it's pulsing light, it's not like regular vision where it's constant, adding it's the flash and he has got to be able to interpret the changes in that shape.

The Second Sight Argus II, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February 2013 for people with rare, degenerative eye diseases, doesn't completely restore vision, but with specially-equipped glasses the patient can see light, and therefore the contours and silhouettes of people and objects.

Patrick Finnerty of Second Sight Medical Products helped to develop the device, and said that the bionic eye provides a "pixilated type of vision," adding that the patient essentially has to try to determine what those flashes of light mean, and in many cases it can help them determine where a window is, light coming in through the window or where a doorway is, essentially help them navigate the world around them.