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Kristina Narfstrom, an
MU veterinary ophthalmologist, has been working with a microchip
implant to help blind cats see. Photo courtesy of the
MU College of Veterinary Medicine
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Eye
Implants in Cats
Could Help Humans See
By Christian Basi
In “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Geordi La Forge
is a blind character who can see through the assistance of special
implants in his eyes. While the Star Trek character “lives” in the 24th century, people living in the 21st century may not
have to wait that long for the illuminating technology.
Kristina Narfstrom, a University of Missouri-Columbia
veterinary ophthalmologist,
has been working with a microchip implant to help blind animals
“see.” According to Narfstrom, the preliminary results
are promising.
“About one in 3,500 people worldwide
is affected with a hereditary disease, retinitis pigmentosa, that
causes the death of retinal cells and, eventually, blindness,” Narfstrom said. “Our current study is aimed at determining
safety issues in regard to the implants and to further develop
surgical techniques. We also are examining the protection the
implants might provide to the retinal cells that are dying due
to disease progression with the hope that natural sight can be
maintained much longer than would be possible in an untreated
patient.”
Narfstrom, the Ruth M. Kraeuchi-Missouri Professor
in Veterinary Ophthalmology, is working primarily with Abyssinian
and Persian cats that are affected with hereditary retinal blinding
disease. The cat's eye is a good model to use for this type of
research because it is very similar to a human eye in size and
construction, so surgeons can use the same techniques and equipment.
Cats also share many of the same eye diseases with humans. The
Abyssinian cats that Narfstrom is working with typically start
to lose their sight when they are around one or two years old
and are completely blind by age four.
To date, Narfstrom has performed surgeries
in severely visually impaired or blind cats. During the surgery,
Narfstrom makes two small cuts into the sclera, the outer wall
of the eyeball. After removing the vitreous, which is the gelatinous
fluid inside the back part of the eyeball, Narfstrom creates a
small blister in the retina and a small opening, large enough
for the microchip, which is just two millimeters in diameter and
23 micrometers (one-millionth of a meter) thick. The chip includes
several thousand microphotodiodes that react to light and produce
small electrical impulses in parts of the retina.
“We are really excited about the potential
uses for this technology and the potential to create improved
vision in some of the millions of people affected worldwide with
retinal blindness,” Narfstrom said. “This technology
also may be beneficial for pets that have similar diseases because
this technology can benefit both animals and humans.”
Narfstrom is working with Optobionics Corporation,
the Naperville, Ill., based company that developed the device,
and with Machelle Pardue, a researcher with Emory University and
the Research Service at the VA Medical Center in Atlanta.
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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