Giving eyesight to the blind is an idea that has been toyed with in the past but never got past being more than an idea.  However thanks to the work of a French company called Pixium Vision is turning this idea into a reality with their latest invention which is simply called Iris.

The scientists at Pixium Vision use a technique called neuromodulation which is where they basically jump start the nervous system with electric shocks. In conjunction with that a surgery takes place where they implant a tiny silicon chip with 150 electrodes on the retina. After the surgery, the patient wears a pair of dark glasses with a video camera that sends images to a computer. This computer changes the pictures into digital signals, which are sent back to the glasses, then transmitted to the implant. This activates the electrodes, and sends the images to the brain. However with all new inventions must have someone test them to see if they actually work or the invention is a failure. Luckily many people have accepted the risks of testing this new invention, however one person specifically answered the call for help named Georges.  When Georges was just 18, he learned that he had a disease called retinitis pigmentosa. He was told that his vision would eventually get worse and worse until he was completely blind. Last year, Georges suddenly saw light again. “When they got the electrodes going, it was a real fireworks show,” he exclaims.
Even though this technology is still testing, it is working and has proven to be constantly reliable. This not only a huge step forward Georges and any other blind person but is also a gigantic step forward for humanity as a whole and personally I cannot wait to see what the future holds in store for us.