http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324162304578304372323390606.html
Regulators have approved a bionic eye for the first time in the U.S., saying Second Sight Medical Products Inc.'s retinal prosthesis can be used to treat a certain kind of blindness.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the Argus II, which sends electrical stimulation to the retina to induce vision in individuals afflicted with retinitis pigmentosa.
This disorder, which can run in families, damages and kills the cells in the retinaa tissue layer at the back of the eyethat process light. The disease causes vision to become increasingly blurry until they can't see at all. Around 100,000 patients in the U.S. have the condition.
The Argus II, which is already available in Europe, can't restore sight completely, but it can improve vision in individuals who can see almost nothing.