A Wireless Vision?

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in people over 55. The disease kills the cells in the retina. Found at the rear of the eye, retina cells sense light and transmit visual information to the brain. Now, help may be on the way for the more than 12 million people in the United States who suffer from macular degeneration and other diseases of the retina.

Sandeep Gupta is an ASU associate professor of computer science and engineering. He is working with colleagues at Wayne State University in Detroit to develop an implantable sensor array that will substitute for the retina’s light-sensing cells.

Gupta explains that the sensor will receive data from a tiny camera mounted on a pair of eyeglasses. It then transmits that data to cells in the retina for transfer to the optic nerve and on to the brain.

The work presents many challenges, including wireless data transmission. The array must receive data from the camera and transmit it to an external computer to ensure that the sensor is working. The huge amount of data transmitted will require more power than a pacemaker. However, a buildup of heat around the sensor could cause it to become a haven for bacteria.

Gupta’s ASU team is modeling electromagnetic signals inside body tissues. They also are looking at different ways of grouping data from different sensors in the array. The goal is to find the most energy-efficient transmission.—Linley Erin Hall