Solar vision: Solar panels on eyes could restore vision, study says

A team of engineers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) in Australia is developing a project that aims to place small solar panels in people’s eyes. The aim is to use solar technology on the human retina To restore vision to people with different types of eye complications and thus we offer a better quality of life.

Currently, the international group of scientists aims to understand how the technology can be applied to convert sunlight reaching the human eye into electrical energy.

This is how the group believes It will be possible to bypass damaged photoreceptors to provide visual information to the brain; Photoreceptors are cells that detect light and color. In fact, Roemer explains that some testing of the technology has already been done, but it is still in its early stages; Patients had to have wires placed in their eyes, which could be an extremely complex and unsafe procedure.

“People with certain diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, gradually lose their vision as the photoreceptors in the center of the eye degenerate. It has long been thought that biomedical implants in the retina could replace damaged photoreceptors,” emphasizes Dr. Roemer.

Solar technology in the eyes

Since scientists do not want to use any type of electrical wires directly to the eyes, they believe that using small solar panels attached to the eyeball is a good alternative. As the team explains, The panel will be automatically powered by sunlight and will be completely portable with no need for cables or wires.

It’s currently in the development, proof-of-concept phase, and researchers say they’ve already achieved some good results. Nevertheless, The project has not yet been tested on humans, and a long research process is still required before the technology can be implanted into the retinas of patients with vision problems.

“One thing to note is that despite the efficiency of stacked solar cells, sunlight alone may not be powerful enough to work with these retina-implanted solar cells. People need to use a type of glasses or smart glasses that work in conjunction with solar cells that can amplify the solar signal to the intensity needed to reliably stimulate the neurons in the eye.” He may need to wear glasses,” adds Dr. Roemer.

Did you like the content? Always stay up to date with the latest work on solar technology at TecMundo. If you wish, take the opportunity to understand how Australia is investing in a semi-biological chip containing human brain cells.