New York, July 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It has long been a dream to restore vision for people who are blind or visually impaired. However, doing so, either through transplanting a functioning eye or using technological aids, is an incredibly complex challenge. In fact, many considered it impossible. But thanks to cutting-edge research and programs, the ability to restore vision is getting closer than ever.
In the latest episode of “On Tech and Vision,” Dr. Calvin W. Roberts, podcast host and president and CEO of Lighthouse Guild, describes his own work as program manager for a project on eye transplantation called Transplantation of Human Eye Allographs (THEA). Funded by a government initiative called ARPA-H, THEA is bringing some of the country’s finest minds together to tackle the complexities of connecting a person’s brain to an eye from a human donor. Dr. Roberts’ work with THEA is bringing together multiple teams to address the challenges associated with a whole eyeball transplant, from connecting nerves and muscles, ensuring the organ isn’t rejected, and much more.
“Although eyeball transplants have been done, they’ve only been cosmetic. So far, nobody has been able to successfully connect a donor eyeball to a recipient’s brain,” says Dr. Roberts. “Now rapidly advancing technology is bringing us exciting new possibilities for vision restoration.”
The episode also features an interview with Dr. Daniel Palanker of Stanford University who is working on technology that can artificially restore sight through prosthetic replacement of photoreceptors, the cells in the retina that are key to turning light that enters the eyes into a form the brain can use for the sense of vision. Having proved successful in animals, Dr. Palanker and his team are working hard to translate it to humans.
For both Dr. Roberts and Dr. Palanker, one of the biggest challenges with vision restoration is understanding how the eye and brain communicate.
“It’s like Morse Code,” says Dr. Roberts, “The eye speaks to the brain in dots and dashes, which the brain then converts into vision. Right now, the language is still foreign to us, but we’re closer than ever to decoding it.”
Now in its fifth season, “On Tech & Vision with Dr. Cal Roberts” explores big ideas on how technology is making life better for people with vision loss. It has over 16,000 downloads since it launched in 2020 and is a recipient of a 2023 Anthem Award. The podcast is available online at Lighthouseguild.org and for downloading on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Podcasts iHeartRadio Podcasts and Tunein.com. Twitter: @LighthouseGld #OnTechVision.
Program Note: The audio of Dr. Roberts interview is adapted from an interview with him on “The Doctors Podcast.”
About Lighthouse Guild
Lighthouse Guild provides exceptional services that inspire people who are visually impaired to attain their goals. We provide coordinated care for eye health, vision rehabilitation and behavioral health as well as related services.
