Scientists used a tiny brain implant to help a blind teacher see letters again - WJSU

A former science teacher who's been blind for 16 years became able to see letters, discern objects' edges — and even play a Maggie Simpson video game — thanks to a visual prosthesis that includes a camera and a brain implant, according to American and Spanish researchers who collaborated on the project.

The study furthers what it calls a "long-held dream of scientists," to impart a rudimentary form of sight to blind people by sending information directly to the brain's visual cortex.

In the experiment, a neurosurgeon implanted a microelectrode array into the visual cortex of Berna Gómez, a former teacher who has been blind for more than 16 years.

After a training period, Gómez was able to decipher visual information that was fed from the camera directly to her brain.

At the time of the study, Gómez was 57 years old.

The researchers say previous studies have found around 700 electrodes could give a blind person enough visual information to boost their mobility to a useful extent.