Bionic Eye May Soon Be Available in US

The Wall Street Journal  (1/29, D1, Wang, Subscription Publication, 2.29M) reports on a new technology, known as Argus II, that may soon be available in the US, which combines an eye implant and video-camera-enabled glasses. The retinal prosthesis is awaiting approval by the Food and Drug Administration, and will most likely benefit patients with retinitis pigmentosa, as well as those with severe macular degeneration, which, according to the National Eye Institute, is an age-related disease that damages the part of the eye that perceives fine detail.