Laser Eye Correction Without Cornea Loss

Russian scientists have developed a new laser which can correct eyesight without cutting the surface of the eye. Laser surgery to restore eyesight has been performed for nearly two decades, and every year the procedure becomes safer and easier. Currently, it can be done using two lasers, one opening the eye's surface and the other working with the cornea itself. But soon even this futuristic technology may seem ancient as true technology of the 21st Century steps in.

“Our laser is able to penetrate the eye's cornea without damaging its surface. As a result we can make the needed changes inside the eyeball without having to open it first,” shares Konstantin Lapshin, senior researcher at Physics Instrumentation Centre. The femtosecond laser generates impulses of light less than one billionth of a second long. Such beams can cut or evaporate matter when several lasers are aimed at one spot.

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Cochlear Nucleus 5 Hearing Implant

In July Cochlear announced its latest hearing implant system the Nucleus 5. It then recieved FDA approval in September to begin selling in the US. It consists of the next generation implant and next generation external processor. The Nucleus 5 is the worlds thinnest cochlear implant and is 40 per cent thinner and two-and-a-half times stronger than the previous device.

Both the implant and external processor are compatible with the current Nucleus Freedom cochlear implant system, so the implant and the external processor can be released independently. Five research trials have shown that the Nucleus 5 speech recognition scores are higher than with other cochlear implant systems. Its built to last a lifetime and the wearer can relax around water with the water resistant sound processor.

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Curing the Blind with Stem-Cell-Coated Contact Lenses

In a world-first breakthrough, researchers from UNSW in Sydney have used stem cells cultured on a simple contact lens to restore sight to sufferers of blinding corneal disease.

Corneal damage from infection, burns and chemotherapy is estimated to be the cause of sight loss in about 1.5 million people every year. These people usually wear contact lenses so it makes sense to deliver a stem cell therapy via those contact lenses. Treating corneal damage with contact lenses is simple and cheap.

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Augmented Reality - Vuzix Wrap 920AV

Named "The Wrap 920AV", the headgear from maker Vuzix represents the first of its kind that can function as either sunglasses or portable video eyewear. The unit will include virtual reality capabilities along with augmented reality features. Augmented reality has been possible for a while but latest pair of video glasses look almost like normal pair of sunglasses which is sure to attract more interest from the average person.

Repair lost sense of smell with stem cells

May 2007 - Hopkins researchers have identified a backup supply of stem cells that can repair the most severe damage to the nerves responsible for our sense of smell. These reservists normally lie around and do nothing, but when neighboring cells die, the scientists say, the stem cells jump into action. "These stem cells act like the Army Reserves of our nose," explains lead author professor Randall Reed.

The only nerve cells in the body to run directly from the brain to the outside world, olfactory cells are under constant assault from harsh chemicals that one might happen to catch a whiff of by accident, risking damage or death.

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Bionic Eye From Second Sight

The Argus II artificial eye is manufactured by Second Sight Medical Products Inc. It's designed to take the place of damaged photoreceptors. The system is no longer experimental and in June 2011, Second Sight received CE mark of approval for the Argus II meaning for £53,000 you can now buy the system. It is the first bionic eye to be approved for sale anywhere in the world.

Approval by the US FDA was recieved in May 2009 to conduct a trial of the Argus 2 system in 20 more people, however its not yet available for sale in this market.

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