Cortical implant

An implant into the part of the brain that interprets vision signals that come from the retina. Connecting this implant with a vision aide, like camera-glasses, may be a way to return vision to those who are blind.

A cortical implant is a chip or cable that is implanted into the visual cortex, the specific portion of the brain found at the back of the head that interprets visual information. This device would theoretically transmit to the cortex the visual images received from camera-like sunglasses (or another type of vision-detecting machine). The goal of this device is similar to a retinal prosthetic, but bypasses the retina and optic nerve completely, possibly restoring vision in patients who are completely blind.