International Conference Mathematical and Computational Biology 2011 International Journal of Modern Physics: Conference Series Vol. 9 (2012) 209–231 World Scientific Publishing Company DOI: 10.1142/S2010194512005272 A REVIEW OF RETINAL PROSTHESIS APPROACHES TRAN TRUNG KIEN School of Computer Science, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Jalan Broga, Semenyih, Selangor 43500, Malaysia
[email protected] TOMAS MAUL School of Computer Science, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Jalan Broga, Semenyih, Selangor 43500, Malaysia
[email protected] ANDRZEJ BARGIELA School of Computer Science, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG8 1BB
[email protected] Age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa are two of the most common diseases that cause degeneration in the outer retina, which can lead to several visual impairments up to blindness. Vision restoration is an important goal for which several different research approaches are currently being pursued. We are concerned with restoration via retinal prosthetic devices. Prostheses can be implemented intraocularly and extraocularly, which leads to different categories of devices. Cortical Prostheses and Optic Nerve Prostheses are examples of extraocular solutions while Epiretinal Prostheses and Subretinal Prostheses are examples of intraocular solutions. Some of the prostheses that are successfully implanted and tested in animals as well as humans can restore basic visual functions but still have limitations. This paper will give an overview of the current state of art of Retinal Prostheses and compare the advantages and limitations of each type. The purpose of this review is thus to summarize the current technologies and approaches used in developing Retinal Prostheses and therefore to lay a foundation for future designs and research directions.