A 61-YEAR-OLD blind woman in Changsha, Hunan Province, has regained partial vision following a groundbreaking brain-computer interface surgery, offering new hope to millions suffering from degenerative retinal diseases.

The patient, identified only as Chen, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at age 40 — a condition that eventually led to complete blindness in both eyes. On April 23, she was enrolled in a clinical trial and underwent an implantation procedure at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in Changsha.

During the surgery, doctors implanted an electrode array measuring just 6mm by 10.8mm — roughly the size of a fingernail — onto the retinal surface of the macular region inside her eyeball.

After the procedure, Chen wears a specialized pair of glasses equipped with a miniature camera and a wireless transmission module. The camera captures environmental images, which are then analyzed and encoded by a video processor. Using radio frequency wireless technology, the encoded data is transmitted to the implant, which converts it into electrical stimulation signals that activate retinal nerve cells. These signals ultimately relay visual information to the brain.

“If we compare the eyeball to a camera, the retina is the film. When the film is damaged, we use electrical signals to ‘tell’ the intact nerve cells behind what is being seen — essentially building a bypass for the visual system,” explained Dr. Xu Huizhuo, the lead surgeon and head of the clinical trial project.

Once activated, patients initially experience phosphenes — bright pinpoints of light against a dark background. Through systematic training, they learn to assemble these light spots to identify object outlines, obstacles, directional markers, and simple letters.

To date, Chen’s visual acuity has recovered to 0.1. During tests, she successfully recognized striped patterns in specific orientations and completed tasks such as indoor directional walking.(SD-Agencies)