Blind Man Sees Wife: Bionic Eye Implant Allows Man To See His Wife After A Decade

A blind man sees his wife after getting a bionic eye implant. According to Mail Online, Allen Zderad lost his eyesight after being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. Not only did he have to put an end to his career, but he also couldn’t physically see his loved ones anymore. In fact, Zderad, a resident of Minnesota, couldn’t see anything aside from very bright light for the past decade.

“Unable to see anything but bright light, the grandfather of ten adjusted by developing his sense of touch, which allowed him to enjoy spatial relationships and to continue woodworking.”

The blind man hadn’t seen his wife in far too long, but that changed thanks to a man named Dr. Raymond Iezzi Jr. who designed a retinal prosthesis of sorts which he calls the “Second Sight Argus II.” Although the procedure isn’t something that is done on a regular basis, Iezzi thought that Zderad would be a great candidate; and he was right.

“After installing 60 electrodes into his eye, which interact with a camera in a pair of glasses and a wearable computer pack to later create an image, Mr. Zderad became the fifteenth person in America to receive a bionic eye implant and see again.”

Video of the 68-year-old blind man seeing his wife for the first time after his procedure recently surfaced online. According to Mashable, Zderad doesn’t have his sight back completely, but it’s a far better option compared to seeing nothing.

“Zderad [now has] the ability to see shapes, make out human forms, and even see his own reflection in a window.”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Dr. Raymond Iezzi Jr. spoke to the media about the procedure, and how far it has come over the years. He emphasizes that he uses a “bionic” eye, and that this is no way a “replacement” for the eyeball, but that it’s certainly a start, and it could be the answer for many blind people. It’s actually quite amazing, when you think about it.

“It’s a bionic eye, in every sense of the word. It’s not a replacement for the eyeball, but it works with interacting with the eye. Mankind has been seeking to cure blindness for 2,000 years or more, but only in the past quarter of a century have we had the electronics and the packaging and all the other things come together to build a retinal prosthesis that could restore sight to the blind.”

[Photo courtesy of YouTube]