A
visual prosthesis, often referred to as a
bionic eye, is an experimental visual device intended to restore functional vision in those suffering from partial or total
blindness. In 1983
Joao Lobo Antunes, a Portuguese doctor, implanted a bionic eye in a person born blind. Many devices have been developed, usually modeled on the
cochlear implant or bionic ear devices, a type of
neural prosthesis in use since the mid-1980s. The idea of using electrical current (e.g., electrically stimulating the
retina or the
visual cortex) to provide sight dates back to the 18th century, discussed by
Benjamin Franklin,
Tiberius Cavallo, and Charles LeRoy.