EP 837 Can This Reverse Blindness?

About 400,000 people suffer from retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that causes blindness.

Thanks to the innovative work of Dr. Robert Greenberg, 200 people with the disease can now see colors, shadows and light after successfully receiving a "bionic eye" implant.

Now, Dr. Greenberg wants to help the six million people worldwide who are blind due to other health issues, such as cancer, glaucoma and diabetes.

He chats with Dr. Roizen about the newest technology he's developing that bypasses the eye altogether and works directly with the brain. This means people with damaged eyes may be able to regain their sight.

Plus, the technology could possibly help those with other impaired senses, like hearing, taste, smell or touch.
EP 837 Can This Reverse Blindness?
Featuring:
Robert Greenberg, MD, PhD
Robert-GreenbergRobert Greenberg, MD, PhD, is the Chairman of the Board and founder, Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.


Dr. Greenberg conducted pre-clinical and clinical trials demonstrating the feasibility of retinal electrical stimulation to elicit visual perceptions. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors, Southern California Biomedical Council and Alfred Mann Foundations. In addition, he sits on the Board of Directors of a public company, Pulse Biosciences, using nanosecond pulses to modulate cellular activity applied to oncology, dermatology and other minimally invasive applications.  

Dr. Greenberg, is a highly accomplished medical physician, with a degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He recognized that technologies can help people who could not otherwise see, and he developed them through a coordinated process with major medical centers, including University of Illinois, Chicago; USCLA, and Kellogg Eye Center, to name a few.

To date, 60 Americans and 200 people worldwide have had successful implants. Plans for 2017 include expanding access to patients with additional medical centers offering the procedure as well as compensation plans for patients who need to travel to these centers.