Conexiant
Login
  • Corneal Physician
  • Glaucoma Physician
  • New Retinal Physician
  • Ophthalmology Management
  • Ophthalmic Professional
  • Presbyopia Physician
  • Retinal Physician
The Ophthalmologist
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Latest
    • Insights
    • Case Studies
    • Opinion & Personal Narratives
    • Research & Innovations
    • Product Profiles

    Featured Topics

    • Anterior Segment
    • Glaucoma
    • Retina

    Issues

    • Latest Issue
    • Archive
  • Subspecialties
    • Cataract
    • Cornea
    • Glaucoma
    • Neuro-ophthalmology
    • Oculoplastics
    • Pediatric
    • Retina
  • Business

    Business & Profession

    • Professional Development
    • Business and Entrepreneurship
    • Practice Management
    • Health Economics & Policy
  • Training & Education

    Career Development

    • Professional Development
    • Career Pathways

    Events

    • Webinars
    • Live Events
  • Events
    • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Community

    People & Profiles

    • Power List
    • Voices in the Community
    • Authors & Contributors
  • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
Subscribe
Subscribe

False

Advertisement
The Ophthalmologist / Issues / 2021 / Jan / Monkey See
Research & Innovations Neuro-ophthalmology

Monkey See

Implant gives monkeys artificial sight, bypassing prior stages of visual processing to interface directly with the brain

By Phoebe Harkin 1/14/2021 1 min read

Share

Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN) have successfully delivered high-resolution implants in areas V1 and V4 of the visual cortex of monkeys, allowing the subjects to recognize artificially induced shapes. The neuroprosthetic implants consist of 1,024 electrodes. When electrical stimulation is delivered to the brain via an implanted electrode, it generates the percept of a dot of light – also known as a phosphene – at a particular location in visual space.

To test whether the monkeys could successfully recognize percepts using their artificial vision, they were asked to perform simple behavioral tasks. First, their eye movements were monitored to see if they could report the location of a phosphene elicited during the stimulation of an individual electrode. Second, they were tested on more complex direction-of-motion and letter-discrimination tasks, in which microstimulation was delivered to up to 15 electrodes simultaneously to create a percept in the form of a letter or motion. The first results were promising; the monkey immediately recognized the percepts. The research offers hope that patients who have suffered injury or degeneration of the retina, eye, or optic nerve, but whose visual cortex remains intact, may one day be given functional vision via artificial sight.

References

  1. X Chen et al., “Shape perception via a high-channel-count neuroprosthesis in monkey visual cortex”, Science, 370, 1191 (2020). PMID: 33273097.

About the Author(s)

Phoebe Harkin

I’ve always loved telling stories. So much so, I decided to make a job of it. I finished a Masters in Magazine Journalism and spent three years working as a creative copywriter before itchy feet sent me (back)packing. It took seven months and 13 countries, but I’m now happily settled on The Ophthalmologist, where I’m busy getting stuck into all things eyeballs.

More Articles by Phoebe Harkin

Related Content

Newsletters

Receive the latest Ophthalmology news, personalities, education, and career development – weekly to your inbox.

Newsletter Signup Image

False

Advertisement

False

Advertisement

Explore More in Ophthalmology

Dive deeper into the world of Ophthalmology. Explore the latest articles, case studies, expert insights, and groundbreaking research.

False

Advertisement
The Ophthalmologist
Subscribe

About

  • About Us
  • Work at Conexiant Europe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 Texere Publishing Limited (trading as Conexiant), with registered number 08113419 whose registered office is at Booths No. 1, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford, England, WA16 8GS.

Disclaimer

The Ophthalmologist website is intended solely for the eyes of healthcare professionals. Please confirm below: