Goggles + silicon chip implant = restored sight

What do you get when you combine a pair of revolutionary goggles with a tiny silicon chip that's implanted in the retina? You get powerful technology that helps those who suffer from degenerative eye diseases like macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. A photodetector silicon chip interfaces with the goggles which are equipped with a camera and a pocket computer. This tiny chip (it is the size of the point of a pencil) is able to convert light into electrical signals that stimulate the optical nerves enabling the person to see. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine developed the goggles and studied the effectiveness of the implants on both blind and normal rats. This new implant is much easier to insert into the retina than its current bulky counterpart.*