Nobody wants a needle anywhere near their eye. Even superglue is preferable. It’s one of the most powerful, deeply rooted phobias in the human mind, and for superb reason. So when you read about Google wanting to inject something into your eye, you probably flinch, and yet, that’s exactly what the company wants to do.
A new patent has revealed Google has developed an injectable technology for bionic eyes. The technology itself is pretty simple, as it’s a small device powered by radio energy. It’s got a little data storage, and its job is to help the eye focus light onto the retina. This is good, useful technology that will help a lot of people, as more than 20 million people in America alone had cataracts in 2010.
Unfortunately, the method of getting it in there is straight out of a horror movie. First a surgeon has to remove your eye’s natural lens, and then jam a needle in your eye, injecting fluid and the bionic eye in there. Once it’s in there, it fits itself to the surface of your eye and sorta floats there.
Granted, getting a needle in your eye isn’t nearly as terrifying as losing your vision. On the other hand, it’s still a needle in your eye. Maybe doctors can compromise, and wait until your vision is so bad, you won’t see the needle coming?
(Via Gizmodo)