Medical Nanotechnology Can Help with the Restoration of Vision

Purpose: The eye is one of the most important organs in the human body. Moreover, the act of seeing involves some of the most complex pure and applied science and processes that scientists have encountered to date. This implies that vision constitutes a very complex form of information processing, involving the participation of aneuro-processor at the back of the pupil called the retina . Degenerative diseases, like retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), mainly affect the photoreceptor cells, and hence lead to a significant loss of vision. Methods: Generally, the retinal prostheses, according to their location of the implant (site of stimulation) can be divided into a variety of categories. For example, there are at least four potential sites of neuro-stimulation; including, the visual cortex, the optic nerve, the lateral geniculate nucleus as well as the retina. Similarly, the mechanism of stimulation can involve electrical, chemical, and magnetic signals. Results: Medical nanotechnology represents a significant methodology for the diagnosis and treatment of both the diseases and injuries related to neural tissues. Therefore, the main aims of this review are to focus on the bionic eyes, which are employed to restore the vision via implanted devices, such as microelectrodes, in the retina, manufactured from different nanomaterials and nanostructures such as nanowires, nanoparticles, and nano-devices. Conclusion: Ultimately, the final goal of the retina implants is to improve the quality of life of the blind patients along with the enhancement of their abilities. Nanomedicine is the state of the art protocol that can revolutionize the present technologies by employing various types of exotic nanostructures.