Scientists Restore Mans Sight Imagine being in the darkest place possible, where you cant see even the slightest bit of the hand in front of your face. Now imagine being stuck in that darkness for half your life. Sixty-six-year-old Larry Hester has been in that place for the past 33 years. In his mid-thirties, Hester was diagnosed with a hereditary degenerative eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa. This disease causes the light-sensitive retinas to deteriorate. It has no known cure. On September 10, Larry became the seventh recipient in the country of a bionic eye implant, a.k.a. Second Sight Argus II Retinal Prosthesis Device. This device consists of a chip implanted into the eye, a video camera, and special glasses worn by the patient. It captures video on the camera mounted onto the glasses, translating it into an electrical signal. The signal gets wirelessly sent to the chip connected to the part of the retina that is undamaged. Once the signal reaches the chip, the brain interprets it as contrasting pieces of light and dark. Patrick Finnerty of Second Sight Medical Products explains it this way: The patient can see flashes of light and a pixelated type of vision that helps him distinguish between objects in his field of view. Dr. Paul Hahn, Hesters eye surgeon, explained that although it does not give the patient full vision like most people are used to having, it does help him navigate around doors, windows, etc. After weeks of recovery, Hester returned to Duke Eye Center on October 7 to start therapy. A video broadcast by Duke captures the moment when Dr. Hahn turned the device on, the first time since the device was implanted. Cheers went up when Hester immediately flinched at the sudden light. Smiles and hugs were given all around as Hester continued meeting the test standards. Doctors and family members alike joined hands in a circle for a moment of prayer, led by a humble and truly grateful Larry Hester. Its so basic; and to anybody else it would be just flashes of light, but to me it meansI can see, Hester said, breaking down in tears as he was interviewed after the test. This is very special. This is a gift. Family members walked him outside to see the moon for the first time in 30 years. So far, he has been able to see light-colored flowers against brown mulch, and a white duck on a pond. He is hoping that by next summer he will be able to see the light contrasts of the Fourth of July fireworks in his hometown. For now, he only turns the device on for about half an hour per day to let his brain adjust to having vision after half a lifetime of blindness. Jerry Hester, Larrys wife, spoke with reporters after the tests: We have prayed a lot about it, our friends and family have, and we have a wonderful support group of people that are cheering for himSeeing a bit of Gods creation that weve had this opportunity, a second chance thats a special time. 