Dianne Ashworth was 24 and had just had her first son when she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that causes blindness.
“It was the biggest shock,” Ms Ashworth said.
“I thought, ‘how on earth can someone live without seeing?’. We live in such a visual world – it was devastating.”
Almost 30 years later Dr Ashworth received Australia’s first bionic eye implant.
She was one of three people involved in a world-first trial by Bionic Vision Australia and has just released a book about her experience called Eye Spy With My Bionic Eye.
The trial participants went to the lab once a week and were hooked up to the 24-electrode device, which is attached to a small implant behind their retina and hooked up to a computer in a back-pack.
Dr Ashworth, who now teaches social work at Geelong’s Deakin University, said when the device was first switched on she was thrilled.
She said it allowed her to see basic outlines, light and shapes.
“It’s very basic what you see but you learn to interpret it.
“It gives me a feeling of where I’m positioned in space.”
Most of the research took place in the lab but Dr Ashworth said when the researchers took her to a local cafe she could finally make out the outline of the barista who had been serving her for the past two years.
“To me it’s social, it’s not so much the mobility, it’s just being able to interact with someone and knowing they’re there,” she said.
$1 million funding for second stage of bionic eye trial
She said she was keen to be involved in more research on the bionic eye, including a separate project that aims to allow blind participants to recognise faces and read large print.
“I’d love to be a part of that.
“It’s not as if I’ve been unhappy not seeing but I think when you do get that extra information it makes things easier.”
Researchers said the second stage of the bionic eye trial was well underway.
Last week it received $1 million in funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Dr Lauren Ayton, the clinical leader with the Centre for Eye Research, said the next stage of trials would include a smaller computer that could be worn at home.
“The next stage is to have a device they can use at home, down the street, and full time, so it’s very exciting,” she said.
Dr Ayton said the team was receiving applications from people who would like to participate in the trial, which would start next year.
She said the feedback from the first three participants, including how easy it was to interpret the information, would inform the next stage.
“All of that information – that is the next device,” she said.
Surgical team leader with Bionic Vision Australia Dr Penny Allen said the surgery, which involved implanting a small device behind the retina, was not as complicated as it seemed.
“There’s not much point designing an operation which only the person who’s done it a thousand times can do,” she said.
She said the unique feature of this particular bionic eye was the location of the implant behind the retina.
“By having it in that space it has a pocket that it sits in and it doesn’t move and it’s stable,” she said.
For Dr Ashworth one of the best parts of being involved with the trail was being able to help the researchers.
“When you have a perceived disability, people don’t ask you to help anymore.”