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Show The Blind 'See' bv an Electronic You may know him. You might have seen him. At first glance, sociology major Craig Roderick appears to be the average college student. Like many of his peers, Craig juggles his time between classes and study, squeezing in a part-time job in the remaining hours. Yet, this soft-spoken senior is far from ordinary. A shooting accident 16 years ago shattered Craig's optic nerve, severing forever his contact with the visual world. Or so he thought. Today, there is hope for Craig and thousands like him because of electronic eye research. Since the winter of 1969, he has been a member of the electronic eye project, a unique series of brain experiments conducted at the University of Utah, Columbia University, and in Ontario, Canada. Information gained from the research could revolutionize the world of the blind. Normally enveloped in darkness, Craig "sees" when his brain is electronically stimulated. Craig had been blind for three years when he first learned of the project. "1 was inactive couldn't find work and trying to get into school," Craig explained. "I felt useless." At this time, the U of U Medical Center contacted Jack Yeman of the Murray B. Allen Center for the Blind in Salt Lake City, requesting volunteers for the infant project. "We were warned of the dangers, what might happen and that it might not work," Craig recalls. Yet, he ex r A f " -i sin rr -TFf rfr. n rr. v 1 r: n m perienced no hesitation. "I volunteered that night." Surgery preparation Craig and another Ogdenite were accepted into the program as subjects. Drs. William DoBelle, Ted Roberts, and John Girvin, distinguished U.S. surgeons, headed the research project. "We were given a thorough physical at the University of Utah," Craig said. The pair was flown to London and Ontario, Canada where they underwent even more extensive examinations. More x-rays, angiograms, EEGs and EKGs were performed. "The surgery preparation was the worst part of the ordeal," Craig recalls. The delicate surgery demanded his sandy hair be totally shaven. Being bald, Craig admitted, was hard to accept. "I think they used dull razors." Yet, worse things were forthcoming. Once his hair was gone, operating room personnel began scrubbing his tender scalp with a short bristle brush, not stopping until his fair skin was glowing. Craig was then laid on "about a dozen pillows" to ensure his comfort during the long five-and-one-half hour surgery. A light medication was elected by his surgeons for the operation. A general anesthetic, he was told, would have interfered with the stimulation process. After peeling back the skin above his right ear, Craig's doctors began drilling. The drill's eerie whir was one of the more distrubing parts of the surgery, according to Craig. A button-shaped connector, or pedestal, was then inserted. It contains 64 teflon-coated wires, called electrodes, which were then connected by cable to a highly sophisticated computer. Electrical shock-up to eight milliampereswas administered to Craig's brain, bypassing the remnants of his optical nerve to provide the electrical stimulation so cruical to sight. A safety threshold, preprogrammed into the computer, guarded against dangerous overstimulation. Color vision Craig will never forget what happened next. "I saw a perfect gold circle against a black background. It was beautiful!" Additional jolts of electricity produced blue, yellow and red orbs. At first, these tiny circles of color puzzled researchers. They had hypothesized that Craig would see light, but not color. Images produced in subsequent sessions have differed significantly from those in the initial experiment. Researchers speculate that this difference may have been due to the exposure of Craig's brain to oxygen. The phosphenes (bright visual images) have taken on depth perception, ranging in width from a pinhead to that of a pencil. Craig still however sees colors such as white, red, yellow and blue. While always round, the phosphenes differ noticeably in intensity. "Some are bright, others very faint," Craig said, "but the color is always consistent." When the amount of electrical stimula tion is increased the orbs frag ment, and one phosphene can divide ten to fifteen times. During these sessions, Craig has also been able to visually read Braille. Negative effects Using electricity to restore vision is not a new concept. Inventor Benjamin Franklin first experimented with the idea using bottled electricity and a self-devised skull cap. He reported having seen stars, stripes and almost killed himself. Early modern experimenters used cats and monkeys to test the idea. Animal experimentation eventually proved unsatisfactory, however, for ultimate success depended upon responses educible only from human subjects. Experimental sessions are long beginning at 8 a.m. and often lasting well into the night. Inevitably, the long hours produce a fatigue comparable, ironically, to eye strain. "I just feel burned out," Craig said. He likens the sensation to "taking a long test." And so, he explained, "when I ask them (the researchers) to quit, they understand."Electrical brain stimulation is not free of negative side effects, either. Since surgery, Craig has suffered frequent, often excruciating, headaches. They are sometimes so severe that he loses his orientation. "I've gotten lost in my own house before," he said. Although researchers are not certain of the headache's origin, they nonetheless carefully document each attack, obtaining from Craig minute decriptions of the Eye symptoms, intensity and duration. The attacks may not even be related to the experimentation; two other electronic eye volunteers in New York have experienced no such headaches. Shortly after the surgery, Craig experienced such severe pain that extensive tests were done to discover the problem. Doctors discovered that glaucoma had set into both of Craig's eyes-a common occurrence following an eye injury.Too much electrical stimulation can induce epileptic seizures in otherwise non-epileptic persons. Determining an individual's tolerance threshold aids in the prevention of this dangerous condition.Other unpleasant side effects include what researchers call "background junk." Craig tells of having seen auras and of objects flying at him. The cost of this research is staggering-and estimated $2 million has already been spent. The project, however, receives no federal funding. Private contributions have, thus far, financed the research. Many services and materials have been donated by private corporations. ITT, for example, contributed the $50,000 pedestal Craig wears in his head. Dr. DoBelle occasionally elicits money from nationwide publicity of his project. As a result, Craig has been featured on a National Geographic Special and on the ABC Evening News. Future improvements Researchers eventually hope to perfect a miniature television camera for encasement in eye glass frames or, preferably, within the eye sockets themselves. By increasing the number of electrodes from 64 to 265, it is believed that an individual's visual field will enlarge sufficiently to allow unaided mobility. A tiny power source would be carried on the person's hip. The cost of these devices will be around $3,000-55,000. They are, however, still on the drawing board. New discoveries, coupled with a constant lack of funds, have delayed the device's actualization. Craig admits to having felt, at times, like a guinea pig. Yet, if he could erase time, he says he'd do it all over again. "I feel like I'm contributing something to society. A blind person's only chance for sight is mechanical; I just want to be able to walk down the street without a cane or a dog-to be free." |