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You are here: Home > Other News > “Bionic eye” to feature on ITV documentary

“Bionic eye” to feature on ITV documentary

4 May 2016 · Listed under Other News, Surgical Innovation and Evaluation

EMBARGOED: FOR PUBLICATION FROM TUESDAY 3rd May 2016  From Optomen TV  WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MIRACLE  Thursday 12th May 2016 on ITV  Pictured: Emma Willis with 48 year old Nikki Watson In tonightÕs episode is 48 year old Nikki Watson, a woman who may be about to make history.Nikki had a happy childhood growing up in Devon, sheÕd always had trouble with her eyesight then at 17, Nikki was told she had a condition called Retinitus Pigmentosa which meant that she would be completely blind by her mid-twenties. There was nothing medical science could do.  The news was traumatic but Nikki got on with life, eventually getting married and settling down.  However, Nikki always dreamed of a day when a cure for her blindness might be found and now Nikki is taking part in a ground breaking medical trial at Oxford University where surgeons are hoping to find the first ever cure for her condition.  Nikki is going to have a wafer thin micro-chip inserted into the back of her eye, connecting wires will then feed back visual information to a special implant controlled wirelessly on her belt.  It is hoped that when the device is switched on she will be able to see.  How much she will be able to see is uncertain.   When Emma meets Nikki and her husband Hal the day before her cutting edge surgery she tells Emma she is desperate for it to work, seeing anything at all would transform her life, but she also wants to give hope to other people with her condition, hope that a solution might be possible for them too. © Optomen TV  For further information please contact Peter Gray 0207 157 3046 peter.gray@itv.com   This photograph is © ITV and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the  programme WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MIRACLE  or ITV. Once made available by the ITV Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the Transmission date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itvpictures.com

The story of a patient who was among the first in the UK to receive the world’s most advanced ‘bionic eye’ is to feature on ITV this month.

Nikki Watson’s story will feature on “What Would Be Your Miracle?” on ITV 1 on Thursday, May 12 at 9pm.

The 48-year-old, from Devon, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa aged 17 and was told she would eventually lose her vision.

Surgeons at the Oxford Eye Hospital at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital implanted a tiny electronic chip at the back of her right eye’s retina as part of ongoing NHS-funded research of the technology.

The wafer-thin retinal implant chip – which measures 3 x 3 mm – is inserted into the back of the eye to replace damaged photoreceptors in a delicate six to eight hour operation.

The device is connected to a tiny computer that sits underneath the skin behind the ear. This is powered by a magnetic coil which is applied to the skin – from the outside this looks similar to a hearing aid. The device is switched on once everything has healed up after the surgery.

The film follows Nikki before, during and after the procedure.

Series presenter Emma Willis follows the inspirational and emotional stories of people whose lives are transformed by the power of modern medicine, people who are all hoping for miracles.

The trial, led by the University of Oxford’s Professor Robert MacLaren, also featured on BBC One’s “Trust Me I’m A Doctor” in January this year.

It included the moment Cardiff’s Rhian Lewis was able to read the time for the first time in more than five years.

The trial was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme in partnership with Retina Implant AG and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the NIHR Clinical Research Network.

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