Now you don't see, now you see. And later?

Sometimes it is good to pause for a moment and check where technology research is addressing real world problems. Where are researchers attempting to help people on a large scale? How will this make a positive impact on our lives?

According to the World Health Organization there are 2.2 billion people with near or distance vision impairment. Many of these cases are preventable. Many can be treated with pills and/or surgeries.

Star Trek fans are very familiar with Geordi La Forge, the starship engineer who wears a sophisticated visor that enables him to see. Why not have something like this (or far better) in real life? This is an obvious area where technology can help solve a major, real-world problem.

We are not talking just about better technology to diagnose eye problems, but improve or even enable seeing. One example is the Phoenix 99 Bionic Eye(don't mix it up with Phoenix 99 Blades - these are skating blades that don’t belong near your face). It’s a research project out of Australia, at the University of Sydney. The bionic eye is designed to bypass faulty retina cells, and 'trigger' those that are still able to work and sends electric signals to the brain.

First, they tested it on sheep to observe if the device caused any adverse reaction. The side effect of the trial was that the sheep realized that the grass is greener on the other side.

Another example is the Argus II, from US firm Second Sight. They have a visual prosthesis to improve the vision of people with severe cases of retinitis pigmentosa. The device allows visual detection of edges of large areas of high contrast, such as door frames and sidewalks, to give the individual the capability to navigate in their environment more safely.

Then there is the Ocumetics Technology Corporation with its Bionic Lens which replaces the natural lens found within the human eye. The device is meant to provide an immediate improvement to eyesight, and clear vision regardless of distance. The implant is also designed to accommodate future enhancement where you should be able to replace it with a newer version without major surgery.

These are very exciting and positive developments. The nature and complexity of designing these devices unfortunately requires a long time, a large amount of money and highly specialized teams.

Even when the devices are approved for use by regulatory bodies, they are very expensive and also require surgeons who can insert them. And as with any technology, the impact of technological obsolescence can be devastating.

It is easy to buy a new computer, but if your implant reaches the useful end of life or the company goes out of business the consequences have a major impact on patients' lives.

But we don't have to spend $150,000+ on a new implant. Fortunately there are Smart Phones with solutions which can help right now. These solutions range from simple screen magnification so you can read the text better, to text and image recognition or applications which can describe the world around us. Sometimes simple things have a sizable impact.

It is good to know that we live in a world where people are trying to improve lives and use technology for good. It’s nice to have a range of options as consumers where we can reduce the risk of being damaged by unforeseen consequences. And it is nice to be part of this recurrent pattern.