The Blind Brain: Part 2 of 2 - The bionic eye

It conjures up images of the Six Million Dollar Man or Star Trek. A bionic eye for the profoundly blind. What are the prospects for a prosthesis or retinal chip to restore vision? Can engineers really replicate the deeply subjective experience that is seeing? And, would near enough be good enough? Could a few spots of light compromise the other well honed senses of touch, sound and smell that colonise the visual centres of blind brains? Graeme Innis, Australia's Federal Human Rights and Disability Discrimination Commissioner, himself born blind, reckon he'd give one a try.