Reality sometimes resembles science fiction.  In multiple demonstration projects worldwide, researchers were able to restore sight by implanting detectors in the eyes of blind people.  In one key finding announced at the BiOS conference in 2012, a blind patient’s sight was restored to 20:200, an impressive accomplishemnt that fortells of more advances in the future.  In many of these types of implant surgergies, the surgeon is guided by OCT because the placement tolerance is very exacting.

Laser implications:

The Insight laser's fast measurement speed reduces movement blurring and supports high-definition 3D imaging, and long coherence length allows additional flexibility in imaging distance.  In addition, the clean optical signal provides more detail, higher contrast and less feature blur.

Additional general information:

Video on subretinally implanted silicon arrays:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tsj1Q_JveI&feature=relmfu

Retinal implants placed with OCT.

Another view of retinal implants placed with OCT.

OCT image of subretinally implanted flexible array, 4266 pixels.