Dr Mahiul Muqit helps restore sight with chip
A British-Bangladeshi surgeon has helped develop technology that allows blind people to see again through a tiny chip implanted behind the retina. Dr. Mahiul Muhammed Khan Muqit works at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and serves as an associate professor at University College London.
The 2mm wireless microchip connects to glasses fitted with a video camera. More than 80 percent of trial participants with age-related macular degeneration have regained the ability to read letters, recognize shapes and see faces. The device captures images through a camera, processes them with artificial intelligence and sends infrared signals to the implant.
The chip stimulates healthy neurons in the inner retina, which send signals through the optic nerve to the brain. Patients wear special glasses that activate almost instantly. The system creates a digital bridge between light and sight for people who have lost their central vision.
Dr. Muqit published his findings in The New England Journal of Medicine. He has returned to Bangladesh regularly for over 30 years and recently treated 120 patients with bullet-related eye injuries from the July 2024 uprising.
