GadgetCrowd

VentureBeat: An implantable and odd-looking microtelescope from a Saratoga, Calif., device maker could be one of the next big things in treating a common form of blindness — assuming that patients are willing to endure arduous surgery in order to obtain their new bionic eyes.

Age-related macular degeneration — a progressive loss of sight related to physical changes in the central retina, also called the macula — is the leading cause of blindness among elderly Americans, now affecting more than 1.75 million people, and potentially almost three million by 2020 (PDF link). Until recently, AMD patients had little choice but to accept the steady loss of vision as their macula deteriorated.