ARLINGTON, VA – The following two brief releases highlight recent achievements by the Office of Naval Research. The first development is an implantable computer chip that gives the blind a chance at sight. The second is a new computer network aimed at illuminating all the available Naval medical resources in one visual map display. Microchip Gives Blind Chance of Sight A computer chip implanted near the eye’s retina is well on its way to offering some restored vision to people blinded by eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related degeneration of the eye. The implant works for eye diseases where healthy retinal neurons remain intact after they lose use of the eye’s photoreceptors that convert images into electric impulses. Funded by the Office of Naval Research, researchers recently reported that tests show faces can be recognized and words in large type can be read. Human tests started recently. Dr. Mark Humayun, formerly of the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, is leading the research at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. To capture images, first an external camera mounted in an eyeglass frame captures the image and converts it into an electrical signal that is electronically transmitted to the flexible silicon biochip surgically attached near the retina. The chip electronically stimulates the healthy cells of the retina, which sends the signals conveying the image to the brain. ---------- Navy Medics Going Digital Figuring there had to be a better way of keeping track of available beds, medical equipment and blood supplies in the field, rather than depending on information relayed by phone and then scribbled on a white board with a grease pencil, the Office of Naval Research has come up with an answer – NavMedWatch. It is a computer network that will illuminate all the available medical resources in one visual map display. “This tool will allow us to view what is going on across a region, react to current scenarios and conduct reactive planning to support current and future operations,” said Capt. Michael Sashin, head of Medical Plans and Policy for the Chief of Naval Operations. The map display will track trends in injuries and diseases in an area, allowing medical facilities to better manage their resources and contain contagious diseases by juxtaposing data from a medical database with a medical facility and its available beds, staff, blood, supplies and equipment. The system will also provide alerts to patients in need of transportation to another medical facility. “NavMedWatch allows you to pull the information out, organize it and put it in a display so you can see all your medical assets with one tool,” said Cmdr. Stephen Ahlers, Office of Naval Research program manager for the project. Even though NavMedWatch is still in the testing phase, the next version offering even more information is in the works by ScenPro Inc. of Richardson, Texas under a Small Business Innovation Research program contract. The new version will be able to anticipate the needs of future arrivals so supplies such as blood will be on hand – avoiding shortfalls. It will also be equipped with a history function, so the medical care of even one person can be tracked throughout the Naval medical care system.