Vision problems are affecting more and more people on the planet. People in developing countries suffer from visual impairments due to malnutrition and various diseases. In children under the age of five, deficiencies of vitamins and other vital nutrients contribute to blindness. In other countries, blindness is mostly caused by diseases
– cataracts
– glaucoma
– inflammation of the conjunctiva or cornea.
In the past, there was nothing more that could be done for people suffering from blindness than to give them a hand in the form of a white cane. Fortunately, today\’s science is much more advanced,attempting to create artificial, functional eyes. One of these helping hands is a robot, very appropriately named Cyclops. With the help of this robot, testing has begun on different types of prosthetic eyes that could return the visually impaired to a normal life.
o Cyclops moves by mimicking the movements of a human head.
o A 50-pixel camera will serve as the eye.
o Computers process the information in real time.
The challenge for Cyclops is to mimic what a blind person would see with an implant. The cyclops moves on command from the scientist according to lines drawn on the floor.
The prosthetic eye is made from a silicon chip with electrodes. These stimulate nerve cells, which send images to the brain of the visually impaired person for evaluation. 
This technology is truly fascinating.
If successful, it could restore the zest for life that so many have lost. The sad thing is that this invention is unlikely to reach the aforementioned developing countries. [Scientists claim that the causes of blindness can be adequately treated in the so-called third world. [especially when they are caused by various eye infections or waterborne parasitic infestations.
According to experts, as many as 40 million people are blind worldwide. With proper treatment, 70 to 80 percent of them could regain their sight.