BROOKPARK, Ohio -- Steve McMillin was a millright at the Ford plant in Brookpark, Ohio. After his diagnosis, he knew his vision would slowly slip away. At 46, he could no longer drive and switched to an office job at the plant. Three years later, he became blind.
Despite this, Steve continued to work for three years after his total vision loss, and after retiring at 52, he opened his own vending business with his wife Karen. He never set out to be a medical pioneer, but in June 2015, Steve was the first patient in Ohio to be implanted with the Argus II retinal prosthesis system, sometimes called a "bionic eye."
The device has restored some of the vision that Steve lost 10 years ago, and the possibility for advancements in facial recognition software, infrared technology, and GPS capabilities are making Steve's future look even brighter.
Blinding retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and Usher syndrome affect more than 10 million Americans, but the Foundation Fighting Blindness is funding cutting‐edge studies toward preventions, treatments and cures. The foundation provided seed money for research that eventually led to the development of the Argus II.