It is not the main problem that we can’t produce an artificial eye with high-on-specs (with superfast microchips and high resolution camera), but rather how to make sense of the data it produces. It is impossible to stick a pendrive into your ear and play music in your brain.
The bionic eye is a technology that will be the future, but not in the way you would expect. We still haven’t made a breakthrough. It is still a work-in-progress. Converting electronic data into meaningful nerve impulses will be the biggest hurdle. Although the principles are similar, there is a vast difference between nerve conduction and computer signals. It is necessary to have something similar to the biocircuitry in Avatar. It’s called a neural queue in the movie.
This technology is not yet available.
Many prototypes are currently being constructed in many countries, and many retina-blind individuals are now able to see when they were blind. This British woman uses Bionic Eye to see clearly for the first time in six months.
She’s not the only one.
The current technology allows images to be projected by the bionic eyes. This is similar to detecting movement in white noise from a TV set that does not have a connection to a cable but picks up random radiowaves and projects some images.
Although the image resolution will improve in the near future, it is still limited by the optic neuro function and neuralplasticity.
The brain of an individual. A person might see images like these:
The Bionic Eye, a possible cure for a blind loved one
At this time, colour vision is not possible.
Although stem cell technology may have some answers, it is still in its infancy.
We need to find a middle ground between electronics and biology where we can actually stick a pendrive into our ears and play music videos in the brain . That fantasy is not impossible, but I would not rule it out.
This answer does not replace professional medical advice ….