VOA慢速英语2019--盲人有可能看见了

Blind Man Given a Chance to See

A new device is helping¹ those who are blind to see. It does this in a new way by helping them experience the world around them.

Jason Esterhuizen lost his eyesight after a car accident. He never thought he would be able to see light or movement again. But now with the movement of a switch, his world suddenly grew brighter.

He says,

"I still can't put it into words. I mean from being able to see absolutely nothing, it's pitch black, to all of a sudden seeing little flickers² of light move around.”

It is not full or normal sight, but Esterhuizen can move about in the world around him.

Dr. Nader Pouratian is one of the researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center who worked on the new technology.

“Being able to tell where a doorway³ is, being able to tell where the sidewalk begins or ends or where the crosswalk is, are all extremely meaningful events that can help these people regain⁴ some form of independence.

The new technology uses several parts. One is a small device placed in the brain. The other parts are a video camera on sunglasses and a processing device that can be carried in a person’s clothes. When the user points the camera, a signal goes to the processor and then back to the glasses. The glasses then communicate wirelessly⁵ with the device in the brain. The information causes a pattern to develop in the part of the brain called the visual cortex. The pattern helps users detect, or see, movement and shapes of light. And it all happens in seconds.

Pouratian says this technology is a first.

“We basically have the video camera and the video processing unit functioning or performing the functions of what the eye normally does.”

Esterhuizen is one of just two people in the U.S. testing this technology. He describes what he sees.

“There's little white dots on a black background. It's like looking up at the stars at night.”

The technology — called Orion — is manufactured by a company called Second Sight. It's being tested at the UCLA Medical Center in California and the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.

Esterhuizen says the results are amazing.

“Someone moving across the room, walking past me or walking away from me, or it's a light against the wall. It was just amazing to have some form of functional⁶ vision again.”

He adds that now he can do everyday activities around his home that he once could not. It is easier to walk outside.

"Crossing the road is much easier and much safer for me because I can look down and just follow the white line that's painted on the road.”

The researchers believe that one day this technology could help people who have lost their vision because of illnesses like glaucoma or diabetes⁷. It may also help those with poor vision or who were born blind.

I’m Anne Ball.

Words in This Story

switch - n. a small device that starts or stops the flow of electricity to something (such as a lamp or a machine) when it is pressed or moved up and down

pitch black – adj. completely dark

flickers – n. (plural) a quick and unsteady movement of light

sidewalk – n. a usually concrete path along the side of a street for people to walk on

crosswalk – n. a marked path where people can safely walk across a street or road

pattern – n. a repeated form or design especially that is used to decorate something

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 flickers   

电影制片业； （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The fire flickers low. 炉火颤动欲灭。
• A strange idea flickers in my mind. 一种奇怪的思想又在我脑中燃烧了。

3 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

4 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

5 wirelessly   

不用电线的，用无线电波传送的

参考例句：

• I heard it on the wireless. 我是从无线电收音机里听到的。
• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio. 收音机里有许多无线电线路。

6 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

7 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。