A Renaissance Man, Sightless

A Renaissance Man, Sightless, Jessie
Seyfer, Wired News
Gordon Gund, suffering from retinal
pigmentosa, began to go blind at the age of 25. However, advances
in retinal implants have given Gund, now 60 and completely blind,
newfound hope. Wired News, in a series of articles on
retinal implants, speaks with Gund about his experiences with
blindness and his hopes for burgeoning retinal technology. Speaking
frankly about his blindness, Gund tells of a desperation so great
early on that he visited a host of quack doctors. His frenzied
journey culminated in a Cold War-era hospital in Odessa, Ukraine,
where he had to endure painful and useless eye treatments.
Surprisingly, though, Gund remains optimistic about new
technologies that may one day cure blindness. ‘I still harbor hope
for myself,’ he says. ‘I think the retinal chip could help once its
resolution is improved and it’s proven safe. It’s truly a step
forward.’ — Anjula
Razdan
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  • Published on Nov 1, 2000
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