Are long stimulus pulse durations the answer to improving spatial resolution in retinal prostheses?

Abstract

Retinal prostheses can provide artificial vision to patients with degenerate retinae by electrically stimulating the remaining inner retinal neurons. The evoked perception is generally adequate for light localization, but of limited spatial resolution owing to the indiscriminate activation of multiple retinal cell types, leading to distortions in the perceived image. Here we present a perspective on a recent work by Weitz and colleagues who demonstrate a focal confinement of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) activation when using extended pulse durations in the stimulation waveform. Using real-time calcium imaging, they provide evidence that long pulse durations selectively stimulate inner retinal..