Real life sci-fi: Bionic eye lets 80-year-old man see again

The first-of-a-kind surgery was performed at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and took four hours.

An 80-year-old man is regaining his vision after surgeons implanted a bionic eye, the BBC reported.

"He is using a retinal implant which converts video images from a miniature video camera worn on his glasses," according to the article. "He can now make out the direction of white lines on a computer screen using the retinal implant."

This was the first time the device was implanted on a patient with age-related macular degeneration, the BBC reported.

"We hope these patients will develop some central visual function which they can work in alongside and complement their peripheral vision," Paulo Stanga, who led the surgery, told the news outlet.