新奇事件簿 英国老人靠仿生眼重获光明（在线收听）

A man in Britain can see again because of a new bionic eye. Ray Flynn, 80, became the first patient in the world to get the new device, which is an artificial retina. Mr Flynn suffers from a condition called age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This is one of the most common problems with eyesight around the world. Flynn started losing his sight ten years ago. Doctors told him eight years ago that he had AMD. From that time, his sight became worse and worse. It became so bad that he could only see things out of the corners of his eyes. Everything in the centre of his eyes was blurred and he could not see shapes properly. He said that even looking at simple things made him very tired.

英国男子靠仿生眼重获光明。这位80岁高龄的老人名叫雷·弗林，他也成为了全球首位使用人工视网膜这一新技术的患者。弗林患有老年性黄斑变性。这种疾病也是导致失明最为普遍的原因之一。十年前弗林开始失明。医生在8年前告诉他患有老年性黄斑变性。从那时起，他的视力问题变得越来越严重。他只能看见眼睛周围的一些事物。丧失了中央区域的视力，对形状模糊不定。他说就是看一些显而易见的事物都让他精疲力尽。

Mr Flynn's bionic eye cost $125,000. Britain's national health service hopes the cost of the operation will come down. This means many more people will be able to have the operation for free. Flynn had the surgery last month. Doctors spent four hours putting a microchip in the back of his eye. Doctors are very happy with the operation, which they said was a success. Flynn can now read a newspaper and admire the flowers in his garden for the first time in many years. His doctor, professor Paulo Stanga, said: "Mr Flynn's progress is truly remarkable. He is seeing the outline of people and objects very effectively." Professor Stanga hopes scientists can also help people who have been blind from birth.

弗林的仿生眼售价为12万5000美金。英国的国民医疗保健制度希望降低手术费用。这就意味着许多人能够免费接受手术。弗林上个月接受了手术治疗。医生用了4个小时将一个微芯片安装在了弗林的眼睛底部。这是一次非常成功的手术，医生对手术非常满意。如今，弗林可以读报纸，欣赏花园中的花朵，这也是这么多年来第一次这么做。他的主治医生保罗·斯坦加教授称：“弗林的进步真是非常显著。他现在可以清晰地看见人和物体的轮廓。”斯坦加教授希望科学家能够为失明患者重获新生。