Duke Surgeons Help Bring Light Into Darkness

It seems like the stuff of science fiction. But for Larry Hester, this is an eye-opening change for the rest of his life. Hester, who is 66 years old, lost his sight more than 30 years ago as a result of a degenerative disease called retinitis pigmentosa. At the time when his vision began to deteriorate there were no known treatments or cures for the disease.

As a result, he’s spent much of his adult life living in complete darkness — but not anymore. On Oct. 1, Hester became the seventh person in the U.S. to receive an implantable Argus II Retinal Prosthesis Device, also known as the bionic eye. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the device in February 2013 for people with rare, degenerative eye diseases.

Read full coverage from CBS here.