The study proposed here aims to accomplish the following: Determine the optimal exposure, gamma, contrast and brightness corrections necessary to increase the perceived contrast of images by individuals affected by retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and to determine the optimal image overlay of input signals corrected at high and low thresholds such that perceived contrast is maximized. Additionally, this study will develop an I/O system of minimum necessary size, responsible for image processing following image acquisition from micro-cameras which will produce post-processed image data on small, high-resolution LCD/LED displays contained in a portable binocular device similar to commercially available home theater glasses. Finally, this study aims to expose a cohort of individuals with retinitis pigmentosa to a series of images, environments, and scenes that are typically difficult for individuals with RP to observe and distinguish due to similarities in color and color. 'a decrease in contrast and brightness; and then evaluate the effectiveness of the wearable prosthesis based on the accuracy of object identification with and without the device. SIGNIFICANCE: Vision loss affects millions of people around the world. According to a 2002 survey by the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 37 million people worldwide are totally blind, of whom 124 million have low vision. The WHO defines low vision and blindness as varying degrees of loss of visual acuity and loss of visual field, relative to the better eye, with optimal correction. Blindness affects both sexes, with people over 50 making up 82% of the blind population. The causes of blindness vary, with approximately 60% due to cataracts and refractive errors which are...... middle of paper ...... and RP1 (Ziviello 2005). More complex mechanisms for the development of RP have been suggested, such as mutations in carbonic anhydrases. Since photoreceptors have high metabolic requirements, acidic metabolites resulting from aerobic and anaerobic respiration, such as lactic acid, are produced in large quantities by these cells and therefore require their elimination to maintain pH homeostasis (Alvarez 2007). This is inherently troublesome due to the avascular nature of the retina. This function is instead carried out by the choriocapilaris and depends on the activity of several enzymes such as carbonic anhydrase four (CA4). CA4 thus helps maintain pH homeostasis, essential for the health and proper functioning of photoreceptors, CA4 mutations compromising this regulatory capacity, leading to photoreceptor degeneration, then RP (Alvarez 2007).