Fireworks in Your Eyeballs (Some Assembly Required)

Bill Lundgren interviews Lily Turkstra, a PhD researcher at UC Santa Barbara, on the realities of visual prostheses. They unpack who qualifies, what “seeing” with phosphenes is like, how training works, and why expectation-setting and mental health support are critical. Takeaways: current implants provide rudimentary perception, not natural vision; outcomes vary; support systems and rehab matter; independence gains are possible but individualized; clinicians and families must align on expectations.

Contact Info
Guest resources: bionic-vision.org (lab hub), bionicvision.org (lab site)
Aftersight: [phone] • [e-mail]
• aftersight.org
Producer: Jonathan Price • [e-mail]

Show Credits
Host: Bill Lundgren
Guest: Lily, PhD researcher, UCSB (Bionic Vision)
Producer: Jonathan Price
Editor/Mix: Aftersight Audio Team
A production of Aftersight

Chapter Markers
00:00 — Why prosthetics in blindness matters
01:10 — Guest intro: Lily’s path to bionic vision
02:22 — From auditory perception to NASA to face blindness
03:40 — Who qualifies for visual implants
05:05 — Argus II and early devices
07:06 — What users actually “see”: phosphenes
08:20 — Learning a new visual language
09:30 — Daily-life integration vs lab outcomes
10:45 — Setting expectations for users and families
12:05 — Trade-offs: adaptation vs frustration
14:10 — What recognition is possible today
15:30 — Rehab and training workflows
16:37 — Practical home practice examples
18:10 — Community, altruism, and trial motivation
19:45 — Device limits vs “personal failure”
21:23 — External pressure and mental health
22:40 — “Change your life” claims, defined
23:51 — Independence as the real metric
25:10 — Measuring success outside the lab
27:10 — Family dynamics and letting go
30:01 — Finding peers and support
32:18 — Access barriers and consistency of care
34:25 — Integrating the device back into life
36:30 — Therapy and anxiety considerations
38:48 — Pre-implant psychological screening
41:18 — Whole-person fit and timing
43:40 — Research vs user expectations gap
46:01 — Co-design with users
48:23 — Why structured support groups would help
49:01 — Where to find trials and teams
51:28 — Resource sharing for the public
53:51 — Summary: useful, not universal; mindset matters
56:18 — Closing and resources recap