Stevie Wonder Asks About Eye Surgery

Stevie Wonder met with a specialist about undergoing experimental “eye chip” surgery to correct his blindness but was told the operation probably would not help him, a spokeswoman for a Baltimore eye institute said.

The singer, who has been blind since birth, spoke with Dr. Mark S. Humayan about an intraocular retinal prosthesis, said Karen Infeld, a spokeswoman at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

The procedure involves placing a computer chip on the retina and stimulating cells that have not completely deteriorated. Fifteen patients have been fitted with the eye chip at Wilmer, and “some people see shades of light and others can see outlines of letters,” Infeld said.

The 49-year-old Wonder was not actually examined to determine whether he would be an appropriate candidate, but Humayan said the operation would probably not help the singer because his eye damage is too severe, Infeld said.

She did not say when Wonder talked with the doctor.

No future appointments were scheduled, she said.