GRAPHIC OF ELECTRONIC DEVICE USED TO HELP PEOPLE SEE

WAS02:HEALTH-VISION:WASHINGTON,17JAN00 - A New York researcher, Dr. William Dobelle, says he has helped blind people see again using electrodes implanted into their brains and connected to a tiny television camera mounted on a pair of glasses. Although they do not "see" in the conventional sense, users can make out large objects and even large letters and numbers on a contrasting background. The device consists of a tiny television camera and an ultrasonic distance sensor mounted on a pair of eyeglasses. A cable runs to a dictionary-sized computer, worn in a belt pack. hb/HO REUTERS