Patent ID: 7321796

Claim:
A method for training a visual prosthesis comprising: presenting a non-visual reference stimulus corresponding to a reference image to a patient having a visual prosthesis, the visual prosthesis including a plurality of electrodes; generating a training data set by presenting a series of stimulation patterns to the patient through the visual prosthesis and receiving a corresponding series of subjective patient selections of a preferred stimulation pattern among stimulation patterns in the series of stimulation patterns previously presented to the patient until the patient identifies a successful stimulation pattern, and storing the presented stimulation patterns and the received selections of the patient; wherein at least one stimulation pattern in the series of stimulation patterns is determined at least in part based on a fitness function optimization algorithm and at least one previously received subjective patient selection in the series of subjective patient selections; and after identifying the successful stimulation pattern, presenting off-line to a neural network at least the reference image and the successful stimulation pattern from the training data set to determine a vision solution.