A visual prosthesis comprising: an image receiver for receiving an image and converting said image to a signal; a data processing unit, coupled to said image receiver and processing said signal; a patient's controller within a housing suitable to place external to a human body; a manually operable user interface on said housing, accepting user input and controlling said data processing unit and, thereby, electrode signal parameters; and a plurality of electrodes driven in accordance with said signal and said electrode signal parameters, stimulating visual neurons to create a perception of said image.