Experts Hail 'Remarkable' Success of Electronic Implant in Restoring Sight

An electronic eye implant has restored reading ability to patients blinded by geographic atrophy, a form of dry age-related macular degeneration. Results published Monday in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that 84% of trial participants regained the ability to read letters, numbers, and words after receiving the Prima device.

The microchip measures two millimetres by two millimetres and is implanted beneath the center of the retina. Patients wear augmented reality glasses containing a camera that projects images onto the chip. The device converts light into electrical pulses transmitted to the brain.

Frank Holz, the study's lead author and chair of ophthalmology at the University Hospital of Bonn, called the implant 'a paradigm shift in treating late-stage age-related macular degeneration.' Mahi Muqit, a consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, said the trial enabled 'meaningful central vision restoration, which has never been done before.' The procedure takes less than two hours and requires intensive rehabilitation. Science Corporation, which manufactures the device, has applied for clinical authorization in the United States and Europe.

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