Eye Implants to Restor Sight

For someone with poor vision since childhood, like PG, this is a miracle; An eye implant that can help blind people see again is poised to hit the market — in Europe, at least. On Wednesday, the US-based Science Corporation announced that it had received approval from the European Union to treat patients with its vision-restoring bionic eye device, called Prima, in a huge step towards the commercialization of the technology. “We have a cochlear implant for vision now,” CEO Max Hodak told Stat News. Science Corp’s device is designed to treat advanced macular degeneration, a condition in the eye which causes central vision loss. It’s the leading cause of vision loss in older adults, with severe forms of it accounting for nearly 90 percent of legal blindness in the US, according to one estimate. To restore vision, the Prima device uses a wireless chip that’s surgically implanted under the retina. This connects with a pair of camera-equipped glasses, which transmits video in the form of near-infrared light that the chip turns into electrical signals interpreted by the brain. Science Corp first published the results of a preliminary clinical trial in late 2024, showing that patients who used the device were able to recognize faces again, and even read books. https://futurism.com/health-medicine/eye-implant-restores-vision-approved-sale