Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Scientists have developed the first retinal implant capable of restoring vision to people suffering from vision loss, according to a new study.
Success, created by nurable Competitive Sciences Corporation allows patients suffering from irreversible blindness to read text and do crossword puzzles through “artificial vision”.
The brain computer interface, called PRIMA, involves a pair of camera-mounted glasses that emit signals wirelessly to a chip placed beneath the retina.
After a year of testing on people with macular degeneration (AMD), the Prima system allowed them to read numbers and words.
AMD is the most common vision loss condition over the age of 55, affecting more than 5 million people worldwide. This causes people to lose their central vision, making tasks like reading, driving or even recognizing faces impossible.
Previous attempts to treat AMD have only been successful in slowing the progression of the disease, not improving a person’s vision.
According to the researchers, the technology was tested on 38 participants in a clinical trial, with more than 80 percent of patients experiencing “clinically meaningful improvements” after 12 months of use.
“This success underscores our commitment to pioneering technologies that provide hope to patients in need and that have the potential to change lives,” said Max Hodak, Founder and CEO of Science Corporation.
“We are excited by Prima’s ability to redefine vision restoration for these patients.”
Along with Elon Musk, Mr Hodak was one of the co-founders of the brain chip startup Neuralink, which also aims to restore people’s vision.
Neuralink has not yet demonstrated such capabilities, with early prototypes being used on paralyzed patients to control computers with their brain signals.
A Study Details of the new technology were published, titled ‘Subretinal photovoltaic implant for restoring vision in geographic atrophy due to AMD’. The New England Journal of Medicine On Monday.
“This study confirms that, for the first time, we can restore functional central vision in patients blinded by geographic atrophy,” said Dr. Frank Holz, chairman of the department of ophthalmology at Bonn University Hospital in Germany. “Transplantation represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of late-stage AMD.”