Innovative Wireless Retinal Implant Restores Central Vision for the Blind Due to Advanced Macular Degeneration
In an unprecedented scientific breakthrough, researchers have successfully developed a new ocular implant that allows patients suffering from blindness due to advanced macular degeneration to partially regain their central vision, opening new horizons for treating one of the leading causes of vision loss worldwide.
A pioneering study published on Monday in the "New England Journal of Medicine" revealed impressive results for the new technology, with 81% of participants suffering from advanced age-related macular degeneration showing significant improvement in their visual abilities.
The innovative system relies on a camera mounted on special glasses that captures images and projects them onto a small wireless retinal implant measuring no more than 2×2 millimeters, converting light into electrical pulses sent to the brain, enabling patients to regain part of the central vision necessary for reading and daily tasks.
Professor Frank Holtz, the principal investigator of the study and head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Bonn University Hospital, stated: "This study confirms that for the first time we can restore functional central vision in patients who have lost their sight due to geographic atrophy. This innovation represents a radical shift in treating advanced stages of macular degeneration."
Results from trials involving 32 patients showed that 84% of them were able to use the artificial vision in their homes to read numbers or words. Participants' performance improved on average by 25 letters (equivalent to five lines) on traditional vision charts, while one participant was able to improve their ability by reading an additional 59 letters (about 12 lines).
Professor José-Alain Sahel, a co-author of the study and head of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh, added: "This is the first time any vision restoration project has achieved such results in a large number of patients. More than 80% of participants were able to read letters and words, with some even able to read pages from books."
The research was funded by the American company "Science Corporation," which manufactured the device designed by Professor Daniel Palanker from Stanford University. The company has applied for clinical use approvals in the United States and Europe, emphasizing its commitment to setting a fair and reasonable price to benefit as many patients as possible.
