A clinical trial has shown that an innovative retinal implant called PRIMA, paired with augmented-reality glasses, enables blind patients with dry age-related macular degeneration to read again. The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, involved 38 participants across five countries, with 84% regaining the ability to recognize letters, numbers, and words. This marks a significant advancement in artificial vision for a condition affecting millions worldwide.
The PRIMA implant trial, led by researchers including those from University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital, targeted patients with geographic atrophy (GA) caused by dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This advanced stage of dry AMD destroys central vision, leaving only peripheral sight, and affects around 5 million people globally with no current treatment available.
The study enrolled 38 patients at 17 hospitals in the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and another unspecified country. All participants had completely lost central vision in the treated eye prior to surgery. Moorfields Eye Hospital was the sole UK site, where procedures were performed by vitreoretinal surgeons in under two hours.
The device, developed by Science Corporation, is a 2mm by 2mm microchip, 30 micrometers thick, inserted subretinally after a vitrectomy to remove the eye's vitreous gel. Post-surgery, patients use AR glasses with a camera that projects infrared light onto the implant, processed by AI in a waist-worn computer to send electrical signals to the brain.
After about a month of healing and months of rehabilitation, participants achieved notable results. They could read an average of five lines on a vision chart, a vast improvement from pre-surgery when many could not even see the chart. No declines in peripheral vision were reported.
Mr. Mahi Muqit, associate professor at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and consultant at Moorfields, stated: "In the history of artificial vision, this represents a new era. Blind patients are actually able to have meaningful central vision restoration, which has never been done before. Getting back the ability to read is a major improvement in their quality of life."
Patient Sheila Irvine, treated at Moorfields, shared: "Before receiving the implant, it was like having two black discs in my eyes... It's made a big difference. Reading takes you into another world, I'm definitely more optimistic now." She practiced reading prescriptions, labels, and crosswords using the device's zoom feature.
The trial, headed by Dr. Frank Holz of the University of Bonn, paves the way for regulatory approval and wider use, potentially benefiting other eye conditions. Rehabilitation remains essential, as patients must learn to interpret the prosthetic vision.