A recent study, conducted on a small group of patients, offers a ray of hope for those who have lost their vision due to a condition previously considered untreatable.
A tiny electronic device, implanted directly under the retina, has allowed blind patients to distinguish letters, numbers, and even read texts again, marking a huge step towards restoring lost vision.
The device, measuring only 2x2 mm and half the thickness of a hair strand, represents a "paradigm shift" in the field of artificial vision, according to experts cited by Sky News.
Implanted under the retina - the eye's photosensitive tissue layer - the implant allows patients to see letters, numbers, and words with the eye that was previously completely devoid of sight.
"Visual prosthesis"
Thanks to this implant, some patients can now solve crossword puzzles or read fine print on medication labels.
The device, named Prima, has been "revolutionary" for patients, said Mahi Muqit, lead vitreoretinal surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
"I have many blind patients who ask me: is there anything that can restore their vision? Until now, the answer was always no. Now, the answer has changed. We have patients reading books. Their quality of life is much higher," Muqit said.
According to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 84% of the patients included in the test were able to read letters, numbers, and words with the help of the device. On average, they could read five lines on an eye chart - while, before the implant, some could not distinguish the test panel at all.
How the Prima device works
The global study included 38 patients from five countries - the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and another unspecified. All suffered from geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of age-related dry macular degeneration (AMD). The device was implanted in 32 patients, and 27 of them were able to read again, as reported by BBC.
Those involved in the study had lost central vision in the tested eye, retaining only a small portion of peripheral vision.
Surgeons performed a vitrectomy, removing the gel-like substance from the eye, then placed the tiny chip under the retina.
To see and read, patients wear augmented reality glasses with an integrated camera, connected to a small computer worn at the waist. The camera transmits an infrared beam to the chip, which is activated. The computer's artificial intelligence processes the image and converts it into an electric signal. This is sent through the retina and optic nerve to the brain, where it is perceived as an image.
A new era of artificial vision
The interventions took place at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. One of the patients, Sheila Irvine, said that before the operation, "vision was as if I had two black discs in my eyes, and the exterior was distorted." Now she can read prescriptions, do crosswords, and read labels on cans.
"I didn't feel any pain during the operation, but I was aware of what was happening. It's a completely new way of seeing, and it was extremely emotional when I managed to make out a letter," Irvine said.
Mahi Muqit added that the device allows patients who feel depressed and socially isolated "to return to an active life and rediscover activities that brought them joy."
"In the history of artificial vision, this moment marks a new era. Blind patients can now have a significant restoration of central vision - something that has never happened before," he emphasized.
The Prima implant is not yet authorized, so it cannot be used outside clinical studies, and the final cost of the device is not yet known.
However, Dr. Mahi Muqit said he hopes the device will be available to patients "in a few years." He added that the technology could be used in the future for other eye conditions as well.
GA affects approximately five million people worldwide and can lead to complete vision loss as the central area of the retina - the macula - deteriorates. In the UK, experts estimate that one in four people diagnosed with blindness has geographic atrophy due to dry macular degeneration.
G.P.