More than 8 million people worldwide deal with geographic atrophy. This progressive and irreversible form of dry age-related macular degeneration is currently treated with intravitreal injections.
Intravitreal injections slow down the progression of the disease but cannot restore lost vision. Placed beneath the retina, the PRIMA implant is the size of a pinhead. The patient also wears glasses that have a frame-mounted camera which captures and processes images. These images are then projected onto the the implant's chips using near-infrared light.
Electric pulses are then converted from the near-infrared light and neurons within the retina. These electric pulses are interpreted by the brain. The glasses that are worn with the implant rely on electricity generated directly from light which eliminates the need for an additional power source.
The PRIMA implant has currently only gained approval for use in the European Union but it has received Breakthrough Device and Humanitarian Use Device designations from the Food and Drug Administration, which will help to put it on the path towards approval in the United State.
