Science Corporation implants PRIMA vision chip in first Stargardt disease patient

Science Corporation has implanted its vision-restoring PRIMA chip into the first patient with Stargardt disease, an inherited condition that destroys central vision. The procedure took place in May at Sydney Eye Hospital; the patient saw a letter in the first rehab session and read a word in the second. PRIMA is already commercially available in Europe for geographic atrophy.

• The 2x2 mm implant is placed under the retina in an hour-long procedure
• Camera-equipped glasses transmit the view to the chip as artificial photoreceptors
• Vision is black-and-white but high-contrast, showing a few letters at a time
• A next-generation implant is expected in humans within a year