80-year old Raymond Flynn became the first person to receive the implant for AMD (age-related macular degeneration) treatment and the early results of this implant have been encouraging. The Argus II implant had received market approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US in 2013, for the treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) – a degenerative disease affecting peripheral vision of patients. Continuing the journey, two years hence, the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System is now in its testing phase, exploring its utility for patients suffering from dry AMD (which affects the central vision and not the peripheral one).
Built by Second Sight, the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System is designed in such a way that it stimulates a patient’s remaining retinal cells and allows them to obtain useful visual information. This visual information or images are then captured by a small, glass-mounted camera which are then converted into electrical pulses which in turn are finally transmitted too electrodes implanted onto the surface of the retina. If the implant works as per the plan, it will enable the patient to perceive patterns of light, which they can learn to interpret thus regaining some degree of sight.
This whole procedure was carried out by Dr. Paulo Strange MD at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, UK. Two weeks after the implant, the device was activated and the tests indicated that Mr. Raymond Flynn was already receiving useful vision from the system. Commenting on this success, Second Sight’s Executive Officer, Dr. Robert Greenberg said: “We are very excited to begin such an important study for this patient population and to have the opportunity to help a great deal more people living with blindness. Though it is obviously still early in this clinical trial, we are very encouraged by these initial results.”
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Author:Technology Blog
