An electronic retinal implant that could potentially restore sight to people with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) could be on the market within two years, researchers have claimed.
The team behind the Argus II announced the FDA has approved a clinical study of the device in up to 75 subjects. A first generation implant, Argus 16, has already been implanted in six RP patients between 2002 and 2004. According to Second Sight, the company behind the device, patients fitted with the implant were able to detect when lights were on or off, describe an object’s motion, count discrete items and locate and differentiate between basic objects in an environment. The firm hopes the latest study involving Argus II will offer new hope to people with degenerative eye diseases.
“This is a major milestone for RP patients who have little in the way of hope and treatment options,” said Dr Robert Greenberg, CEO of Second Sight. “We have put together an outstanding group of clinical investigators and study sites around the country, and worldwide, to assess this device and we are looking
forward to getting started.”
The trial, which was announced at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in San Francisco, will take place at five US centres over two years.
Professor Mark Humayan, from the University of Southern California, is leading the study. Speaking at the conference, he said: “If the new trial hits milestones, the second generation implant could be commercially available within two years.” The device would cost an estimated US $30,000.
More than 1.5 million people worldwide have retinitis pigmentosa, and one in 10 people over the age of 55 have age-related macular degeneration. Both diseases cause progressive degeneration of the retina due to malfunctioning of the retinal pigment epithelium. The Argus II system targets this abnormality by implanting 60 electrodes into the retina. A tiny camera, implanted either in a lens or on the bridge of a pair of glasses, captures images in real time. These images are transmitted to a processing unit, which coverts the visual information into electrical signals and transfers these to the electrodes. The retinal cells are stimulated to produce electrical signals, which are then sent to the visual cortex to allow the patient to see spots of light occurring in different patterns.
“What we are trying to do is take real-time images from a camera and convert them into tiny electrical pulses that would jump-start the otherwise blind eye and allow patients to see,” said Humayun.
Should the Argus II succeed, third generation devices with higher resolution or a wider field of view could be developed, he added.
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