This tiny implant lets blind people see again
A new study shows the PRIMA system—a tiny wireless retinal implant paired with smart AR glasses—can help people with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) see again.
By skipping over damaged eye cells and directly stimulating the ones that still work, it brings back central vision for those who had lost it.
Implant has 378 pixels, some patients can see up to 20/42
The implant has 378 light-powered pixels that get signals from infrared light sent by the glasses.
In trials, 84% of participants achieved clinically meaningful improvements in vision (>=0.2 logMAR) after a year, with some reaching up to 20/42 clarity using digital enhancements.
The surgery is quick (under two hours), but patients need some rehab to learn how to use their new sight.
Unlike older devices, this 1 restores real shapes and forms
Unlike older devices that only let users sense light, PRIMA actually restores real shapes and forms.
It's the first proven tech to bring back central vision for late-stage AMD, focusing on the exact area affected—something broader brain implants like Neuralink don't do.