People who lost their sight due to a common, previously untreatable age-related condition can now read again, thanks to a ground-breaking electronic eye implant.
The tiny device, measuring just 2mm by 2mm and half the thickness of a human hair, represents a “paradigm shift” in artificial vision, experts say.
They are optimistic the technology could eventually be offered through the NHS.
Fitted under the retina, the layer of light-sensitive tissue in the eye, it allows patients to see letters, numbers and words through an eye that was previously blind.
Thanks to the so-called “prosthetic vision”, some patients are now even able to complete crosswords and read the small print on prescription labels.
The device, known as Prima, has been “life-changing” for patients, said Mahi Muqit, senior vitreoretinal consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
“I have all these patients who are blind, and when you see them, they want to know: is there anything that can restore vision?” he said. “And the answer has always been no,” said Mr Muqit.
That answer has now changed, he said.
“We’ve got some patients who are now reading books. Their quality of life is much higher.”
The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest 84% of patients in the trial were able to read letters, numbers and words while using Prima.
On average, they could read five lines on a vision chart, whereas before the device was fitted, some could not even see the chart.
How the Prima device works
The ground-breaking global trial included 38 patients across 17 sites in five countries, including the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
All participants had a condition known as geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
GA, which affects approximately…
