A retinal prosthesis, already available in Europe, can restore partial sight to people with a genetic disorder that causes blindness.
Americans will soon be able to purchase restored vision, with the US Food and Drug Administration set to approve a prosthetic device that compensates for failing photoreceptors. The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, developed and made by Second Sight Medical Products, is already approved for use in many European countries, and the FDA will soon give its stamp of approval, according to DiscoveryNews.
“It’s the first bionic eye to go on the market in the world, the first in Europe and the first one in the U.S.,” Brian Mech, the Second Sight's vice president of business development, told DiscoveryNews.
The device, which includes a retinal implant paired with special glasses with an integrated mini camera, successfully restored at least partial sight in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that involves abnormalities in photoreceptors or retinal tissue that leads to progressive vision loss. The Argus II was tested in a bevy of clinical trials, mostly restoring black and white vision to participants, but also restoring color vision in some people.
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