Intraocular epiretinal prosthesis to restore vision in blind humans

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Retinal degenerations cause blindness by damaging photoreceptor cells.
• Electrical stimulation of remaining retinal neurons offers a potential pathway to restore vision.
• Current implantable systems face challenges in wireless power and data transmission for intraocular use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficiency of the wireless intraocular retinal implant system (EPI-RET-3) for human use.
• To assess the potential of the EPI-RET-3 device to elicit visual sensations in patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP).

Main Methods:

• The EPI-RET-3, a fully intraocular wireless prosthesis, was implanted in six legally blind RP patients for four weeks.
• Data and energy were transmitted inductively to the intraocular implant.
• The implant was activated post-surgery, and patients reported elicited visual sensations.

Main Results:

• Implantation surgery was performed without complications in all six patients.
• All patients reported experiencing visual sensations (dots, arcs, lines) upon stimulation.
• Low stimulation thresholds were required to elicit these visual percepts.

Conclusions:

• The wireless EPI-RET-3 retinal implant is safe for human use.
• The system effectively elicits visual sensations in blind patients with RP.
• This approach offers solutions to major challenges in developing artificial vision prostheses.