Fresh vision implants paired with AR eyewear restore reading ability for visually impaired in pilot study

Sheila Irvine, a research subject with age-related macular degeneration, practices with the PRIMA apparatus.(Image credit: Moorfields Eye Hospital)

A chip, placed through surgery, coupled with augmented-reality spectacles, is assisting individuals who have experienced sight loss to once again read.

Within a limited study, around 80% of individuals experiencing vision impairment stemming from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) demonstrated the capability to read characters and terms a year following the initiation of the therapy, according to findings released on Monday (Oct. 20) in The New England Journal of Medicine.

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AMD constitutes the foremost basis for blindness among adults surpassing 65 years. This ailment impacts the macula, which is the retina’s core portion, resulting in central vision impairment. Within progressed AMD, a mechanism recognized as geographic atrophy instigates notable harm to retinal cells, potentially triggering comprehensive blindness within the afflicted eye. Roughly 5 million individuals globally undergo geographic atrophy.

“Prior to obtaining the implant, my sight resembled encountering a pair of black circles in both eyes, accompanied by outside distortion,” expressed Sheila Irvine, an enrolled participant diagnosed with AMD, as stated in the declaration.

Throughout a concise clinical study, 38 European patients afflicted with AMD underwent the implantation of a petite electronic chip beneath the central area of their retina, situated under the deceased cells. This chip establishes a wireless link to augmented-reality glasses paired with a compact computer, both worn at the beltlines of the patients.

Referred to as the photovoltaic retina implant microarray, or PRIMA system, this arrangement employs a video camera integrated within the glasses to document textual images. Subsequently, the glasses relay this image through infrared light onto the implanted chip. The chip, in turn, transmutes light signals into electrical signals, which the brain decodes as vision.

Within a compact investigation, an implanted chip situated precisely underneath the retina’s cells is enabling adults afflicted with age-related macular degeneration to regain their reading aptitude.

“This represents a novel vantage for perceiving through one’s eyes, and my elation surged upon discerning an initial letter,” conveyed Irvine within the declaration. “Reacquiring reading proficiency is not straightforward, yet the more time I commit, the greater my progress.”

Individuals involved in the research underwent multiple months of training aimed at attaining reading competence through the utilization of this recent apparatus. Moreover, investigators spurred the patients to engage with the apparatus in unprecedented manners. Irvine employed the setup to engage in crossword challenges, while another patient leveraged the device to navigate across the Paris Metro network. An embedded camera zoom attribute further empowers users in decoding small-scale printed content, encompassing the details presented on a medical prescription.