Efficacy of bionic eye implant demonstrated by new study

Three-year clinical trial data has demonstrated the long-term safety and efficacy of bionic eye retinal implants.

Published in the medical journal Ophthalmology, the findings indicated that the new Argus II device can significantly improve visual function and quality of life for people blinded by retinitis pigmentosa.

The system uses a miniature video camera stored in the patient's glasses to send visual information to a dedicated video processing unit, which then turns the image into electronic signals that are sent wirelessly to an electronic device implanted on the retina.

Visual function results indicated that up to 89 percent of the subjects performed significantly better with the device, while 80 percent received benefit from the system when considering both functional vision and patient-reported quality of life.

Moreover, after three years there were no device failures, and no patients reported being negatively affected by the implant.

Dr Allen Ho, lead author of the study and director of the clinical retina research unit at Wills Eye Hospital, said: "I look forward to future studies with this technology, which may make possible expansion of the intended use of the device, including treatment for other diseases and eye injuries."