Key Summary
- Bionic chip restores sight in AMD patients using AI and AR glasses
- Moorfields trial showed 80 per cent vision improvement
- Developed by Science Corporation, California
A new bionic chip can enable patients affected by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) see again.
The ultra-thin wireless microchip, measuring 2mm by 2mm, is inserted under the retina and links to a video-camera fitted on a pair of augmented-reality glasses.
The video camera records the scene in front of the patient, then AI is used to convert the information to an infrared signal that is beamed to the implant.
The implant stimulates undamaged inner retinal neurons, so they can transmit the signal to the brain, through the optic nerve, where it is interpreted as vision.
AMD does not have a cure, and the damage can be slowed down through injections. In the UK, around 600,000 people are afflicted by the ailment.
In a healthy retina, light is converted into electrical signals that travel through the optic nerve to the brain.
However, with AMD, damaged retinal cells block central vision, creating a dark spot in the eye’s centre.
The innovative treatment is being trialled at Moorfields Hospital in London, and 80 percent of patients experienced positive changes in their vision.
Thirty-eight patients from various countries took part in the recent trial.
After a year, most participants significantly improved their vision, gaining an average of 25.5 letters, or five lines on a standard eye chart, with one improving by 59 letters.
Once the chip is inserted, it gets activated after a month.
For the patients it takes several more months to learn how to see again using the device. A “zoom-in” feature on the glasses allows patients to magnify letters.
The Prima brain computer interface was developed by Science Corporation, a biotech company based in California.
