{
  "id": 14917485,
  "title": "This implant can restore sight for patients with macular degeneration",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/this-implant-can-restore-sight-for-patients-with-macular-degeneration",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-16T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MIT Technology Review",
    "slug": "mit-technology-review",
    "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/16/1145840/prima-implant-restores-sight-macular-degeneration-patients/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) impacts more than five million individuals globally. Historically, no solution existed to restore their vision. The Prima system, authorized in Europe in July and awaiting FDA approval in the United States, addresses this issue. It integrates a retinal implant with glasses equipped with a camera to enhance vision in patients who experience a blind spot in the center of their sight due to advanced AMD. Post-training, over 80% of recipients managed to read, complete crosswords, and operate their smartphones. The retina comprises three layers of cells: photoreceptors that transform light into electricity, bipolar cells that process the signal, and ganglion cells that convey the signal to the optic nerve and the brain. Prima replaces the photoreceptors. Developed by the California-based Science Corporation, the system harnesses the fact that AMD does not damage all retinal circuitry; only photoreceptors cease functioning. The implant simulates these cells and transmits visual information directly to healthy eye circuits and the brain. According to Frank Brodie, an ophthalmologist at the University of California, San Francisco, and medical director for Prima, \"We are leveraging the body's innate functions to process and transmit the information.\" Glasses outfitted with a small front-facing camera capture real-time visual input. The video feed, approximately five megapixels at 30 frames per second, akin to television, is transmitted to a connected processor via a fiber-optic cable. A small handheld processor, which can be placed on a table or in a pocket, translates the video feed into infrared light signals directed back to the glasses. The device also features physical buttons for adjusting contrast, brightness, and zoom. A laser projector on the glasses emits near-infrared light pulses at 880 nanometers—an imperceptible wavelength—directly at the eye. This signal travels through the pupil and reaches the retinal implant at the back of the eye. Comprising 378 pixels, each pixel houses an electrode and two photovoltaic cells. These cells double as both converters, transforming light into an electrical current that healthy bipolar and ganglion cells relay to the brain, and solar cells, generating power for the chip, obviating the need for a battery. Linda Marsa, a former Los Angeles Times reporter and author specializing in medicine, health, science, and the environment, provides this account.",
  "summary": "Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects more than 5 million people around the world. And until now, no treatment could restore their vision. The Prima system, which was approved in Europe in July and is awaiting FDA clearance in the US, changes that. It combines a retinal implant with camera-equipped eyeglasses to improve sight in patients…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MIT Tech Review Biotech",
        "title": "This implant can restore sight for patients with macular degeneration",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/this-implant-can-restore-sight-for-patients-with-macular-degeneration",
        "published": "2026-10-16T09:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}