Eye Implant Helps Blind Patients Regain Ability to Read

Eye Implant Helps Blind Patients Regain Ability to Read
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People who had lost their sight have regained the ability to read after receiving a pioneering electronic eye implant paired with augmented-reality glasses, ScienceDaily reported.

In a European clinical trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from University College London (UCL) and Moorfields Eye Hospital found that 84% of participants could recognize letters, numbers, and words using prosthetic vision in eyes blinded by geographic atrophy, an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The trial, involving 38 patients across 17 hospitals in five countries, tested the PRIMA implant — a 2mm microchip placed beneath the retina. After surgery, patients used special glasses with a camera linked to a pocket computer that converted visual data into electrical signals sent to the brain.

Participants, who had completely lost central vision before treatment, regained the ability to read up to five lines on a vision chart after months of rehabilitation. None experienced a decline in peripheral vision.

Lead UCL researcher Mr. Mahi Muqit described the breakthrough as “a new era in artificial vision,” noting that restoring the ability to read dramatically improved patients’ independence and quality of life. The results pave the way for regulatory approval and wider clinical use.