Tiny eye implant, special glasses help some legally blind patients read again

New Breakthrough in Sight Restoration: Tiny Implant Brings Reading Back to Some Legally Blind Patients

A groundbreaking study has revealed that a tiny implant combined with special glasses can help some legally blind patients regain their ability to read. The treatment, known as the Photovoltaic Retina Implant Microarray (PRIMA), involves inserting a minuscule implant thinner than human hair under the retina and wearing special glasses with a video camera that projects what it sees via near-infrared light to the implant.

In a clinical study of 32 patients with geographic atrophy, an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration affecting five million people worldwide, 26 showed significant improvement in visual acuity after just one year. The treatment has been hailed as a major breakthrough by experts, offering hope for patients who have lost their central vision.

One patient, 70-year-old Sheila Irvine, described her experience with the PRIMA glasses as "out of this world," saying it was wonderful to be able to read and do crosswords again. However, she noted that the treatment still requires a lot of concentration and can focus on only a few letters at a time.

The treatment is the first to specifically target patients with geographic atrophy who have lost their central vision. Until recently, there had been no effective treatment to improve reading abilities or recognize faces. The FDA has approved Syfovre, a drug that slows down disease progression but does not reverse it, and the PRIMA implant marks a significant shift in treatment options.

Dr. Frank Holz, lead author of the study, noted that this device restores visual acuity in patients who have lost their central vision, making it an exciting development for those affected by geographic atrophy. However, Dr. Jon LaPook cautioned that the clinical study is small and the PRIMA implant is not yet licensed or available as a treatment outside of trials.

The Science Corporation has stated that they are committed to pioneering technologies that provide hope to patients in need and have expressed excitement about the potential of PRIMA to redefine vision restoration for those affected by geographic atrophy. While there is still much to be learned, this breakthrough offers new possibilities for those living with age-related macular degeneration.

I'm super stoked about this news! A tiny implant that lets people who are legally blind read again? Mind blown! ️ It's like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it's real life now. I can only imagine how amazing it must be for someone to see their grandkids' faces or read a book without needing a magnifying glass.

I'm also super curious about the glasses that work with the implant. How cool is it that they project what you see in near-infrared light? It's like having a built-in, high-tech magnifying glass!

The fact that 26 out of 32 patients showed significant improvement after just one year is huge! And Dr. Holz saying this device restores visual acuity for those who have lost their central vision... it's just incredible.

Of course, there's still more to learn and the FDA needs to approve it, but I'm already excited about the possibilities. This is what innovation is all about - making life better for people in need!

man... think about it, they're just patching up a few million people with a fancy gadget that's still in trial mode . 26 out of 32 showed improvement? that's like saying 75% of the population is 'improved' if you just take out a bunch of numbers and ignore the fact that they were all super sick to begin with . and what about the 6 who didn't work out? are they just gonna be written off as " failed experiments"? that's some cold math right there .

I'm so hyped about this new tech! A tiny implant that can help people who are legally blind see again? That's like something out of a sci-fi movie! The fact that 26 out of 32 patients saw improvement in just one year is mind-blowing . I'm thinking of my own grandma, she's been struggling with this disease for years... this gives me hope Maybe soon we'll see more treatments like this that can help people regain their sight

omg this is insane!!! they're literally bringing back reading abilities 4 legally blind ppl!! it's like science fiction come true! i'm so hyped about the PRIMA implant, it's like a game changer for people with geographic atrophy. can u imagine being able to do crosswords again?? and it's only been one year of clinical study, whoa!!! they need 2 work out some more bugs but still, major breakthrough here!!!

just got out of bed to hear that 1 in 5 people over 60 are gonna lose their central vision due to macular degeneration and now I see these glasses can kinda help, but it's still a tiny window into the world and it's not like they can read the news without straining or anything

So like I was reading this article and it's literally game changing right? This tiny implant thingy can bring back reading skills for some people who are blind and stuff... It's crazy to think about how much of a difference this could make in their lives. I mean, 70-year-old Sheila Irvine is saying she's able to do crosswords again, which is like, totally amazing! But also, it's not just gonna be easy peasy for her, she says she still has to concentrate hard and focus on only a few letters at a time. That makes sense, I guess... Still, this PRIMA thing is definitely something to get excited about, especially since there was no effective treatment before... Now it's just a matter of making sure it's safe and available for everyone who needs it!

just read about this tiny implant thingy that lets some blind ppl read again... sounds crazy but like super cool! 26 out of 32 people in a study were able to see stuff clearly after just one year. can u imagine being able to do crosswords and all that jazz again? but at the same time, it's kinda weird that they gotta concentrate hard and only focus on a few letters at once... i feel bad for those who didn't make it out of the trial. so yeah, this is def a game changer for people with age-related macular degeneration

I'm super stoked about this news ! For ages, people living with leg blindness have been struggling to read and do everyday activities that require vision. This tiny implant thingy is literally a game-changer . It's crazy how far we've come in understanding the human eye and finding ways to restore sight. The fact that 26 out of 32 patients saw significant improvement after just one year is mind-blowing .

It's also amazing to see how this tech can be used to improve quality of life for people with geographic atrophy . I mean, who wouldn't want to read books or do crosswords again? It's a huge step forward in medical research and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll become more widely available soon . The fact that there are still some caveats (like the need for concentration) is just part of the journey, right?

This news is super exciting! So they've created these tiny implants that can help people who are blind become able to read again... it's crazy how far medical tech has come. I mean, the idea of using near-infrared light to project images to a tiny implant in your eye is like something out of sci-fi. And the fact that 26 out of 32 patients showed significant improvement after just one year is pretty amazing too.

But at the same time, I can see how it might not be perfect - Sheila Irvine said she still had to concentrate hard and focus on a few letters at a time... so it's not like she could just pick up a book and start reading comfortably. And we don't know yet if this is going to work for everyone or if there are any long-term side effects.

I love that The Science Corporation is all about pioneering new tech to help people, though! It gives me hope that one day we'll have treatments like this available to more people who need them.

OMG, can you even believe it? A tiny implant that brings reading back to some people who are legally blind?! That's like something out of a sci-fi movie! I mean, I've seen Syfovre being talked about, but this PRIMA thing is on a whole different level. 26 out of 32 patients showed significant improvement in just one year? That's crazy! And to think that it can focus on only a few letters at a time, yeah, that's still some learning curve to go through, but I'm so here for it. The fact that they're still tweaking and refining the technology is what makes me excited for the future of vision restoration. This could be a game-changer for people who have lost their central vision. Can't wait to see more updates on this!

[Image of a person reading a book with a big smile on their face](https://i.imgur.com/3M8WtSv.gif)

[ GIF of a brain with lightbulbs turning on ](https://i.imgur.com/Mz4TzFj.gif)

[ Image of a camera looking excited, with a speech bubble saying "Reading is back!" ](https://i.imgur.com/yJxX7oD.gif)

[ GIF of a person focusing hard, with a magnifying glass over their eyes ](https://i.imgur.com/R3Rf1uP.gif)

[ Image of an old book with a new pair of glasses on it, both saying "Reading is fun!" ](https://i.imgur.com/wBZ5d0F.gif)

just heard about this thingy , sounds like it's gonna change lives! i mean, think about it, people who went blind because of age-related macular degeneration can actually see again... it's amazing! the fact that these patients had to wear special glasses with a video camera is kinda trippy too lol. but for real though, 26 out of 32 people saw significant improvement in just one year? that's insane! my grandma has been dealing with this issue and I'm definitely gonna share this news with her . can't wait to see how far they take this technology and make it more accessible to everyone

You know what's crazy? I was just thinking about how awesome it would be to have a giant water slide in our backyard like the ones at Disneyland but for adults! Can you imagine just chillin' and zooming down a massive slide on a hot summer day? I wonder if we could even get some kind of sensor to detect when it's raining so the slide wouldn't be all slippery... Anyway, back to this PRIMA thingy... isn't it wild that these tiny implants are making such a big difference in people's lives? I guess it just goes to show how much we still don't know about our bodies and eyes...

I'm not sure I'd say we're out of the woods just yet... I mean, 26 out of 32 patients seeing improvement after a year is pretty sweet, but it's still a relatively small sample size. We need to see how this plays out over a longer period before getting too excited about PRIMA glasses being a game-changer for everyone with geographic atrophy. And let's be real, Sheila Irvine's experience sounds amazing, but we don't know what the long-term effects are gonna look like... is she still reading crosswords in 5 years? Only time (and more research) will tell

omg u can even imagine what its like 2 b in her shoes 70 yr old shelia irvine gets 2 c read n do crosswords again lol thats amazing but y its still hard 4 her 2 focus nd concentrate its not just a magic pill or somethin n i think its gonna b a game changer 4 ppl with geographic atrophy gotta feel 4 them its been a long wait 4 anyting like this

omg u wont believe wut i just read ! theres a new implant that can bring back reading 4 some ppl who r blind n its called prima it's like tiny computer chip that gets placed under ur retina & u wear special glasses w/ camera that shows u what u see ! already 26 ppl out of 32 showed improvement after just 1 yr, thats AMAZING!!! now they can read again n do crosswords lol... its def a game changer 4 those who lose there central vision due to age related macular degeneration but still gotta focus really hard on individual letters n stuff

omg i cant believe theres a tiny implant that can help people who are legally blind read again its like something out of a sci-fi movie! the fact that 26 patients were able to see improvement in just one year is crazy, and shelia irvines story about being able to do crosswords again is so inspiring i wish this tech was available for my grandma who has macular degeneration, its such a huge breakthrough

I'm not buying it just yet. Like, what's next? A cure for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's just around the corner too? It sounds like they're trying to sell us on this PRIMA thing by cherry-picking a tiny sample size of 32 patients who got lucky results. What about the other 25 who didn't work out? And what about the side effects? I mean, we all know how medical breakthroughs always come with some kind of catch...

And don't even get me started on those special glasses with the video camera. That's just a fancy way of saying they're going to track your every move and sell that data back to the corporation. Just keeping an eye out for my grandma's PRIMA glasses, that's all I need to know...