Prof Daniel Palanker demonstrating AR glasses, similar to the Prima vision system.

In a small clinical trial published in Ophthalmology, a prosthetic retinal device has proved its ability to restore eyesight to people who are blinded by age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

“We are very pleased to present exciting results of the first clinical trial with the Prima System, which demonstrated feasibility of restoration of central vision in patients blinded by dry AMD,” said Professor Daniel Palanker of Stanford University, a scientific adviser to Prima’s developer Pixium Vision.

In the study, the Prima System maintained the level of residual natural acuity and restored visual sensitivity in the former scotoma in all five patients tested. The use of optical or electronic magnification in future glasses may improve visual acuity even further and reinforces 12-month results from a concurrent French trial, without any related serious adverse effects, concluded Prof Palanker.