Science Corporation has announced promising preliminary results from its late-stage clinical trial of the PRIMA retina implant, designed to restore vision in patients suffering from geographic atrophy (GA).

Before the introduction of the PRIMA implant, there were no effective treatment options available for patients with geographic atrophy due to AMD.

The PRIMAvera clinical trial involved 38 patients with GA, focusing on assessing the safety and efficacy of the retinal system for potential European market approval.

Science Corporation plans to release a detailed analysis of the trial data by the end of the year and is actively seeking regulatory approval in Europe.

The research is led by Daniel Palanker from Stanford University, a pioneer in optical technology, who is developing the next generation of the retinal implant.

Max Hodak, CEO of Science Corporation, emphasized that this trial represents the first confirmed instance of restoring fluent reading ability in blind patients, marking a significant advancement in vision restoration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a significant concern, affecting approximately 20 million people in the U.S. and leading to severe vision loss in individuals aged 50 and older.

Participants in the trial, who were legally blind, reported significant improvements, enabling them to read text and recognize objects like playing cards despite having central visual field impairments.

Results indicated that many patients experienced meaningful enhancements in visual acuity, allowing them to read longer texts and recognize letters more effectively.

On average, trial participants improved their visual acuity by nearly five lines on the eye chart, translating to a vision improvement from 20/320 to 20/200.

The PRIMA implant enables patients to perform high-acuity tasks, such as reading and recognizing faces, after losing their central visual field.

The retinal implant system consists of a subretinal implant, a camera mounted on glasses, and a pocket computer, which together stimulate the retina with electrical impulses.