Science Corporation Implants 2mm PRIMA Chip in First Stargardt Patient, Restoring Letter Reading
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Oct 13
Science Corporation Implants 2mm PRIMA Chip in First Stargardt Patient, Restoring Letter Reading
3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Oct 13
Summary
A Stargardt patient implanted with Science Corporation’s PRIMA chip in May saw a letter in his first rehab session and read a word in the second, marking the device’s first reported use in the inherited blinding disease.
The ongoing Sydney Eye Hospital trial targets a condition that destroys central vision but can spare the inner retina, letting the implant replace damaged photoreceptors with signals sent from camera-equipped glasses.
The current 2mm-by-2mm implant gives a narrow, black-and-white, high-contrast patch of central vision—sharp enough for a few letters at a time rather than full-field sight.
Science says about 150,000 people worldwide have lost vision from Stargardt disease and argues the retinal program can validate a broader BCI strategy; a next-generation implant is planned for human testing within a year.