Podcast: Future Vision—Fighting Blindness with Retinal Implants
A revolutionary retinal implant called PRIMA is restoring central vision in patients with geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced macular degeneration affecting about 1 million Americans. Unlike treatments that only slow disease progression, this wireless neurostimulation device captures real-world images, projects them onto a subretinal chip, and stimulates surviving retinal cells to simulate natural vision.
This innovation may represent a major shift in treating vision loss. Chuck Dinerstein discusses this breakthrough on Episode 144 of the Science Dispatch podcast:
“For decades, treatments for macular degeneration have focused on slowing, not restoring vision loss. A new retinal implant is flipping that script, turning patients with geographic atrophy into human–machine hybrids who can see again. It’s not sci-fi; it’s a glimpse at how neuro-engineering might redefine what it means to be blind — and human.”
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Cameron English is a writer, editor, and co-host of the Science Facts and Fallacies Podcast. Before joining ACSH, he was managing editor at the Genetic Literacy Project.
Summary: The PRIMA retinal implant offers new hope by restoring vision in patients with advanced macular degeneration, signaling a potential paradigm shift in treating blindness.