Retina Chip to Restore Sight Approved in Europe
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Retina Chip to Restore Sight Approved in Europe
- Science Corp has received European regulatory approval for its Prima device, a retina implant designed to restore some vision for individuals with a form of age-related blindness.
- The Prima implant, which was developed from research by Professor Daniel Palanker at Stanford University, is intended to help patients with geographic atrophy caused by age-related macular degeneration.
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Science Corp, a US startup, announced on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, that its Prima device has received the Conformité Européenne (CE) mark, allowing it to be sold in Europe. This retina chip aims to restore some sight to people suffering from geographic atrophy, an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is a leading cause of blindness in older adults.
The Prima system involves a tiny, wireless implant, about the size of a pinhead, surgically placed under the retina. This implant works in conjunction with a special pair of glasses that feature an embedded camera and infrared projector. The glasses capture images and project them as infrared light onto the implant, which then converts these light signals into electrical stimulation for the remaining healthy retinal cells, bypassing the damaged photoreceptors. This process allows the brain to perceive visual information.
Clinical trials in Europe involving 38 patients demonstrated promising results, with 81% of participants showing a clinically meaningful improvement in visual acuity at 12 months. In fact, 27 out of 32 participants assessed at one year regained the ability to read letters, numbers, and words. While the current version provides black-and-white vision and a narrow field of view, it represents a significant advancement in vision restoration. The technology was originally developed at Stanford University by Professor Daniel Palanker, and Science Corp, founded in 2021 by Max Hodak, is bringing it to market. The company is also pursuing approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.