Geographic atrophy affects nearly five million people worldwide and represents one of the most devastating forms of blindness, gradually destroying light-sensitive cells until patients can no longer read, drive, or recognize faces. An international team of scientists has achieved what many considered impossible by successfully restoring reading level vision to 84 percent of participants in a groundbreaking 38 patient study. The revolutionary system uses a tiny 2mm by 2mm light powered microchip called PRIMA that surgeons insert between the lens and the retina, paired with augmented reality glasses and an AI powered computer worn on the waist.
The AR glasses beam infrared signals to the chip while the artificial intelligence computer processes the data and transforms it into electrical signals that travel through optic nerve cells directly to the brain. Several participants who couldn’t even distinguish a standard vision chart before the operation can now read up to five lines on it after months of training with the prosthetic vision system. The device even includes a zoom feature that helps patients learn to read effectively as they adapt to their restored sight. UCL researcher Mahi Muqit calls this a new era in artificial vision, noting that blind patients are experiencing meaningful central vision restoration for the first time in history, lifting their mood and restoring confidence and independence.
