Artificial vision chip for retinal pathologies will undergo further evaluation in Japan

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Japanese investigators are planning a second clinical trial this spring to evaluate a retinal prosthesis for artificial vision, according to a presenter here.

Speaking at the World Ophthalmology Congress, Yasuo Tano, MD, said the prosthesis, known as the suprachoroidal transretinal stimulation system (STS), has shown promising results in two patients with retinitis pigmentosa who volunteered for the first trial.

With the STS, a chip with nine electrodes is introduced into a scleral pocket, and suprachoroidal transretinal stimulation is applied.

“The current was comparable with what had been reported previously in [studies of other] retinal prostheses,” Dr. Tano said.

He anticipates that patients will achieve reading vision and enhanced visual navigation in the second trial because the STS allows increased numbers of electrode arrays.

Retinal prostheses represent the latest milestone in a long line of macular surgery advances, Dr. Tano said.

“Many impossible dreams have already come true,” he said. “Macular surgery will endlessly evolve for the benefit of better surgical outcomes.”