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Prosthesis may allow perception of two colors simultaneously in patients with outer retinal dystrophies
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MILAN — The Argus II retinal prosthesis system allows patients who are blind from outer retinal dystrophies to perceive simultaneous colors, according to a study carried out in the United Kingdom.
In four patients implanted with the Argus II (Second Sight), different pairs of electrodes were simultaneously stimulated at different frequencies and intensities. Subjects reported the colors they perceived after each stimulation.
Paulo Stanga
"Seven different color combinations, including gray, yellow, orange, white, brown and blue, were perceived by three of the patients. Not all patients saw all colors. One of them only saw white phosphenes," Paulo Stanga, MD, said at the Euretina congress.
Results were repeatable.
Stanga noted that this was the first time subjects fitted with electronic prostheses were able to see two colors simultaneously.
"These data, as well as data from planned future studies, could someday lead to the use of color in visual prostheses," he said.