August 5, 2026 | 07:52 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Age-related blindness affects millions of people and is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. So far, there is no way to prevent it.
More than five million people worldwide suffer from geographic atrophy (GA), the most severe stage of the drying eye condition associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This disease destroys photoreceptor cells in the central part of the retina, known as the macula.
These cells are responsible for the sharp visual focus needed to read or recognize individual faces.
Currently, available therapies or treatments are limited to two types of eye drops to slow drying. However, neither can repair the cellular damage that has occurred.
That situation may soon change. California-based neurotechnology startup Science Corporation has secured the first approval for a retinal implant therapy designed to treat blindness in 30 European countries.
"For decades, losing central vision to this disease meant losing the ability to read, recognize faces, and ultimately losing independence. There was no viable treatment. Now there is," said Science Corporation co-founder and CEO Max Hodak in a written statement dated July 22, 2026.
Science Corporation announced that it has received commercial approval in Europe for its innovative product, the PRIMA (Photovoltaic Retina Implant Micro-Array) system. The company offers the first and only therapy proven in clinical trials to restore vision in patients with geographic atrophy.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year showed that PRIMA could restore vision for patients with GA due to AMD, though not enough to completely restore normal vision.
The system combines a subretinal photovoltaic device placed under the atrophic macula with glasses that project near-infrared light onto the 2x2 mm implanted material to restore vision to the central area of retinal atrophy.
The implanted material is extremely thin, seamless, and wirelessly integrated. Its function is to convert near-infrared light into electrical signals. The glasses also have a "zoom-in" feature that allows the wearer to enlarge letters they are trying to see or read.
The implant system was tested on 38 patients at 17 clinics in five countries. The results showed that 84 percent of patients were able to read sentences, numbers, and words. Furthermore, 80 percent of patients reported significant improvement in prosthetic visual acuity within 12 months.
"The first commercial implant of PRIMA is expected soon in Germany," Hodak said. Meanwhile, he added, PRIMA has only received Breakthrough Device and Humanitarian Use Device designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is not yet commercially available.
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