The first electronic retina enters the US market
FDA approves implant for the blind
The device called Argus II, created by the Californian company Second Sight Medical Products, is shown for degenerative retinal changes, which is a consequence of a hereditary disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. It consists of special glasses with a video camera and a processor that converts the visual signal into an electrical pulse that flows through the optic nerve to the brain.
To restore vision, converted electrical signals are sent to the retina from the camera from the camera. Received by the optic nerve, they are interpreted in the brain as a visual image.
Despite the fact that it is impossible to restore full vision with the help of such an implant, it helps blind people in everyday life when it is necessary to locate objects, their shape and make out large letters.
"The quality of life has improved immeasurably in patients who have had Argus II implanted," says Marc Humayun, one of the creators of the device, from the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC's Viterbi Schoo lof Engineering).
The device was approved for use in Europe in 2011, during clinical trials that began in 2007, it was implanted in 30 patients.
In clinical trials, most of them improved their ability to distinguish objects, people began to independently determine the direction of their movement, recognize letters written in large type, notice street curbs and even pick up identical socks.
The use of Argus II has limitations. It can be implanted in adults over 25 years of age with a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa, in which patients practically do not perceive light signals, and if they do, they cannot tell where they come from.
The FDA has approved the Argus II system as a device for humanitarian use, which limits its use in the United States to four thousand people per year.
According to Brian Mech, vice president of Second Sight Medical Products, the device will enter the American market this year and will cost more than 100 thousand dollars.
Currently, the manufacturing company is negotiating with insurance companies and representatives of the national Medicare social insurance program in order for Argus II implantation to be covered by insurance policies.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru18.02.2013