PRIMA retinal implant restores sight in patients with geographic atrophy from AMD

In Europe, Science Corporation has commercially launched PRIMA, a retinal implant designed to restore central vision in people with geographic atrophy (GA). The treatment has been shown in clinical trials to restore functional central vision in people with GA who until now had no way to get lost central vision back. While PRIMA is available in Europe, it is still going through FDA approvals in the U.S. Geographic atrophy is an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that leads to progressive vision loss. AMD is the most common cause of blindness in individuals over the age of 55 in developed countries.

Most clinical trial participants had meaningful improvements in vision

Clinical trial results published in the New England Journal of Medicine followed 32 patients who received the implant across 17 European sites. 81% of patients (24 out of 32) who completed an evaluation one year after receiving the implant had clinically meaningful improvements in visual acuity. Participants gained an average of five lines on an eye chart, and 84% could read letters, numbers, and whole words while using the device at home. Participants were 60 years or older with GA due to AMD with severe vision loss at baseline. The implant did not affect peripheral vision, and most surgical side effects from the retinal implantation were resolved within two months.

How PRIMA works

PRIMA, which stands for photovoltaic retina implant microarray, pairs a chip implanted beneath the retina with a wearable camera-and-glasses system. The retinal implant is smaller than a contact lens, and the implantation process has been likened to paving the back of the retina with tiny solar panels. When light hits the camera, it is converted into an infrared pattern. The infrared pattern is projected onto the implanted chip, turning the infrared signal into an electrical signal that the retina sends to the brain.

It is important to note that gains in vision have been described as digital or prosthetic vision, according to Frank Brodie, MD, MBA, medical director of Science Corporation in a piece for Ophthalmology Advisor.

Patients who receive the device undergo extensive training, both to learn how to use the device and to learn how to interpret the visual signals they receive from the device. While patients can use the technology to zoom in and adjust contrast, patients have reported that the field of central vision gained is quite narrow.

The road to the U.S.

Though PRIMA is available in 30 European countries, it is not yet available in the U.S. In July 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration designated PRIMA as a Humanitarian Use Device, which accelerates review of medical devices that treat patients with rare diseases. PRIMA still needs to be reviewed and approved by the FDA before it can become available in the U.S.

Science Corporation hopes to expand beyond AMD and is currently investigating the use of PRIMA in patients with inherited retinal degeneration that affects central vision, like Stargardt disease or retinitis pigmentosa, in a clinical trial in Australia.

Explore the Foundation’s Clinical Trial Pipeline for other treatments for GA and AMD moving through the pipeline.