Imagine going through life knowing that your odds of becoming blind are inordinately high. Perhaps as a young child your eyesight already began to
falter. If you are afflicted with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) – a group of genetic eyes conditions – you may already be well aware of how precious your
eyesight is. Until recently, there was no cure for RP. A person with RP adjusted to life with night blindness, tunnel vision, and eventually for some,
complete blindness. However, thanks to the Sylmar California-based Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., a retinal
prosthesis that changes the outcome of being diagnosed with outer retinal degenerations like RP is currently in the works.
Second Sight Medical Products, Inc.'s mission is to "develop, manufacture and market implantable visual prosthetics to enable blind individuals to
achieve greater independence." Founded over a decade ago, Second Sight is currently testing its second generation retinal prosthesis called Argus II
with hopes of creating a device that will someday provide artificial vision. Currently, Second Sight is conducting FDA approved investigational device
studies in the United States, France, Mexico, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The study participants are patients who, at one time, had vision and
possess some level of light perception or whose optic nerve displays a measurable electrically evoked response. While the Argus II is in its
investigational period, this potentially life changing device offers hope to those who previously thought they lost their eyesight forever.
The Argus II is comprised of several parts. First, there is a tiny camera and transmitter mounted to eyeglasses. Second, a receiver is implanted in the
patient's retina. Third, a wireless microprocessor and battery pack that the patient wears supplies the power to entire group of parts to create the
Argus II. Basically, the camera sees and captures an image. This information is converted into an electronic signal and is sent to the transmitter
which wirelessly sends the information to the implanted receiver. Electronic pulses activate a response in the patent's retina. This information makes
its way to the patient's optic nerve and then to their brain. The brain takes this electronic information and recognizes it as patterns comprised of
light and dark spots depending on which electrodes are stimulated. According to Second Sight, "patients learn to interpret the visual patterns produced
into meaningful images."
For information on eligibility in participation in the study, visit ClinicalTrials.gov , a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials
conducted in the United States and around the world. For the latest news and information on the Argus II visit the Second Sight Medical Products, Inc website.
