World first: Bionic eyes to let blind people in Manchester see again – Manchester Evening News

Surgeons at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital are launching the world’s first trial of revolutionary implants to tackle Age-related Macular Degeneration – the most common cause of sight loss in the developed world.

 

The ‘eyes’ have already transformed the lives of three people in the region left blind by a different eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa.

 

Eye experts at the hospital were astonished when they realised one of the patients using the system, known as Argus II, could read for the first time in his adult life. Another was able to see fireworks for the first time in 40 years.

 

Now the surgeons are looking to recruit patients with the dry form of AMD – for which there is currently no treatment – to have implants fitted in a new trial.

 

Prof Paulo Stanga, consultant ophthamalogist and vitreoretinal surgeon at the hospital and director of the Manchester Vision Regeneration Laboratory, said: “We feel privileged to be conducting the world’s first study into retinal implants for patients with AMD.

 

Curated from World first: Bionic eyes to let blind people in Manchester see again – Manchester Evening News