In 2005, German company Retina Implant started working with 11 patients who lost their sight because of the retinitis pigmentosa affliction. These patients received subretinal implants that have now started to prove themselves as medical wonders. Thanks to these implants from Retina Implants, some of the 11 patients are capable of seeing more than any other patients who have tried using this method for recuperating their eye sight. These few patients can distinguish foreign objects and even letters, while until now subretinal implants were limited in allowing patients to see light and the general shape of an object, at best.

This is very good news considering the fact that over 200,000 people are affected by retinitis pigmentosa worldwide and it is a genetic condition that has no approved medical treatment until present day. Doctors have been trying to improve the eye sight of patients affected by blindness in two different ways: subretinal implants and epiretinal ones. The former involves placing a chip in the macular region, under the retina, while in the latter, doctors places the chip on top of the macular region.

“During the course of our first trial, we learned a great deal between our first and last patient, especially from patient 10 to 11,” said Dr. Walter-G. Wrobel, president and CEO of Retina Implant, AG. “Paramount in this discovery was learning that using the subretinal approach to place the chip in the macular region provided superior clinical outcomes. The eleventh/last patient in the study was the only one to have the chip placed exactly in the macular region, and he was able to see more clearly than any other patient in the trial. Additionally, every patient tolerated the surgery well; no adverse events occurred.”

“The results of the subretinal approach - implanting a 1,500 multi-electrode are very encouraging. It will be exciting to watch Retina Implant’s subsequent clinical trials as well as scientists at both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Stanford University group who are also researching the subretinal approach and plan to commence human trials. I’m hopeful this breakthrough research will present the blind community with a viable treatment option in the coming years. This whole field is evolving, and I believe will continue to push beyond our existing capabilities,” stated Dr. Jay Federman of the Retina division of the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia, Pa.


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