This implant can restore sight for patients with macular degeneration

More than 5 million people around the world with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) experience atrophy in their retinas. And until now, no treatment could restore their vision. The PRIMA system, which was approved in Europe in July and is awaiting FDA clearance in the US, changes that. It combines a retinal implant with camera-­equipped eyeglasses to improve sight in patients who develop a blind spot in the middle of their vision due to advanced AMD. After training sessions, more than 80% of recipients were able to read, do crosswords, and use their phones.

全球有超过 500 万人患有年龄相关性黄斑变性 (AMD)，导致视网膜萎缩。在此之前，没有任何治疗方法可以恢复他们的视力。PRIMA 系统于 7 月在欧洲获得批准，目前正在等待美国 FDA 的许可，它改变了这一现状。该系统将视网膜植入物与配备摄像头的眼镜相结合，旨在改善因晚期 AMD 而导致视野中心出现盲点的患者的视力。经过培训后，超过 80% 的接受者能够阅读、做填字游戏并使用手机。

The retina processes light in three layers of cells: Photoreceptors convert light into electricity, bipolar cells process that signal, and ganglion cells transmit the signal to the optic nerve and the brain. PRIMA replaces the photoreceptors.

视网膜通过三层细胞处理光线：光感受器将光转化为电信号，双极细胞处理该信号，神经节细胞将信号传输至视神经和大脑。PRIMA 取代了光感受器。

Developed by the California-based Science Corporation, the system takes advantage of the fact that AMD doesn’t damage all retinal circuitry; only photoreceptors—the cells that convert light into an electrical signal—die off. PRIMA’s implant mimics those cells and transmits visual information directly to healthy eye circuitry and on to the brain. “We’re leveraging all of the body’s own natural functions to process and transmit the information,” says Frank Brodie, an ophthalmologist at the University of California, San Francisco, and Science Corp.’s chief medical officer for ophthalmology.

该系统由总部位于加利福尼亚州的 Science Corporation 开发，利用了 AMD 并不会破坏所有视网膜电路这一事实；只有光感受器（将光转化为电信号的细胞）会死亡。PRIMA 的植入物模拟了这些细胞，并将视觉信息直接传输到健康的眼部电路，进而传至大脑。加州大学旧金山分校的眼科医生、Science Corp. 眼科首席医疗官 Frank Brodie 表示：“我们正在利用人体自身的所有自然功能来处理和传输这些信息。”

Glasses outfitted with a miniature front-facing camera capture what someone is seeing in real time. The video feed is roughly five megapixels running at 30 frames per second, which is similar to TV. The raw video is transmitted to a connected processor via a fiber-optic cable.

配备微型前置摄像头的眼镜可以实时捕捉佩戴者所看到的内容。视频源约为 500 万像素，运行速度为每秒 30 帧，与电视类似。原始视频通过光缆传输到连接的处理器。

A small, handheld processor, which can be set on a table or tucked in a pocket, converts the video feed into infrared light signals that route back to the glasses. The device also includes physical buttons that let the wearer adjust contrast, brightness, and zoom.

一个小型手持处理器（可以放在桌子上或塞进口袋里）将视频源转换为红外光信号，并传回眼镜。该设备还包括物理按钮，让佩戴者可以调节对比度、亮度和缩放比例。

A laser projector on the glasses faces the wearer and shines pulses of near-infrared light directly at the eye at 880 nanometers—an invisible wavelength. This signal passes through the pupil and on to the retinal implant in the back of the eye.

眼镜上的激光投影仪面向佩戴者，以 880 纳米（一种不可见的波长）的近红外光脉冲直接照射眼睛。该信号穿过瞳孔，到达眼球后部的视网膜植入物。

The implant is made up of 378 pixels, each with an electrode and two photovoltaic cells, which do double duty. They convert the light into a current that healthy bipolar and ganglion cells pass on to the brain. They also act as solar cells to power the chip, eliminating the need for a battery.

该植入物由 378 个像素组成，每个像素都有一个电极和两个光伏电池，发挥双重作用。它们将光转化为电流，由健康的双极细胞和神经节细胞传递给大脑。它们还充当太阳能电池为芯片供电，从而无需电池。