Advanced Retina Implants

Abstract

Purpose: To discuss the role of advanced retinal implants in retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

Design: Presented by Mark S. Humayun as the Charles Schepen's Lecture on the Retina Subspecialty Day of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2021.

Participants: The details of subjects, participants, and controls are provided in the references pertaining to each study.

Methods: Review of published literature and clinical trials.

Main outcome measures: Visual and anatomic outcomes from retinal implants.

Results: Retinal implants have been researched over the past few decades, and some have been advanced into the clinic. Two types of implants-bioelectronic and stem cell-based-have shown promising results in restoring some level of vision in patients with inherited retinal degeneration and geographic atrophy. These implants differ in their constructions, locations of implantation, and safety profiles. The results from some of these retinal implants have shown signs of efficacy, and 1 retinal implant, the Argus II, has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Conclusions: Careful consideration of the design of the implant and associated surgical techniques are necessary to obtain a stable and effective long-term interface between the implant and the retina.

Keywords: Bioelectronic implant; Retinal implant; Stem cell implant.