Introduction and Clinical Significance
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, particularly affecting the elderly population. Its advanced form, geographic atrophy (GA), involves progressive degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors, resulting in significant central vision loss. Currently, no approved therapies directly restore vision in GA, underscoring a substantial unmet medical need.
Recent technological innovations aim to address this challenge by developing implantable devices capable of bypassing damaged retinal tissue. The photovoltaic retina implant microarray (PRIMA) system exemplifies this approach, combining a subretinal photovoltaic implant with infrared light-projected glasses to restore central vision.
