Pixium Vision has achieved a major milestone — the publication of two peer-reviewed studies showcasing the potential of the Next Generation PRIMA implant to restore vision with five times higher resolution than existing implants! This breakthrough could revolutionize the way we treat vision loss, offering new hope to those affected.
Pixium Vision, in collaboration with academic partner Stanford University, has unveiled a revolutionary new implant design based on their PRIMA platform that promises to restore lost vision to levels sufficient for face recognition and reading smaller fonts with up to 20/20 vision with electronic magnification. This breakthrough has been documented in top-tier scientific journals Nature Communications and Journal of Neural Engineering, and Pixium holds the worldwide exclusive license for the developed program.
Paris, France – 12th January 2023 – Pixium Vision SA, a revolutionary bioelectronics company that develops cutting-edge bionic vision systems to empower visually impaired and blind individuals, is excited to announce that the second generation of implants for its PRIMA bionic vision system for AMD could restore vision with up to five times the resolution of current PRIMA implants! This groundbreaking technology will provide individuals with an unprecedented level of independence, enabling them to live their lives to the fullest.
Pixium Vision is revolutionizing the field of vision restoration with their second generation PRIMA implants, developed in partnership with Stanford University. According to a recent Nature Communications paper, tests on rats showed that the new implant can provide prosthetic visual acuity matching the natural resolution – a major breakthrough in the field of vision restoration.
- A revolutionary prosthetic vision system has been developed with a unique photovoltaic array design, which dynamically steers current to achieve field confinement for high-resolution vision.
- With the help of computational modeling, we can now explore the field confinement in an optically controlled circuit, a breakthrough which has been validated through in vitro and in vivo measurements. This revolutionary method has opened up a world of possibilities in terms of controlling and manipulating the behavior of electrical circuits.
- The acuity of the grating invivo when tested with 40mm pixels is a perfect match to the pixel pitch, while with 20mm pixels, it has managed to reach the impressive 28mm limit of the natural visual resolution in rats.
- Breakthrough advancements in prosthetic vision are providing AMD patients with a more personalized approach to treatment. Customized field shaping is now available to accommodate individual retinal thickness and distance from the implant, resulting in higher acuity of prosthetic vision.
This breakthrough in prosthetic vision opens the door to unprecedented levels of acuity, over five times higher than the current best prosthetic acuity, paving the way for a potential 20/20 vision with the help of electronic magnification. This is a remarkable step forward in restoring sight for those with impaired vision.
Pixium Vision’s new second generation PRIMA implant is a major breakthrough in prosthetic vision, offering the potential to restore sight close to natural vision for those blinded by retinal degeneration. After working closely with our partners at Stanford University, we have been able to leverage the design of our existing PRIMA system to create an implant with five times the resolution. This unprecedented level of visual acuity could enable those affected by dry AMD to read comfortably and recognize faces, a true game-changer in treating blindness.
Pixium Vision and Stanford University have co-developed the next generation of photovoltaic retinal implants, which are now being optimized for clinical trials. These implants, based on the design of the original PRIMA implants, boast a higher resolution and an increased number of pixels, as outlined in two recently-published papers in the Journal of Neural Engineering. Clinical trials could be initiated within the next couple of years, giving hope to those suffering from vision impairment.
The potential benefits of increasing the width of the PRIMA implant from 2 to 3 mm and reducing the pixel size from 100 to 75 mm are immense, as it would nearly quadruple the number of pixels – providing patients with an improved field of view and a better quality of life. The article “Pixel size limit of the PRIMA implants: from humans to rodents and back” outlines the advantages of this change, showing the great potential of this technology.
In a breakthrough study, scientists have shown that a photovoltaic implant simulator has the potential to unlock subretinal prosthesis with unprecedented resolution limits. By utilizing monopolar pixels as both anodes and cathodes to suppress crosstalk, most patients may achieve resolution no worse than 48mm; however, by placing the electrodes closer to the inner nuclear layer, the stimulus strength and contrast can be enhanced to the point where even 24mm resolution with 20mm pixels may be achievable. This corresponds to 5 times higher acuity than the clinical average with current implants and could revolutionize the lives of AMD patients by significantly improving their central vision.
The groundbreaking research conducted by Professor Daniel Palanker from Stanford University’s Department of Ophthalmology is revolutionizing the way we treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD). His research, featured in three peer-reviewed papers, has enabled the development of Pixium Vision’s next-generation PRIMA implants, which promise to provide much higher resolution and adjustable field confinement in the retina, thus allowing for a more precise and tailored visual experience for each patient. These implants are already showing great potential and we are excited to continue exploring their usage in clinical settings in the hopes of alleviating visual impairment for those affected by AMD.
About Pixium Vision
Pixium Vision is creating a revolutionary world of bionic vision for those who have lost their sight, allowing them to regain visual perception and autonomy. Through a surgical intervention and a period of rehabilitation, their PRIMA System with a sub-retinal miniature photovoltaic wireless implant is already undergoing clinical testing for dry AMD. Working with some of the world’s most renowned vision research institutions such as Stanford University, Institut de la Vision, Moorfields Eye Hospital, Institute of Ocular Microsurgery and UPMC, Pixium Vision is committed to providing the highest quality of care and is EN ISO 13485 certified and qualified as “Entreprise Innovante” by Bpifrance.
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