21/10/2025
A group of blind patients can now read again thanks to a revolutionary eye implant that has restored their sight in what doctors are calling a major breakthrough for vision loss.
Surgeons at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London fitted five patients with a microchip at the back of their eye, allowing them to see again after years of blindness. The results, they say, have been “astounding.”
Among them is 70-year-old Sheila Irvine, who has lived with blindness for over three decades. After receiving the implant, she told the BBC the experience was “out of this world.”
“It’s beautiful, wonderful. It gives me such pleasure,” Sheila said. “I am able to read my post, books, and do crosswords and Sudoku. I am one happy bunny.”
The new technology offers hope to people living with an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that causes cells in the retina to die and leads to blurred or lost central vision.
The procedure involves inserting a tiny 2mm-square microchip, as thin as a human hair, beneath the retina. Patients wear glasses fitted with a built-in video camera, which sends images to the implant and on to a small processor that enhances them before transmitting them to the brain via the optic nerve.
Essentially, the device bypasses damaged retinal cells and restores a form of artificial vision, allowing patients to make out letters, words, and objects again.
The trial, involving 38 patients across five European countries, showed remarkable results. Of the 32 patients who received the implant, 27 were able to read again using their central vision, marking an average improvement of five lines on an eye chart after one year.
Dr Mahi Muqit, the surgeon leading the UK arm of the study, described it as “pioneering and life-changing technology.”
“This is the first implant to give patients meaningful vision they can use in their daily lives,” he said. “I think this is a major advance.”
While the Prima implant, developed by California-based Science Corporation, isn’t yet available outside clinical trials, researchers hope it could be rolled out to some NHS patients within a few years.
Experts believe it could pave the way for similar treatments for other eye conditions in the future.
Dr Peter Bloomfield from the Macular Society called the results “fantastic news.”
“Artificial vision may offer a lot of hope to many, particularly after previous disappointments in the world of dry AMD treatment,” he said.
For Sheila, the change has already transformed her daily life.
After decades of navigating with a white cane and being unable to read even the largest signs, she can now sit down with her special glasses and read again, one letter, one word, one crossword at a time.
“Technology is moving so fast,” she said. “It’s amazing that I’m part of it.”
