Scientists have created an eye implant with AI that allows blind people to start reading again

European scientists have created an eye implant with artificial intelligence elements called PRIMA, which can help people who have lost their vision to read again. The device restores central vision in patients suffering from geographic atrophy - a progressive eye disease affecting the retina.

According to Interesting Engineering, a clinical study conducted by University College London (UCL) and Moorfields Hospital showed that 84% of experiment participants were able to recognize letters, numbers, and words with the help of the new implant.

The implant was tested on patients who became blind due to geographic atrophy caused by dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - a disease previously considered incurable. After the device was installed, participants were able to read an average of five lines on a standard vision test chart, while before the surgery most of them could not distinguish it at all.

The trial involved 38 patients from 17 hospitals in five countries, including the British Moorfields Hospital. All patients had lost central vision in one eye due to the dry form of AMD, which gradually destroys light-sensitive cells.

Specialists estimate that more than five million people worldwide suffer from this form of the disease. The PRIMA implant became the first device in the world that allowed the restoration of the ability to read through a completely blind eye.

"This is the beginning of a new era in the history of artificial vision," said Mahi Muqit, an associate professor at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and chief consultant at Moorfields Hospital.

He noted that regaining the ability to read significantly improved patients' mood, confidence, and independence. According to Muqit, the surgery to install the PRIMA chip is safe, takes less than two hours, and can be performed by any trained surgeon, which opens the way for the widespread use of the new treatment method for patients with geographic atrophy.