AGL 37.90 Decreased By ▼ -0.12 (-0.32%)
AIRLINK 213.51 Increased By ▲ 16.15 (8.18%)
BOP 9.85 Increased By ▲ 0.31 (3.25%)
CNERGY 6.31 Increased By ▲ 0.40 (6.77%)
DCL 9.19 Increased By ▲ 0.37 (4.2%)
DFML 37.60 Increased By ▲ 1.86 (5.2%)
DGKC 100.75 Increased By ▲ 3.89 (4.02%)
FCCL 36.10 Increased By ▲ 0.85 (2.41%)
FFBL 88.94 Increased By ▲ 6.64 (8.07%)
FFL 14.49 Increased By ▲ 1.32 (10.02%)
HUBC 133.10 Increased By ▲ 5.55 (4.35%)
HUMNL 13.61 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (0.81%)
KEL 5.54 Increased By ▲ 0.22 (4.14%)
KOSM 7.22 Increased By ▲ 0.22 (3.14%)
MLCF 45.97 Increased By ▲ 1.27 (2.84%)
NBP 60.95 Decreased By ▼ -0.47 (-0.77%)
OGDC 223.90 Increased By ▲ 9.23 (4.3%)
PAEL 41.14 Increased By ▲ 2.35 (6.06%)
PIBTL 8.56 Increased By ▲ 0.31 (3.76%)
PPL 200.10 Increased By ▲ 7.02 (3.64%)
PRL 39.95 Increased By ▲ 1.29 (3.34%)
PTC 27.75 Increased By ▲ 1.95 (7.56%)
SEARL 108.00 Increased By ▲ 4.40 (4.25%)
TELE 8.63 Increased By ▲ 0.33 (3.98%)
TOMCL 36.26 Increased By ▲ 1.26 (3.6%)
TPLP 13.50 Increased By ▲ 0.20 (1.5%)
TREET 24.38 Increased By ▲ 2.22 (10.02%)
TRG 61.15 Increased By ▲ 5.56 (10%)
UNITY 34.00 Increased By ▲ 1.03 (3.12%)
WTL 1.68 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (5%)
BR100 12,156 Increased By 429.7 (3.66%)
BR30 37,703 Increased By 1326.7 (3.65%)
KSE100 113,408 Increased By 3894.8 (3.56%)
KSE30 35,842 Increased By 1328.9 (3.85%)

US regulators approved a so-called bionic eye on Thursday, giving hope to people with a rare genetic disease. Developed by California-based Second Sight Medical Products, Inc, the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System is the first retinal implant for adults with advanced retinitis pigmentosa that results in the gradual loss of vision and can lead to blindness.
"While the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System will not restore vision to patients, it may allow them to detect light and dark in the environment, aiding them in identifying the location or movement of objects or people," the US Food and Drug Administration said in a statement announcing its decision. The device includes a small video camera and a transmitter mounted on a pair of glasses, as well as a video processing unit and an implanted retinal prosthesis that replaces the function of degenerated cells in the retina.
"This new surgically implanted assistive device provides an option for patients who have lost their sight to RP (retinitis pigmentosa), for whom there have been no FDA-approved treatments," said Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "The device may help adults with RP who have lost the ability to perceive shapes and movement to be more mobile and to perform day-to-day activities." Already greenlighted by European regulators, the FDA approved the Argus II as a humanitarian use device, which is limited to instruments that treat or diagnose fewer than 4,000 people in the United States annually.
Second Sight welcomed the news, calling it a game changer. "With this approval, we look forward to building a strong surgical network in the United States and recruiting new hospitals that will offer the Argus II retinal implant," said president and CEO Robert Greenberg. "This is a game changer in sight-affecting diseases, that represents a huge step forward for the field and for these patients who were without any available treatment options until now."

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2013

Comments

Comments are closed.