PRIMA Implant Brings Vision Restoration Within Reach

BrightFocus Foundation (Julia S. Roth; reviewed by Jimmy Liu, PhD), July 2026.

Key takeaways:

• PRIMA is the first device of its kind to improve vision in people with geographic atrophy, an advanced stage of dry AMD.
• Recently approved for commercial use in Europe (CE mark under EU MDR; authorizes commercial use across 30 European countries).
• FDA granted two Humanitarian Use Device (HUD) designations in July 2026; device still awaits FDA review/authorization.

Details:

• The implant contains 378 electrodes that convert light patterns into electrical signals that stimulate surviving bipolar cells, which then send visual information to the brain. Device bypasses damaged photoreceptors while using the eye’s remaining neural pathways.
• Typically implanted in one eye; acts like a miniature solar panel, powered by near-infrared light projected through the glasses.
• Ideal candidates: lost photoreceptors but healthy inner retinal cells (bipolar and ganglion cells); studied mainly in geographic atrophy from advanced dry AMD; potential for Stargardt disease. Not currently effective for wet AMD.
• First U.S. implantation of PRIMA at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2020), following first-in-human study launched in France in 2017.
• PRIMAvera trial results published in NEJM (October 2025): conducted in Europe among 17 surgeons in five countries; most patients achieved meaningful improvements in prosthetic visual acuity; many regained ability to read letters, numbers, and words.
• Jim Liu: PRIMA could potentially be available in the U.S. in the next couple of years.