Argus II users accumulate implant time since FDA approval

KOLOA, Hawaii — Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the Argus II retinal prosthesis, 35 subjects have been implanted at 10 surgical centers for a cumulative implant time of 140-plus subject-years, a speaker reported here. The Argus II (Second Sight Medical Products) is used in cases of profound retinitis pigmentosa and consists of an external camera, transmitter and video processing unit and an internal receiver and electrode array that are placed with standard vitreoretinal surgery techniques as a retinal prosthetic. Clinical trials are underway for expanded indications, Mark S. Humayun, MD, a co-inventor of the device said at Retina 2014, with the first patient in the U.S. being implanted last week at the University of Michigan.