AAO: PRIMA Implant and Glasses Improve Visual Acuity in Geographic Atrophy

TUESDAY, Oct. 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- In participants with geographic atrophy due to age-related macular degeneration, a photovoltaic retina implant microarray (PRIMA) system leads to significant improvement in visual acuity, according to a study published online Oct. 20 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, held from Oct. 18 to 20 in Orlando, Florida.Frank G. Holz, M.D., from the University of Bonn in Germany, and colleagues conducted an open-label, baseline-controlled clinical study involving participants with geographic atrophy and a visual acuity of at least 1.2 logMAR who received a subretinal photovoltaic implant and glasses.Overall, 38 participants received a PRIMA implant, 32 of whom were assessed at 12 months. The researchers found that the PRIMA system led to a clinically meaningful improvement in visual acuity (defined as ≥0.2 logMAR) from baseline in 26 of the 32 participants who completed 12 months of follow-up. Using multiple imputation to account for the six participants with missing data, an estimated 80 percent of all participants would have clinically meaningful improvement at 12 months. There were 26 serious adverse events in 19 participants; 21 (81 percent) occurred within two months after surgery, 20 of which resolved within two months of onset. After implantation, the mean natural peripheral visual acuity was equivalent to that at baseline."It's the first time that any attempt at vision restoration has achieved such results in a large number of patients," coauthor José-Alain Sahel, M.D., from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said in a statement.The study was funded by Science Corporation, the device manufacturer. Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)More Information.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter