Health Canada Approves First ‘Bionic Eye’

Monday, January 19 2015 | 00 h 00 min | Vision Science

The Argus II is the first retinal prosthesis system of its kind to be approved by Health Canada from Second Sight Medical Products. The “bionic eye” is used for treating outer retinal degeneration and  Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) blindness.

The system provides electrical pulses to stimulate the retina’s remaining cells, resulting in a perception of light patterns in the brain. The implant aids shape and large object recognition, as well as people and object identification, such as finding doorways, and following lines or edges.

An estimated 13,000 people in Canada and 1.2 million people worldwide have RP. Argus II is implanted in more than 100 individuals worldwide. This Canadian approval will allow service expansion into additional provinces beyond Ontario. In June 2014, the first Canadian patient received the Argus II at the Toronto Western Hospital.

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