BVA's bionic eye implant shown to be safe

The Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) consortium has completed the first clinical trial of its prototype implant for improving vision in patients with profound retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

The two-year Prototype 24-Channel Percutaneous Connector Study involved three RP patients whose vision had been reduced to bare light perception only. Each patient received surgically implanted suprachoroidal electrode implants designed to assist in the restoration of vision.

No adverse events were encountered during surgery, and no unexpected device-related serious adverse events observed during the two-year study. The implants showed no significant movement during the trial.

While the goal of the study was to demonstrate proof-of-concept and safety, the device was shown to improve patients’ ability to see light and shapes.

“This study is critically important to the continuation of our research efforts, and the results exceeded all our expectations,” BVA Board Chairman Professor Mark Hargreaves said. “We have demonstrated clearly that our suprachoroidal implants are safe to insert surgically and cause no adverse events once in place.”

BVA also has three other programs underway, with the first of these - a 44-channel device - due to enter the clinic in mid-2015.

BVA is a consortium of researchers working to develop bionic eye-based devices.