Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common but untreatable eye condition that usually impacts people over 50. The progressive disease happens when aging causes damage to the photoreceptors in the central part of the retina. The international trial’s results offer hope of treatment for the condition, which affects about 200 million people globally.

The study involved 38 participants with an average age of about 79 who all had advanced AMD. The participants were treated at 17 sites in five countries across Europe, where they received a tiny implant—about half the thickness of human hair—beneath their retinas. Eighty percent of the participants had “clinically meaningful improvement” to their vision a year after implantation.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/electronic-eye-implant-restored-vision-in-patients-with-age-related-macular-degeneration-180987541/