Scientists have successfully implanted an artificial eye in two patients that have given them a limited vision.

Researched by Francesco Josepa Dougan. 8 February 2020

Scientists have successfully implanted an artificial eye in two patients that have given them a limited vision. The eye uses images from a tiny camera mounted on the wearer's glasses which are then fed to a series of electrodes at the back of the eyeball. Two patients now have the Second Sight Argus II implants inserted and working normally after operations at London's Moorfields Eye Hospital. Lyndon da Cruz, a consultant retinal surgeon, said: 'Moorfields is proud to have been one of only three sites in Europe chosen to be part of evolving this exciting new technology. 'The devices were implanted successfully in both patients and they are recovering well from the operations. 'It is very special to be part of a programme developing a new type of treatment for patients who would otherwise have no chance of visual improvement. ' The device is only useful for those blinded by Retinitis Pigmentosa but can return a degree of sight to other sufferers, allowing them to see light and shade and in which direction an object is moving. The two patients are now being monitored for long term use, and it is hoped that the treatment will be available on the NHS within the next three to five years.

There are other developments in other forms of blindness that are being carried out at the same institutes. British doctors have conducted the first clinical trial of a revolutionary gene therapy treatment for blindness. Researchers at University College London developed the procedure to help adults and children with a condition called Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), an inherited retinal degeneration for which there is no effective treatment. The team from UCL's Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital was led by Professor Robin Ali and includes leading eye surgeon James Bainbridge and leading retinal specialist Professor Tony Moore.

LCA causes progressive deterioration in a vision owing to an abnormality in a particular gene called RPE65. The technique used in the trial involves inserting healthy copies of the gene into the cells of the retina to help them to function normally. It is hoped that restoring the activity in these cells will restore vision. 'We have been developing gene therapy for eye disease for almost 15 years but until now we have been evaluating the technology only in the laboratory,' said Professor Ali. 'Testing it for the first time in patients is very important and exciting, and represents a huge step towards establishing gene therapy for the treatment of many different eye conditions.' Although the initial procedure has been very successful it will be several months until the team can determine the impact of the treatment. 'Some indications of the results of the trial may be available within several months, but the subjects will need to be followed-up to assess the long-term effect of the treatment,' said Professor Moore. 'It will be many months before we have the full picture. We anticipate the best outcome in younger patients, as we will be treating the disease in the early stages of development.' Professor Ali added that the results from this first human trial are likely to provide an important basis for many more gene therapy protocols in the future.

However, scientists will still have a lot of work ahead of them as there are many forms of retinal degeneration, meaning that the use of gene therapy must be individually developed and tested in a separate clinical trial specifically for that disease.

Frank J Dougan