What is the Prima device and how does it work?

London (PA Media/dpa) – Patients with vision loss caused by a common but untreatable condition are able to read again thanks to a groundbreaking eye implant, but what is the device and how does it help? – What is the Prima device? Prima, developed by US medtech company Science Corporation, comprises a tiny chip, measuring about 2mm by 2mm and the same thickness as a human hair, as well as augmented reality glasses and a pocket computer. – How was it implanted? Patients had the clear, jelly-like substance from inside the eye – known as a vitrectomy – removed. Surgeons then created a trapdoor under the centre of the retina, the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye that converts light into electrical signals, which are then sent to the brain via the optic nerve to be processed as vis