The FDA approved the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System in February 2013, the first “bionic eye” implant offering partial vision restoration to people blinded by retinitis pigmentosa (a genetic disease destroying retinal photoreceptors). The device bypassed damaged photoreceptors by capturing video with a camera mounted on glasses, processing the images into electrical signals, and wirelessly transmitting them to a 60-electrode array implanted on the retina—stimulating remaining retinal neurons to send visual information to the brain.
How It Works
A tiny camera on glasses records the visual field → a wearable processor converts video into electrical patterns → the data transmits wirelessly to an antenna around the eye → signals reach an electrode array surgically implanted on the retina’s surface → electrodes stimulate retinal ganglion cells (which normally receive signals from photoreceptors) → the brain interprets these electrical pulses as vision. Users see rough patterns of light and dark (60 pixels worth), enough to detect large objects, navigate obstacles, and perceive motion—far from normal vision, but life-changing for the blind.
What Patients Could See
Argus II provided low-resolution grayscale vision comparable to very early digital cameras. Clinical trials showed patients could locate doors and windows, follow lines on the ground, detect people crossing in front of them, and read very large letters (with training). Tasks requiring detail (reading normal text, recognizing faces) remained impossible. Users described seeing bright spots and shapes; the brain had to learn to interpret these foreign signals as vision. Some patients found it helpful; others struggled with the cognitive load of processing unfamiliar visual input.
Limitations & Tragedy
The technology cost ~$150,000, required 4-6 hours of surgery to implant, and worked only for specific retinal diseases (not macular degeneration, glaucoma, or optic nerve damage—the most common blindness causes). In 2022, the manufacturer (Second Sight) discontinued Argus II support, leaving ~350 users worldwide with obsolete implants they couldn’t repair or upgrade—a cautionary tale of dependency on proprietary medical devices when companies fail or pivot. Meanwhile, gene therapies and optogenetic approaches showed more promise for certain blindness causes, potentially overshadowing retinal implants.
Legacy & Future
Despite commercial failure, Argus II validated the concept of bypassing damaged retinal layers with electronics—paving the way for higher-resolution implants (Pixium Vision’s PRIMA system, 378 electrodes), brain implants bypassing the retina entirely (Orion cortical implant), and hybrid biological-electronic vision restoration. The field highlighted both the potential of neuroprosthetics and the ethical/practical challenges of implanting electronics into human bodies when technology rapidly evolves but human tissue does not.
Sources: FDA approval announcement (February 2013), Second Sight clinical trial data published in Ophthalmology journal, IEEE Spectrum coverage, MIT Technology Review retinal implant analysis