Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., the world's leading developer of retinal prostheses for the blind, announced that the first ever commercial implantation of such a prosthesis was successfully completed on Saturday, October 29th in Pisa, Italy. The company's Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System ('Argus II') was surgically implanted by Dr. Stanislao Rizzo, Director of the University Hospital Ophthalmic Department of Pisa, in a patient suffering from advanced Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Argus II, which received marketing clearance in Europe earlier this year, becomes the world's first ever commercial implant intended to restore some vision to a previously blind patient.
“This is truly a historic event that has been decades in the making. This milestone is significant for the company and the field of vision restoration, but most importantly, for these patients who now have a treatment option.”
"I am very pleased to offer in Italy for the first time ever this approved treatment for blindness due to RP. I hope that it will encourage patients suffering from this impactful condition to seek medical advice in centers of excellence around Europe, like the one we have here in Pisa," said Dr. Rizzo. "It is wonderful that medicine can now do something for the blind."