Subretinal 378-pixel photovoltaic implant with near-infrared camera glasses for geographic atrophy, with a 38-participant European study published in NEJM in October 2025.
Independent, source-linked catalog sheet. Not a manufacturer-issued datasheet, regulatory decision or instructions for clinical use. Human evidence does not establish approval. Source-specific restrictions, conflicts and missing specifications are retained below.
Science PRIMA subretinal photovoltaic implant
PRIMA is a 2 x 2 mm, 30 um thick silicon implant of 378 photovoltaic pixels placed under the retina and driven by 880 nm light from camera glasses. This sheet uses the open-access NEJM paper. Regulatory status beyond the trial is not verified here.
Identity
Field
Value and source scope
Device
Science Corporation PRIMA system: subretinal photovoltaic implant, glasses with camera and near-infrared projector, and a pocket processor [1]
Manufacturer
Science Corporation, Alameda, California [1][2]
Interface class
Subretinal photovoltaic retinal prosthesis, wirelessly activated by light [1]
Origin
Company device; the paper reports a multicenter study at 17 sites in 5 European countries [1]
First demonstrated
Unreported
First human implant
Unreported
Species studied
Human [1]
Regulatory status
Investigational in the NEJM trial; the NEJM paper reports a confirmatory study, and company statements about regulatory submissions were not verified here [1][2]
Function
Restores central vision in geographic atrophy due to age-related macular degeneration [1]
Target tissue
Subretinal space under the atrophic lesion [1]
Geometry and architecture
Field
Value and source scope
Interface type
Crystalline silicon array implanted subretinally within the atrophic lesion [1]
Array layout
378 photovoltaic pixels, each 100 um [1]
Electrode count
378 pixels [1]
Pitch
Pixel size 100 um (pitch not separately stated in the text read) [1]
Electrode lengths
Unreported
Shank width and thickness
Implant 2 x 2 mm wide and 30 um thick [1]
Tip and exposed site geometry
Unreported
Contact coating
Unreported
Insulation
Unreported
Insertion method
Unreported
Anchoring and fixation
Unreported
Electrode and channel physics
Field
Value and source scope
Exposed site area
Unreported
Electrode material
Unreported
Impedance (with measurement frequency)
Unreported
Noise floor or SNR
Unreported
Recording modality
Unreported
Sampling rate
Unreported
Stimulation capability
Unreported
Charge injection limit
Unreported
Reference and ground
Unreported
Tissue interface and bioresponse
Field
Value and source scope
Target tissue
Unreported
Insertion trauma and BBB disruption
Unreported
Vascular disruption risk
Unreported
Micromotion sensitivity
Unreported
Gliosis and encapsulation
Unreported
Neuron loss near sites
Unreported
Foreign-body response mitigation
Unreported
Typical failure modes
Unreported
System architecture
Field
Value and source scope
Onboard electronics
Unreported
Data path
A frame-mounted camera captures images; processed images are projected onto the implant with 880 nm near-infrared light [1]
Telemetry bandwidth
Unreported
Sampling rate
Unreported
Power
Implant pixels convert the near-infrared light into electrical current; no implanted battery [1]
Thermal management
Unreported
Packaging and hermeticity
Unreported
MRI compatibility
Unreported
Surgical complexity
Unreported
Output connectors
Unreported
Performance envelope
Field
Value and source scope
Acute yield
Unreported
Chronic yield
Unreported
Stability over time
Unreported
Longevity
Unreported
Revision and explant experience
Unreported
Adverse events
Unreported
Notable demonstrations
Unreported
Clinical and preclinical evidence
Field
Value and source scope
Human subjects
PRIMAvera: 38 participants implanted, 17 sites in 5 European countries; 32 reached 12 months; mean age 78.9; an earlier feasibility trial had 5 participants [1]
Preclinical cohort
Unreported
Follow-up duration
12 months [1]
Indications
Geographic atrophy from AMD, age 60 or older, visual acuity logMAR 1.2 or worse, fovea-involving atrophy larger than 2.4 mm [1]
Trials and registries
NCT04676854 PRIMAvera: open-label, baseline-controlled, single-arm, multicenter. Published N Engl J Med 2025 Oct 20;394(3):232-242 [1]
Primary outcomes
26 of 32 (81.3%; 95% CI 63.56 to 92.79) improved visual acuity by at least logMAR 0.2 at 12 months; with glasses, mean improvement logMAR 0.49 (about 24.5 letters). Prosthetic acuity logMAR 1.32 (20/417), matching the 100 um pixel sampling limit [1]
Key limitations
Single-arm, open-label. 26 serious adverse events in 19 participants, 81% within the first two months. Three of the six who did not reach 12 months died. Mean atrophy area grew 8.5 mm2 in study eyes versus 2.5 mm2 in fellow eyes [1]
Engineering tradeoffs
Field
Value and source scope
Strengths
Unreported
Limitations
Unreported
Scaling constraints
Unreported
Version boundary
The implant and glasses as used in the PRIMAvera trial.