--- title: Europe Approves Bionic Eye to Restore Vision Lost to... description: California neurotech startup Science Corporation has received CE mark approval in Europe for its PRIMA retinal implant, designed to treat geographic atrophy —... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/europe-approves-bionic-eye-to-restore-vision-lost-to-blindness-itbto03qy twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Europe Approves Bionic Eye to Restore Vision Lost to Blindness | daily.dev og:description: California neurotech startup Science Corporation has received CE mark approval in Europe for its PRIMA retinal implant, designed to treat geographic atrophy —... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/europe-approves-bionic-eye-to-restore-vision-lost-to-blindness-itbto03qy og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/ItBto03Qy.png og:image:alt: Europe Approves Bionic Eye to Restore Vision Lost to Blindness og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Europe Approves Bionic Eye to Restore Vision Lost to Blindness **[Singularity Hub](https://daily.dev/sources/singularityhub)** · 4 min read · 13 upvotes · 2 comments ## Summary California neurotech startup Science Corporation has received CE mark approval in Europe for its PRIMA retinal implant, designed to treat geographic atrophy — the late stage of dry age-related macular degeneration. The system combines a sub-grain-of-rice implant placed under the macula with camera-mounted glasses that beam near-infrared light to stimulate surviving retinal neurons. A 38-patient clinical trial showed an average gain of 25.5 letters on a standard eye chart. Commercial implants are expected in Germany within weeks, with US FDA approval anticipated in early 2027. The device currently produces narrow, black-and-white images, but the company sees a path to color vision. The approval is seen as a milestone for the broader neurotech industry, signaling a viable path to revenue for brain-computer interface companies. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the PRIMA retinal implant and how does it restore vision lost to macular degeneration? PRIMA is a retinal implant developed by Science Corporation, smaller than a grain of rice, implanted beneath the macula and paired with camera-mounted glasses. The glasses convert visual input into near-infrared light beamed to the chip, which works like a solar panel, converting light into electrical pulses that stimulate bipolar cells spared by dry age-related macular degeneration, restoring central vision for reading and recognizing faces. _Anyone tracking medtech and neurotech breakthroughs can follow developments like PRIMA's rollout on daily.dev._ ### Has the PRIMA retinal implant been approved in Europe yet? Yes, PRIMA received a CE mark from the European Union, allowing it to be sold in 30 European countries. The first commercial implants are expected in Germany within weeks, followed by Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK. In the US, it holds Breakthrough and Humanitarian Use Device designations from the FDA but not yet full approval. _Staying current on regulatory milestones like this helps engineers on daily.dev gauge where neurotech is headed next._ ### How well did the PRIMA implant perform in clinical trials for macular degeneration? In a trial of 38 patients across five countries, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, participants gained an average of 25.5 letters, more than five lines, on a standard eye chart after being fitted with the device. The resulting vision is black and white with a narrow field, described as looking through a straw, though color vision and higher acuity are seen as future possibilities. _Developers following clinical evidence behind emerging BCI devices can keep up with trial results via daily.dev._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@hardik15** · 2 upvotes > This looks very impressive if it serves as shown on paper. B/W is still a hugh leap than blindness. **@bigmoses** · 1 upvotes >  ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [An eye implant and smart glasses restore some lost vision](https://daily.dev/posts/an-eye-implant-and-smart-glasses-restore-some-lost-vision-eo6qpkojf) · The Verge · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [These High-Tech Glasses and an Eye Implant Restored Sight in People With Severe Vision Loss](https://daily.dev/posts/these-high-tech-glasses-and-an-eye-implant-restored-sight-in-people-with-severe-vision-loss-xa9ioitwq) · Singularity Hub · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [This retina implant lets people with vision loss do a crossword puzzle](https://daily.dev/posts/this-retina-implant-lets-people-with-vision-loss-do-a-crossword-puzzle-iuo44b1p5) · MIT Technology Review · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Science Corp raises $230M as it races to bring its brain implant to market](https://daily.dev/posts/science-corp-raises-230m-as-it-races-to-bring-its-brain-implant-to-market-hrlpnlopk) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#tech-news](https://daily.dev/tags/tech-news), [#brain-computer-interface](https://daily.dev/tags/brain-computer-interface) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/europe-approves-bionic-eye-to-restore-vision-lost-to-blindness-itbto03qy) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Europe Approves Bionic Eye to Restore Vision Lost to Blindness","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/europe-approves-bionic-eye-to-restore-vision-lost-to-blindness-itbto03qy","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/europe-approves-bionic-eye-to-restore-vision-lost-to-blindness-itbto03qy"},"datePublished":"2026-07-31T23:10:26.557Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T19:43:05.059Z","description":"California neurotech startup Science Corporation has received CE mark approval in Europe for its PRIMA retinal implant, designed to treat geographic atrophy —...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/babb2e2108c70f7eb3461240b046a27f?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/babb2e2108c70f7eb3461240b046a27f?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Singularity Hub","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Singularity Hub","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/8bce4dbf713f430b99844be15c8df028","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/singularityhub"},"commentCount":2,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/europe-approves-bionic-eye-to-restore-vision-lost-to-blindness-itbto03qy","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":13},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":2}],"keywords":"tech-news,brain-computer-interface","timeRequired":"PT4M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singularity Hub","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/singularityhub"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Europe Approves Bionic Eye to Restore Vision Lost to Blindness"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/europe-approves-bionic-eye-to-restore-vision-lost-to-blindness-itbto03qy","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","text":"This looks very impressive if it serves as shown on paper. B/W is still a hugh leap than blindness.","datePublished":"2026-08-07T04:53:47.073Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/ItBto03Qy#c-ek4Vc0c90","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Hardik","url":"https://daily.dev/hardik15","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--O0TOmw4y--/f_auto/v1715772965/public/noProfile"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":2}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"","datePublished":"2026-08-06T11:45:32.336Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/ItBto03Qy#c-cRWEVZKi9","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"BigDog","url":"https://daily.dev/bigmoses","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--GaJxcZaC--/f_auto/v1750769439/avatars/avatar_eyySonLitPQLPK6mVrSSn?_a=BAMClqZW0"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/europe-approves-bionic-eye-to-restore-vision-lost-to-blindness-itbto03qy#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the PRIMA retinal implant and how does it restore vision lost to macular degeneration?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"PRIMA is a retinal implant developed by Science Corporation, smaller than a grain of rice, implanted beneath the macula and paired with camera-mounted glasses. The glasses convert visual input into near-infrared light beamed to the chip, which works like a solar panel, converting light into electrical pulses that stimulate bipolar cells spared by dry age-related macular degeneration, restoring central vision for reading and recognizing faces. Anyone tracking medtech and neurotech breakthroughs can follow developments like PRIMA's rollout on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Has the PRIMA retinal implant been approved in Europe yet?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, PRIMA received a CE mark from the European Union, allowing it to be sold in 30 European countries. The first commercial implants are expected in Germany within weeks, followed by Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK. In the US, it holds Breakthrough and Humanitarian Use Device designations from the FDA but not yet full approval. Staying current on regulatory milestones like this helps engineers on daily.dev gauge where neurotech is headed next."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How well did the PRIMA implant perform in clinical trials for macular degeneration?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"In a trial of 38 patients across five countries, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, participants gained an average of 25.5 letters, more than five lines, on a standard eye chart after being fitted with the device. The resulting vision is black and white with a narrow field, described as looking through a straw, though color vision and higher acuity are seen as future possibilities. Developers following clinical evidence behind emerging BCI devices can keep up with trial results via daily.dev."}}]} ```