Category Archives: Retinitis Pigmentosa

A 72-year-old Honolulu woman may soon be able to boast she has a bionic eye. Click here to watch Catherine Cruz's report. A team of doctors at the Eye Surgery Center of Hawaii performed the life-changing operation Tuesday. Doctors say she lost her eyesight two years ago because of a hereditary disease called retinitis pigmentosa. They hope in a few months she will be able to regain some of her sight--specifically--shapes and movement. "If you can imagine if somebody is in total darkness and they are able to see down a hallway and see someone walk down it is a huge impactful impact on their life," said Dr. Gregg Kokame, who performed the operation. The surgery involves implanting a chip in the eye which paired with a camera attached to a glasses could soon will help make out shades of grey. Not color and fine detail. At least not yet. It apparently has been shown to work on patients who've had eyesight and then lost it. But the co-developer of the technology says it offers hope and some sight, even if you've been blind for years. Follow this link: Honolulu woman receives bionic eye implant … Continue reading →

Darkness has been a theme in the life of Emily Graham, who is organizing the Concert in the Dark to promote awareness about retinitis pigmentosa. Graham, a Hellgate High School senior, was diagnosed with the genetic disease when she was 2 years old. During Saturday's performance, the Innocent Bystanders Brass Band and David Harmsworth will perform entirely in the dark to give that sense of having to rely on your other senses, Graham said. The Missoula Youth Symphony, in which Graham plays the viola, also will perform and blindfolds will be available for people who want to continue listening in darkness. After the performances, an auction will take place during which participants will wear blindfolds and bid in the dark. The event is to help raise money for research and awareness about retinitis pigmentosa, which causes vision disintegration and leads to blindness. About 100,000 people have the disease that usually makes them legally blind by the age of 40, according to the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Im definitely on the better end of the spectrum, Graham said, adding that she has trouble adjusting to sudden changes in lighting and night blindness. Still, knowing that she likely will go blind has been … Continue reading →

Learning about Retinitis Pigmentosa FIVE on 2 talks with a Stivers student about dealing with Retinitis Pigmentosa. By: WDTNTV … Continue reading →

MISSOULA, Mont. - A Hellgate High School senior is organizing a concert to raise awareness of a disease that robs some people of their vision. Emily Graham is putting on the Concert in the Dark to raise awareness of retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease she was diagnosed with. To help put the spotlight on this disease there will be periods of blind awareness -- moments the lights are off -- and moments the audience can put on blindfolds. Graham is asking for donations to raise funds for medical studies. "I have been very lucky so far with my RP, but most people end up not so lucky. There's always research going on that needs funding, so that's why I decided to keep going with this project." The concert will be held this Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Dennison Theater. Follow this link: Student plans special concert to raise awareness of eye disease … Continue reading →

Second Sight Medical Products Inc. designs, makes and sells the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, which gives sight to the blind. And sales of the "bionic eye" are on the rise. Argus II is a prosthetic retina for people with a disease called retinitis pigmentosa. The device looks like futuristic sunglasses paired with a small box, which contains the brains of the device a video processing unit. A miniature video camera captures an image and then transmits that image to the video processing unit, which then sends it to electrodes implanted in a patient's retina using a surgical procedure. Argus II does not restore normal vision. But it does allow the wearer to see light and shapes, sometimes for the first time in decades. More than 100 patients have received the Argus II, with 15 systems implanted during the last three months of 2014, the most of any quarter. The earliest recipients have had the implants for nearly eight years. Second Sight has received regulatory approvals to offer the device in the U.S., Canada and the European Union. Patients have received the device in the U.S. and 10 other countries. Company executives think the device has a potential market of … Continue reading →

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares ofSecond Sight Medical Products (EYES) are higherin morning trading today, up 20.28% to $10.20 after the California-basedmanufacturer of implantable visual prosthetics announced thatall three of the French centers approved to implant itsArgus II Retinal Prosthesis System have successfully completed their first implants in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). In 2014, the Argus II became the first-ever medical device to be named as the recipient of Forfait Innovation, aFrench Government national healthcare reimbursement program, which allowed select hospitals in France to offer this "early access" and innovative treatment to patients with advanced RP. Forfait Innovation provides dedicated support to patients implanted with Argus II, funding the costs of implantation and patients' hospital fees. Now 36 RP patients in France stand to benefit from this technology with this first step in national reimbursement, the company said. Exclusive Report: Jim Cramer's Best Stocks for 2015 "We are pleased to see RP patients, who previously had no treatment option, gain access to this revolutionary device through Forfait Innovation," Second SightCEODr. Robert Greenberg said. "There is great potential for patients in France, as the French government has taken a progressive step in supporting a sometimes overlooked patient population." To date, … Continue reading →

February 20, 2015 Updated Feb 20, 2015 at 7:56 PM CDT DULUTH, Minn. (NNCNOW.com) -- Senior Pastor, James Kelm, at True Hope Church in Duluth, is also a self-taught musician. Retinitis Pigmentosa is a genetic disease that damages the retina and robs people of their vision. Rev. Kelm lives in a world he describes as "medium gray." "If I were to walk out into a bright sunny day, I could tell that medium gray becomes a light gray. If I walk out at nighttime or a dark room that medium gray becomes a dark gray," he said. There is no cure for R.P., but a new retinal implant developed by Second Sight is offering hope. James is among the first Minnesotans selected to receive the bionic eye. "It was the first time in my life that actually it was a benefit. The worse my eyes sight was, ha, ha, actually played in my favor." "I love him blind, but I also know I will love him with sight or no sight or however God wants him to be. I will love him through it," said Kimberly, James' wife of seven years. Kimberly says she is excited for her husband, but … Continue reading →

Allen Zderad suffered from genetic eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa It gradually wore away the 68-year-old's retina over the course of his life After ten years of being blind, he saw again with the aid of bionic glasses They send electrical signals to electrodes implanted in Mr Zderad's eyes By Jay Akbar For Mailonline Published: 09:11 EST, 20 February 2015 | Updated: 12:15 EST, 20 February 2015 A blind man finally caught a glimpse of the loving wife who acted as his guide for over a decade after being fitted a bionic eye. Allen Zderad screamed with happiness when Carmen came into focus, before embracing his wife and erupting into tears of joy. The man from Forest Lake, Minnesota suffered from a genetic disease called retinitis pigmentosa which stole his eyesight over the course of his life according to Kare. Now thanks to a pair of electronic glasses which send signals to the electrodes planted in his damaged retina's, the 68-year-old has finally been able to see his wife and ten grandchildren again. Regarding the device which took over 200million and decades to develop, he said: 'It's crude but significant, it works.' Scroll down for video Elation: Allen Zderad (left) … Continue reading →

Published February 24, 2015 A Minnesota man saw his wife for the first time in 10 years and most of his grandchildren for the first time ever after receiving a bionic eye at the Mayo Clinic earlier this month, ValleyNewsLive.com reported. Allen Zderad, 68, has retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative, genetic eye disease that affects the part of the retina that translates light into sight. The condition progressively stole the Forest Lake mans vision over the course of his life. Zderad uses a cane to walk and has leaned on his wife, Carmen Zderad, as his sighted guide since losing his ability to see. Ten years, Zderad told Valley News Live of the last time he saw his wife, but I still kiss her with my eyes closed. Zderad is the 15th person to receive the Second Sight Argus II retinal prosthesis system, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for implantation in January 2014. The technology reportedly took 25 years and an estimated $300 to $500 million to develop. Implanting the bionic eye involves the insertion of 60 electrodes into the retina. Zderads surgery took about three hours and, two weeks later, he can now see with the artificial … Continue reading →

Bionic Eye Trailer | Adolf's Story After a life of deafness and nearly a decade of complete blindness due to Usher syndrome and retinitis pigmentosa, Adolf Levi, 83, underwent the first bionic... By: Johns Hopkins Medicine … Continue reading →