NHS England to fund bionic eye surgery
NHS England will provide further funding for bionic eye implants to help people with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an inherited disease that causes blindness.
Successful trials of the Argus II Bionic Eye implants at the Manchester Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital showed the implants restoring a degree of visual function to patients who have suffered complete blindness.
The implants are made by implantable visual prosthetics manufacture, Second Sight Medical Products. Patients are given an implant into their retina and a camera mounted on a pair of glasses sends wireless signals to the nerves which control sight. The brain then decodes the signals as flashes of light.
Because the implants show significant promise for patients with RP, NHS England will fund more procedures through its Commissioning through Evaluation (CtE) scheme.
Ten patients will undergo surgery to tackle RP using the implants. The procedures will take place at Manchester Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital from 2017.
During a trial for patients with RP, Keith Hayman, 68, a grandfather-of-five was fitted with the bionic eye at Manchester Eye Hospital. The procedure was a success, giving Hayman, who had been blind for 25 years, partial sight. Hayman said: “Having spent half my life in darkness, I can now tell when my grandchildren run towards me and make out lights twinkling on Christmas trees.”
Professor Paulo Stanga from Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, University of Manchester, who performed Keith’s surgery, said: “I’m delighted that our pioneering research has provided the evidence to support NHS England’s decision to fund the bionic eye for the first time for patients. It surpassed all of our expectations when we realised that one of the RP patients in Manchester using the bionic eye could identify large letters for the first time in his adult life.”
Dr Jonathan Fielden, director of Specialised Commissioning and deputy national medical director, NHS England said: “This highly innovative NHS-funded procedure shows real promise and could change lives. The NHS has given the world medical innovations ranging from modern cataract surgery, new vaccines and hip replacements. Now once again the NHS is at the forefront of harnessing ground-breaking science for the benefit patients in this country.”
After the procedures patients will be monitored for a period of one year, during which they will be assessed on how the implants improve their everyday lives.