New hope from the first implant performed at the Careggi Hospital in Florence.
Stargardt's disease is a rare form of degenerative retinal disease, which affects, on a hereditary basis, one in 10,000 people. It is, like Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative maculopathy for which there is currently no effective medical therapy and which results in a gradual and progressive loss of vision.
At the end of June, however, a light of hope also seems to have dawned for these unfortunate patients: at the Careggi hospital in Florence, the Dr Stanislao Rizzo performed the world's first retinal prosthesis implant in a patient suffering from Stargardt's disease. The implanted patient is Lucia, a 67-year-old Florentine lady diagnosed with Stargardt's disease and who, due to this retinopathy, suffered a progressive deterioration of her eyesight from school age until blindness.
Mrs Lucia stated: 'When I was eight years old, I suffered a severe reduction in my eyesight and had to give up my great passion for reading. With blindness my life has changed, I have been precluded from many things and until today apart from talking books there has not been much else. With the retinal prosthesis I expect to regain greater personal autonomy soon and above all to no longer be afraid of the darkness all around me.".
The grafted prosthesis is Argus II, the epiretinal implant developed and marketed by Second Sight Medical Products Inc. and already used in more than 190 patients, mostly suffering from retinitis pigmentosa.
Professor Stanislao Rizzo, pioneer of Argus II technology, which he adopted in Italy four years ago, commented: "She has a very advanced stage of the disease, with a total absence of peripheral and central field, which is an optimal circumstance for Argus II. I expect better functional results than in a patient with RP as with Stargardt the outer layers of the retina are better preserved".
Italy is at the forefront of the use of the epiretinal prosthesis, the so-called 'bionic eye' Argus II. "It is proven - continues Prof. Rizzo - that the epiretinal prosthesis is highly safe and that the results remain stable over time".
In addition to Careggi in Florence, Argus II implants were also grafted at the Azienda ULSS 15 Alto Padovana in Camposampiero (PD) and at the San Paolo Hospital in Milan.
Argus II has obtained the CE Mark for marketing in Europe and FDA approval for the US and Canada. The surgical graft treatment is currently available in accredited centres in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and the USA.
Dr. Carmelo Chines
Direttore responsabile
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