Another example of excellence in Italian ophthalmology.
Dr. Stanislao Rizzo, Director of the Department of Ophthalmic Surgery at the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Careggi in Florence, was awarded the title of Commendatore of the Italian Republic for being the first person in Italy to perform a retinal prosthesis implant, the so-called 'bionic eye', in 2011.
The implanted prosthesis is Argus II and was made on the basis of an innovative technology, the result of research that originated more than 20 years ago in the USA.
Dr Rizzo has performed more than 20 such implants in the last four years on patients who have been blinded by maculopathies, the most frequent form of which is Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease.
"We have had results that in some cases have even been enthusiastic," Dr Rizzo emphasised in a recent interview, "Not all patients are eligible for the surgery, but those who are implanted are followed during a customised rehabilitation course.
Dr. Carmelo Chines
Direttore responsabile
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