Science Corporation Implants Vision-Restoring Chip in First Stargardt Disease Patient

Science Corporation successfully implanted its PRIMA vision-restoring chip in its first patient with Stargardt disease at Sydney Eye Hospital in Australia in May 2026. The company announced the results in October 2026.

Stargardt disease is an inherited condition that causes progressive vision loss, affecting approximately 150,000 people worldwide. There is currently no cure.

The PRIMA device measures two millimeters by two millimeters and is surgically placed at the back of the eye to serve as an artificial photoreceptor, replacing light-sensing cells that have degenerated. Patients wear camera-equipped glasses that transmit visual data to the implant, which converts the input into electrical signals for the brain.

The first patient was able to recognize a letter during his first rehabilitation session and successfully read a word by the second session. The vision provided by the current device is high-contrast, black-and-white, and sharp, though limited in field of view. CEO Max Hodak described it as looking through a straw.

Science Corporation, founded by former Neuralink president Max Hodak, already has the PRIMA system commercially available in Europe for geographic atrophy related to macular degeneration. The Stargardt application represents its first clinical use for that specific condition.

The company achieved a $1.5 billion valuation following a $230 million Series C funding round in March 2026. It is working on a next-generation device expected to enter human testing by 2027, with goals to increase the field of view and reduce electrode size.

Hodak aims to achieve near-native visual acuity within approximately five years. The company views the retina as part of the central nervous system and treats PRIMA as a step toward broader brain-computer interface applications, including potential treatments for stroke and neurodegenerative diseases.