Science Corporation’s subretinal implant and specialised glasses combination, PRIMA, has been shown to provide durable, long-term gains in vision to patients with a degenerative eye condition called geographic atrophy (GA).
During the PRIMAvera study, (NCT04676854) Science evaluated PRIMA’s safety and vision-boosting potential over a 36-week period – specifically looking at its potential to improve the prosthetic sharpness and clarity of patient’s vision via their ability to read letters on a standard eye test chart.
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As per new, long-term data from the pivotal trial, the duo of devices allowed patients to see an average of 29 more letters, representing nearly six lines, on an eye test chart at the 36-month mark – a marked improvement from the 24.5 letter average at 12 months. Meanwhile, 14 out of the 18 efficacy-evaluable patients achieved improvements of at least 15 letters on an eye test chart at 36 months, while their existing natural vision remained stable.
On top of PRIMA’s promising efficacy profile, researchers observed no new safety signals linked to the device combination between the 12 and 36-month timepoints, with serious adverse events (AEs) primarily occurring in the first six months post-surgery. While three AEs did occur 12 months after insertion, none of these were attributed to PRIMA alone.
Science first presented these data at the EURETINA Congress of European retina specialists in Vienna Austria, which was held between 1 and 4 October 2026.
Science Corporation eyes PRIMA US market debut
The results of the PRIMAvera study will be welcome news for the neural engineering company, which is currently awaiting a potential approval from US regulators following the device’s debut on the British and European markets – where it is indicated specifically for patients with GA linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Science designed PRIMA as a surgically implanted device that sits behind the retina within the region that has degenerated due to GA. By combining it with specialised glasses, which project near-infrared light to the implant, PRIMA offers patients the ability to magnify letters via its ability to mimic the activity of photoreceptors, while stimulating the remaining cells to carry visual signals to the brain.
Science debuts this data as between five to eight million people worldwide live with GA, a severe form of AMD that can cause severe central vision loss in affected patients.
Currently, Science is the first to debut a device of this kind for GA, though fellow ophthalmology-focused medtech company, LumiThera has received an authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Valeda Light Delivery System, which harnesses multi-wavelength LED lights to stimulate cellular function and promote tissue repair.
Currently, GlobalData forecasts that the global ophthalmic devices market will balloon at a compound annual growth rate of 4.7% to just shy of $15bn in value by 2035.
