The High-Acuity device aims to provide functional central vision to the user, to assist with tasks such as face-recognition and reading large print.

  • The implant will have an electrode array with up to 1024 stimulating electrodes to perceive more detailed vision.
  • We are using diamond materials to form the electrode array and to seal the implant. Diamond is a very biocompatible because it is an inert material. which means that surrounding tissues will not be irritated by the implant. This means that the implant will be safe to stay in the body for the lifetime of the patient.
  • The first set of patient tests in 2014 will use a completely wired device. In the next stage of testing, we aim to use a device with only some wiring, working towards a totally wireless system in the final stage, where both data and power will be transferred wirelessly to the implant.

We expect patients to be able to recognise faces and read large print. The first patients for the High-Acuity device will be people with retinitis pigmentosa, and we are aiming to develop the technology so it will be suitable for people with age-related macular degeneration.


A diagram showing the high-acuity device, which consists of a camera mounted on a pair of glasses which wirelessly transmits data to the retinal implant and the processor which stimulate the retina. Electrical signals are sent from the retina via the visual pathway to vision processing centres in the brain.