Second Sight Medical Products Inc., a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of implantable visual prosthetics to provide useful vision to blind patients, has announced market entry into Russia, implanting the first patient with the company’s Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System in Moscow. The implant was facilitated by the country’s exclusive distribution partner, Medical Equipment Trading Company. The project was initiated by the Deaf-Blind Support Foundation Connection and supported by the Art, Science and Sport Charity Foundation and the Laboratory "Sensor-Tech" from Moscow.
 
“This first implant in Russia represents an important step as we seek to expand our global presence and make the Argus II available to more blind individuals worldwide. We are excited about the long-term potential of new markets, like Russia as well as our recent entry into South Korea and Taiwan,” said Will McGuire, CEO of Second Sight.
 
The first implant in Russia was performed at the Federal State Institution & Clinical Research Center of the Federal Medico-Biological Agency (FMBA) by a surgical team at the end of June 2017 in Moscow in a 59-year-old patient with retinitis pigmentosa. Dr. Paulo Stanga, ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, United Kingdom, proctored the surgery.
 
Second Sight's Argus II System provides electrical stimulation that bypasses the defunct retinal cells and stimulates remaining viable cells inducing visual perception in individuals with severe to profound Retinitis Pigmentosa. The Argus II works by converting images captured by a miniature video camera mounted on the patient's glasses into a series of small electrical pulses, which are transmitted wirelessly to an array of electrodes implanted on the surface of the retina. These pulses stimulate the retina's remaining cells, intending to result in the perception of patterns of light in the brain. The patient must learn to interpret these visual patterns, having the potential to regain some visual function. The Argus II was the first artificial retina to receive widespread approval, and is offered at approved centers in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.
 
Second Sight develops, manufactures and markets implantable visual prosthetics, namely the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System. Second Sight is currently conducting a trial to test the safety and utility of the Argus II in individuals with dry age-related macular degeneration. Second Sight is also developing the Orion I Visual Cortical Prosthesis that is intended to restore some vision to individuals who are blind due to many causes other than preventable or treatable conditions. The company's U.S. headquarters ise in Sylmar, Calif., and its European base is located in Lausanne, Switzerland.