Photovoltaic retinal prosthesis

Photovoltaic retinal prosthesis is a technology for restoring sight to blind patients suffering from degenerative retinal diseases. In retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, patients lose 'image capturing' photo-receptors, but neurons in the 'image-processing' inner retinal layers are relatively well-preserved. In this retinal prosthesis, it attempts to restore a patient's sight by electrically stimulating the surviving neurons. Photovoltaic retinal prosthesis implants are fully wireless and powered by near infrared illumination. Therefore, they do not require complex surgical methods to implant coil-decoder-cable-array systems which deliver energy to stimulating electrodes via intraocular cables, unlike other retinal implant technologies.