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Stargardt disease is a genetic eye disorder that causes a progressive loss of central vision.

The vision loss is concentrated in the macula, the central area of the retina responsible for high-detail vision for tasks like face recognition or reading. The symptoms are similar to age related macular degeneration, but they are caused by inherited mutation and affect people much earlier in life.

Illustration of a healthy retina showing light entering and traveling through the first two layers of the retina, getting absorbed by the third, and converted into a visual signal.
In a healthy retina, light travels past the first two layers of cells and is converted by the photoreceptors into bioelectric signals. The photoreceptors then send these signals through the retinal layers to the optic nerve, which carries them to the brain.
Illustration of a diseased retina showing light entering and traveling through the first two layers of the retina, and not producing any further signal.
In a retina affected by Stargardt, the photoreceptors have degenerated such that light is not converted into bioelectric signals but the other cells are still intact.
Illustration showing the action of the PRIMA implant as it stimulates remaining intact neurons.

Our Treatment: In clinical trials, PRIMA restored form vision in patients with Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) by replacing the function of damaged photoreceptors

Building on decades of pioneering research in miniaturized solar technology, the PRIMA system has two main parts: a small device placed under the retina where the eye's light-sensing cells have been lost; and a pair of glasses that sends both visual data and power in the form of patterned light that is projected on to the implant.

Once implanted, the PRIMA implant uses gentle electrical signals to activate healthy nerve cells in the eye. In our clinical trials for people with advanced atrophic dry age-related macular degeneration, this process enabled some patients to read sequences of letters with a clinically meaningful improvement of letter acuity.

Learn more about PRIMA

Current Status

Science's ongoing PRIMAvera clinical study in Europe is indicated for advanced atrophic dry age-related macular degeneration (GA) (NCT04676854). We are currently exploring the possibility of using the PRIMA implant with Stargardt patients.

More Resources

More information about treatment options, disease details, and current research