Chapter 6: Additional Information
Page 98
These therapists found that 20 of the 26
participating subjects received benefit from the
Argus II System, while the remaining 6 subjects
were not getting benefit from the system.
Conclusions
The results of this clinical study showed that the
probable benefits of the Argus II System are
greater than its risks for patients with loss of vision
due to retinitis pigmentosa.
Information about Retinitis Pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an eye disease, which
causes damage to the retina. This damage results
in a loss of vision. The retina is the layer of tissue
at the back of the inside of the eye. The cells in
the retina convert light into signals to nerve cells,
which send signals to the brain. The brain then
tells us what we see. The disease is named for the
dark deposits which appear in the retina.
RP can be caused by a genetic defect, which will
cause it to run in families. Early symptoms of the
disease often are first experienced in childhood
(loss of the ability to see at night or in very low
light). Later the disease may lead to blurring of
vision, tunnel vision, loss of central vision or loss
of the ability to see colors. In many cases, these
severe vision problems do not occur until early
adulthood. In advanced stages of the disease, RP
