Dec 21, 2015 | Lorin Eleni Gill, Reporter Pacific Business News | View story on PBN
Dr. Gregg Kokame, left, of the Retina Consultants of Hawaii, Sheila Chamain, research director, center, and the patient at right.
The Eye Surgery Center of Hawaii demonstrated the success of its first retinal bionic implant this week, which restored some vision to a patient with retinal blindness.
“The patient has been training and going through rehabilitation and learning how to use it,” said Dr. Gregg Kokame of the Retina Consultants of Hawaii, who performed the Asia-Pacific region’s first implant of the Argus II artificial retina in March. “She was able to demonstrate that publicly for the first time… she was able to walk down a lighted path and turn the corner at the right time, and she can determine between light and dark colors.”
The bionic eye implantation procedure — the first retinal prosthesis approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — is for blind or nearly blind patients with hereditary degenerative eye disease.
Two bionic implants have been conducted in Hawaii so far, and multiple others are going through an approval process.
“We’re trying to make it more available in the Asia-Pacific region,” Kokame said. “[This surgery] is not available anywhere in Asia. We’re the only place in the Pacific region that does the surgery.”
The procedure involves implanting a micro electrode chip onto the retina. A camera that a patient wears on sunglasses sends impulses to the micro electrode array and is transmitted down the optic nerve to the brain.
“Medical tourism has been one of the goals of Hawaii for a long time, and this can be done right now, here in Hawaii,” Kokame added. “We’re looking forward to welcoming more visitors from Asia for this procedure.”
The Eye Surgery Center of Hawaii is part of Hawaii-based venture capital accelerator Skai Ventures.
Hank Wuh, CEO of Skai Ventures told PBN in March that the procedure will have significant “social and humanitarian impact.”
Lorin Eleni Gill covers tourism, health care, nonprofits and the University of Hawaii for Pacific Business News.