The Boston Retinal Implant Project
In the 1980s, Dr. Joseph Rizzo and Professor John Wyatt initiated a collaboration between the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary-Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As the project grew in size and scope, the Department of Veterans Affairs established the Center for Innovative Visual Rehabilitation (CIVR) at the Boston VA Hospital in Jamaica Plain to centralize the research and development effort.
The goal of the Boston Retinal Implant Project is to develop a microelectronic retinal implant to restore vision to patients with age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Our implant design has unique features that improve its safety, function and performance. We are currently testing our implant design and as of yet, it is not commercially available.