NANO RETINA

Nano Retina, a joint venture of Zyvex Labs (www.zyvexlabs.com), and Rainbow Medical (www.rainbowmedical.co.il), is developing Bio-Retina, a bionic retina designed to restore sight to those suffering from retinal degenerative diseases. Bio-Retina incorporates various nano-size components in one tiny, flat implant, approximating the size of a child’s fingernail bed. Its simple 30-minute implant procedure requires local anesthesia, a small incision and “gluing” of the device to the damaged retina. Return of sight is anticipated to be instantaneous: 20/200 with the first generation and 20/20 with the second generation product, enabling persons who have undergone the procedure to watch TV and identify faces. Recovery time is estimated at up to one week.