SYLMAR, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., the leading developer of retinal prostheses for the blind, today announced that the company has been selected as a 2014 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum.
Technology Pioneers are a part of the World Economic Forum’s community of pioneers, disruptors and innovators. Among the criteria for a Technology Pioneer are visionary leadership and the potential to transform the future of business and society.
The award follows the launch of the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, the world’s first approved device intended to restore some functional vision for people suffering from blindness due to outer retinal degenerations. The Argus II has been approved for market distribution in both Europe and the U.S.
“We are honored and humbled to be named alongside such prominent, world-class innovators as a 2014 Technology Pioneer,” said Robert Greenberg, MD PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer at Second Sight. “At Second Sight, this recognition by the World Economic Forum has validated our commitment to providing state-of-the-art technology to patients suffering from retinitis pigmentosa and other forms of vision loss.”
Each year the World Economic Forum chooses a select number of Technology Pioneers from hundreds of applicants. Candidate companies are nominated by Members, constituents and collaborators of the World Economic Forum, and by the public. A selection committee, comprised of top technology and innovation experts, academics and venture capitalists, reviews all the applications before making its recommendation to the World Economic Forum.
About the Argus II System
The Argus II System works by converting video images captured by a miniature camera housed in the patient’s glasses into a series of small electrical pulses that are transmitted wirelessly to an array of electrodes on the surface of the retina. These pulses are intended to stimulate the retina’s remaining cells resulting in the corresponding perception of patterns of light in the brain. The patient then learns to interpret these visual patterns thereby regaining some visual function. Second Sight gained European approval (CE Mark) for the system in 2011 and FDA approval in 2013. It is the first approved retinal prosthesis anywhere in the world, and the only such device approved in the USA.
About Second Sight
Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., located in Los Angeles, California, was founded in 1998 to create a retinal prosthesis to provide sight to patients blinded from outer retinal degenerations such as retinitis pigmentosa. Through dedication and innovation, Second Sight's mission is to develop, manufacture and market implantable visual prosthetics to enable blind individuals to achieve greater independence. US Headquarters are in Sylmar, CA, and European Headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. For more information, visit www.2-sight.com.