Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. announced that the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System was implanted in patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) in the U.S. for the first time since it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year. The first commercial implants were performed at the University of Michigan's Kellogg Eye Center by Thiran Jayasundera, MD, FRCSC, and David N. Zacks, MD, PhD. Dr. Stanislao Rizzo, Director of the University Hospital Ophthalmic Department in Pisa, Italy, the surgeon that helped launch the Argus II commercially in Europe, observed the first surgery performed.

Ultimate outcomes will not be known for some period of time until the patients go through a period of rehab to train them on using the Argus II. Kellogg Eye Center has been selected by Second Sight as a "Center of Excellence" for its cutting-edge approach to medicine and unparalleled commitment to patient care. It is one of 12 centers nationally that are currently accepting consultations for patients.