Payments Will Facilitate Beneficiary Access to Argus II in both Inpatient and Outpatient Settings

 Sylmar, CA- August 15, 2013—Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. today announced that The Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System (Argus II) has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) beginning October 1, 2013.  These payments are designed to support timely access to innovative technologies for Medicare beneficiaries.

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. The Argus II, which received FDA approval earlier this year under a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) following European approval (CE Mark) in 2011, is intended to help the most severely affected RP patients. In the US this includes patients with bare light perception or worse vision.
For more information:
ABC News story
UK patient testimonial
Argus II animation