An Ocular Implant From the Borg

In this short segment, Peter Diamandis discusses an implant designed to restore vision, focusing on a product he calls “Prima”. He says the company is run by entrepreneur Max Hodak, and identifies Hodak as a past president of Neuralink. Diamandis claims Prima has been approved for launch in Europe and characterises it as the first brain–computer interface (BCI) device approved to restore detailed vision for people with age-related macular degeneration, which damages central vision.

Diamandis offers a simplified description of how the system works: an implant placed behind the retina produces signals that are converted into electrical stimulation for remaining retinal cells, with information then travelling via the optic nerve to the visual cortex. He says the aim is to restore central vision rather than peripheral sight.

He also cites patient outcomes, claiming recipients have shown “five lines” of improvement on a standard eye chart after 12 months. Diamandis frames the technology as part of a broader trend of science-fiction-like capabilities becoming real, likening the concept to an “ocular implant from the Borg”. He argues that approaches which avoid direct brain electrode placement may be easier to scale to a mass-market medical device.

• Diamandis says Max Hodak runs a company developing a vision-restoration implant called Prima.
• He claims Prima has been approved for launch in Europe.
• Diamandis describes Prima as a BCI-style retinal implant targeting age-related macular degeneration and central vision loss.
• He says the implant stimulates remaining retinal cells, with signals transmitted via the optic nerve to the visual cortex.
• Diamandis claims patients improved by five lines on a standard eye chart after 12 months.
• He argues devices that avoid direct brain electrodes may be easier to scale commercially.