title: Worldwide Argus II implantation: recommendations to optimize patient outcomes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A position paper based on the collective experiences of Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System investigators to review strategies to optimize outcomes in patients with retinitis pigmentosa undergoing retinal prosthesis implantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retinal surgeons, device programmers, and rehabilitation specialists from Europe, Canada, Middle East, and the United States were convened to the first international Argus II Investigator Meeting held in Ann Arbor, MI in March 2015. The recommendations from the collective experiences were collected. Factors associated with successful outcomes were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Factors leading to successful outcomes begin with appropriate patient selection, expectation counseling, and preoperative retinal assessment. Challenges to surgical implantation include presence of staphyloma and inadequate Tenon's capsule or conjunctiva. Modified surgical technique may reduce risks of complications such as hypotony and conjunctival erosion. Rehabilitation efforts and correlation with validated outcome measures following implantation are critical.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bringing together Argus II investigators allowed the identification of strategies to optimize patient outcomes. Establishing an on-line collaborative network will foster coordinated research efforts to advance outcome assessment and rehabilitation strategies.
authors.affiliation: Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Devon H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Ghodasra
authors.affiliation: Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Adrienne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: J Fernando
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Arevalo
authors.affiliation: Retina Foundation of the Southwest, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Birch
authors.affiliation: Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Branham
authors.affiliation: Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., Sylmar, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coley
authors.affiliation: Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Gislin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dagnelie
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Juan
authors.affiliation: The University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Devenyi
authors.affiliation: Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., Sylmar, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jessy D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Dorn
authors.affiliation: Focal Point, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Duane R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Geruschat
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Ninel Z
authors.initials: NZ
authors.lastname: Gregori
authors.affiliation: Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., Sylmar, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.affiliation: Duke University Eye Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.affiliation: Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Allen C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Howson
authors.affiliation: Retina Center of Ohio, South Euclid, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Suber S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iezzi
authors.affiliation: Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Naheed
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Byron L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois at Chicago Eye and Ear Infirmary, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Retina Foundation of the Southwest, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Kirsten G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Locke
authors.affiliation: Private Practice, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Markowitz
authors.affiliation: Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., Sylmar, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ripley
authors.affiliation: Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rankin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schimitzek
authors.affiliation: Duke University Eye Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Fay
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tripp
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Weiland
authors.affiliation: Emory Eye Center, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Jiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Zacks
authors.affiliation: Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. thiran@umich.edu.
authors.forename: K Thiran
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Jayasundera
mesh_terms: D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D018579:Patient Selection; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods; D012174:Retinitis Pigmentosa / Q000601:surgery*; D057488:Visual Prosthesis