Some of the most common symptoms of the disease are poor night vision and the loss of peripheral (side) vision. Currently there is no treatment to cure RP. A recent study by NEI-funded researchers showed that gene therapy can help preserve vision in late stage retinitis pigmentosa using canine models. Gene therapy halted the thinning of the retinal layer where photoreceptors are located and preserved the surviving photoreceptors. Research is still on going. NEI help fund the first retinal implant device called Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, developed in 2011 by Second Sight Inc. to treat people who have retinitis pigmentosa. Argus II is a camera that is mounted on eyeglasses. The image is captured through the camera and processed by the video processing unit that transmits electrical pulse images to the retinal prosthesis through eyeglasses. This helps people with retinitis pigmentosa potentially move around and be independent. The NEI, Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) provided the support for the development of Argus II. Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is an inherited disorder that causes vision loss. NEI-funded scientists discovered that treating patients with gene therapy for Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) may improve eyesight and sensitivity of the retina. Some people with LCA have a mutated gene RPE65 that makes a protein found in the retinal pigment epithelium, which is a layer of cells that nourishes the light sensors or photoreceptors cells of the retina. LCA patients with this form of the disease were injected with an altered healthy RPE65 genes. Within days of the treatment, they reported increases in the ability to see dim light.