Why did the maker of Argus II turn to an implant on the visual cortex? · Grey Matter

Argus II only works when the retina's output cells and the optic nerve survive, which limits it to diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa that kill the photoreceptors alone.

Why did the maker of Argus II turn to an implant on the visual cortex?

Argus II only works when the retina's output cells and the optic nerve survive, which limits it to diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa that kill the photoreceptors alone. An implant on the visual cortex skips the eye and the nerve altogether, so it could serve people blinded by glaucoma, injury or optic nerve damage. Second Sight's Orion put 60 electrodes on the inner surface of the occipital lobe, was first implanted in January 2018 and reached six people in a feasibility study, and in 2019 the company stopped making Argus II to concentrate on it.