Neuralink Lists Blindsight Vision Study as Upcoming Trial

Neuralink’s Blindsight vision-restoration study is listed as an upcoming trial, and the company’s page does not list an active human trial, leaving the program’s clinical timing unspecified.

Neuralink founder Elon Musk estimated in June 2025 that the company would perform its first vision implants within six to 12 months. “In the next 6 to 12 months, we'll be doing our first implants for vision,” Musk said. The estimate’s outer end fell around June 2026.

On Jan. 28, 2026, Musk wrote that Neuralink was ready for its first Blindsight implant “pending regulatory approval.” He described the effort as intended to help people with complete vision loss see at low resolution initially, with higher resolution over time. His post gave no new implant date.

Neuralink’s public clinical-trials page lists studies for computer control, robotic-arm control and speech decoding as active. It labels the vision-restoration study as upcoming and describes an implant in a blind domestic cat named Kaya as a preclinical milestone. The page does not list an active human Blindsight trial.

Neuralink announced Sept. 17, 2024, that Blindsight had received Breakthrough Device Designation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The program gives developers access to FDA experts and prioritized review of future submissions. The designation does not authorize marketing, and devices still must meet the agency’s safety and effectiveness standards before they can be marketed.

The company’s trial listing identifies the vision study’s current status, while Musk’s January update describes readiness conditional on regulatory approval. Neither provides a date for a human Blindsight trial or first implant.