Implant improves vision for sufferers of macular degeneration
16 April 2013
Physicians at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Centre have successfully implanted a telescope in a patient’s eye to treat macular degeneration.
Implantable telescope technology reduces the impact of the central vision blind spot due to End-Stage AMD
The telescope implant is designed to correct end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most advanced form of AMD and the leading cause of blindness in older people.
Smaller than a pea, the telescope implant uses wide-angle micro-optics to improve vision for patients with End-Stage AMD
Patients with end-stage AMD have a central blind spot. This vision loss makes it difficult or impossible to see faces, to read and to perform everyday activities such as watching television, preparing meals and self-care.
Dr William Benson, a cornea specialist and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the VCU School of Medicine, performed the procedure.
Smaller than a pea, the telescope implant uses micro-optical technology to magnify images that would normally be seen in 'straight ahead' or central vision.
The images are projected onto the healthy portion of the retina not affected by the disease, making it possible for patients to see or discern the central vision object of interest.
The Implantable Miniature Telescope (By Dr Isaac Lipshitz) is a product of VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc.