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AMD under the Telescope
A tiny telescope device which is implanted into the eye
to restore sight has been approved for use in the USA. The
first-of-its-kind Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) is designed
to improve the vision of patients with end-stage age-related
macular degeneration.
Replacing the patient's natural lens, the device improves visual
acuity and reduces the impact of the blind spot in the patient's
central vision which is caused by advanced AMD. Once implanted the
telescope works by enlarging images in front of the eye by more
than twice their normal size.
The device is designed for use on patients 75-years-old and over
who have stable vision impairment that is classed as severe to
profound.
The IMT is implanted behind the iris in one eye during a brief
outpatient surgical procedure. The other eye is left without an
implant so that peripheral vision is retained for safe mobility and
navigation
Invented by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz, the IMT underwent clinical
investigation in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere, which reported
that 75% of patients vision improved from severe or profound
impairment to moderate. Developers of the telescope,
California-based VisionCare will carry out two further studies on
the device. The first monitoring existing patients and the second
on 770 new patients for five-years after implanting.