First Implantable Miniature Telescope (VisionCare) used for patient with AMD

The first patient has received the FDA-approved Implantable Miniature Telescope, a visual prosthetic device from VisionCare, indicated to improve vision in patients with end-stage Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The IMT was approved by the FDA in July 2010 and this first procedure marks the launch of VisionCare's CentraSight treatment program, a new patient care program utilizing the first-of-kind telescope implant for treating patients. The telescope implant is designed to improve visual acuity. The magnification provided by the implant reduces the impact of the blind spot caused by end-stage AMD. End-stage AMD causes severe to profound central vision loss in both eyes due to either wet AMD that has progressed to scarring of the macula despite drug treatments, or dry AMD that has progressed to geographic atrophy, the most advanced form of dry AMD. Smaller than a pea, the telescope is implanted in one eye in an outpatient surgical procedure. In the implanted eye, the device renders enlarged central vision images over a wide area of the retina to improve central vision, while the non-operated eye provides peripheral vision for mobility and orientation. The IMT is indicated for monocular implantation to improve vision in patients greater than or equal to 75 years of age with stable severe to profound vision impairment caused by bilateral central scotomas associated with end-stage AMD.