Scientists Develop Implantable Telescope

Researchers are exploring the use of an implantable miniature telescope for use in end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) is designed to be a permanent solution for moderate to profound vision loss due to advanced, end-stage forms of AMD that have no current surgical or medical treatment options. Smaller than a pea, the telescope prosthetic device 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.

A prospective, multi-center phase II/III trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the IMT in individuals with moderate to profound bilateral central vision impairment enrolled over 200 patients at 28 leading medical universities and ophthalmic centers across the United States. The IMT was invented by VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies (Saratoga, CA, USA). VisionCare has filed a pre-market approval (PMA) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the telescope prosthesis. The surgical procedure for implantation of the IMT was developed at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI; Boston, USA; www.meei.harvard.edu), and was described in the August 2007 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

"What the telescope does is by enlarging the image the patient image is looking at, it allows them to see around these scotoma, or holes in their vision,” said lead author Kathryn Colby, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Joint Clinical Research Center (JCRC) at the MEEI.

Age-related macular degeneration is a group of conditions that include deterioration of the macula, resulting in loss of sharp central vision. Two general types: dry, which is more common, and wet, in which abnormal new blood vessels grow under the retina and leak fluid and blood (neovascularization), further disturbing macular function. AMD is the most common cause of decreased vision after age 60.


Related Links:
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies