A miniature telescope implant, demonstrated to improve vision and quality of life for suitable individuals affected by end stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Developed by VisionCare, the device is approved for implant in patients in Australia who are 55 years and older with bilateral moderate to profound central vision impairment due to AMD.
In the United States, the telescope implant is part of the CentraSight treatment program, which is for people 65 years and older diagnosed with end stage AMD who meet specific eye health and vision requirements, and for whom common treatments such as glasses, vitamins, drugs, or cataract surgery will not lead to vision improvement.
The telescope implant is contraindicated in patients with previous intraocular or corneal surgery of any kind in the operative eye, including cataract surgery. The telescope implant, which is about the size of a pea, is implanted inside one eye, behind the iris from where it projects images in the patient’s field of view onto healthy areas of their central retina outside of the degenerated macula. The image is enlarged (2.2X or 2.7X), reducing the effect the blind spot has on central vision. The remaining eye is left unaided for peripheral vision.
VisionCare is conducting a clinical investigation in the US to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of exchanging a previously implanted IOL with the telescope implant.
