Two AMD patients have tiny eye telescope successfully implanted

Two patients in California have become the first to have a tiny eye telescope successfully implanted into their eyes to restore some of their central vision. Both patients had end-stage age-related macular degeneration. The 4-millimeter telescope (smaller than a pea) was implanted into the left eye of an 85-year-old woman from Irvine back in December and this past May, a 94-year-old patient had the device implanted. The telescope implant magnifies the images which would usually be seen in a person's central vision. These images are then projected onto the part of the retina that is not diseased. This allows patients to see the central vision object of interest. End-stage age-related macular degeneration is the most advanced form of AMD and is the leading cause of blindness in senior citizens in America. The telescopic implant is the only medical/surgical option that improves visual acuity by reducing the impact of the central vision blind spot which is a result of end-stage AMD.