Patients that suffer from macular degeneration may regain their vision with the help of an implantable telescope.

Macular degeneration is a progressive disease in which a portion of the retina, called the macula, no longer functions properly. The retina, and particularly the macula, is the anatomical structure that converts light waves into electrical signals to be sent to the brain. When the macula degenerates, only the light that comes in from the peripheral vision (to non-macular areas) can be seen. External magnification devices such as contacts or glasses do not help because the macula does not function.

VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies has developed a pea-sized device that is implanted in the eye that can magnify visual information entering the eye by almost three-fold. More importantly, it takes light that comes into the eye and refracts to a place on the retina that has not been affected by the disease (a non-macular area). So instead of relying on a degenerated macula to harness and convert light information, areas of the retina that are normally used for peripheral vision are now providing sight for that eye.

The device is only implanted in one of the two eyes despite the fact that macular degeneration usually affects both eyes. The main reason for relegating treatment to one eye is that once the telescope implant isin place, the patient no longer has adequate peripheral vision in that eye. Thus peripheral vision is up to the non-treated eye. In other words, the eye with the telescope is used for central vision while the untreated eye (still with macular degeneration) supplies the patient with peripheral vision.

This device is not for everyone, at least not in this stage of development. In fact doctors that implant the devices must screen out about 80% of patients because they do not meet eligibility requirements. Patients generally must have end-stage macular degeneration and have failed other medical and surgical treatments for the disease. Also, treated patients require visual physical therapy, of sorts (low vision therapy) to be able to perform activities of daily living after implant surgery.

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Full Story: Technology Review

(via biomedengine)

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