Tiny telescope implant in eye helps treat macular degeneration

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/09/12/168141/tiny-telescope-implant-in-eye.html?storylink=MI_emailed

Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Cynthia H. Craft | The Sacramento Bee

UC Davis Eye Center surgeons on Tuesday unveiled a new, bionic tool for treating macular degeneration: a miniature telescope, smaller than a pea, that is implanted directly into the eye.

The mini-telescopic device is barely detectable, but a close look at a patient with the implant reveals a slightly luminescent spot where the pupil would be.

That shiny, albeit foggy-looking, lens holds a world of promise for patients with end-stage macular degeneration, a retinal disorder that limits vision to a cloudy warp of reality.

Advanced macular degeneration affects 2 million people in the United States, with 500,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The genetic disease is the leading cause of legal blindness nationwide in adults 60 and older.

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Until now, Li said, end-stage patients with the so-called dry form of macular degeneration have had no lasting medical or surgical treatment available. Often they've had to rely on hand-held magnifiers and bulky telescopes attached to glasses, increasing the chance of an accident or fall.

The miniature telescope is the first medical device to be implanted inside the eye, said a spokeswoman for VisionCare, the California firm that manufactures the device.

It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010, and VisionCare is working with UC Davis in a partnership that allows UCD's eye center to be among the first in the nation to begin implanting the devices. The product is priced at $15,250, VisionCare's spokeswoman said, and Medicare has said it will cover the cost.

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The procedure currently is available for those 75 and older. As the FDA continues to monitor results, the age limit may relax, allowing younger baby boomers to participate, the surgeons said.