The newly FDA-approved Implantable Miniature Telescope IMT has the potential to improve the quality of life for a select subset of patients with age-related macular degeneration AMD. This group includes people aged 75 years and older who have stable, severe to profound vision impairment in both eyes due to end-stage AMD. Also, to be eligible for the IMT, patients cannot have had surgery to remove cataracts. Several steps should be taken before an IMT is implanted. First, patients need to receive testing with an external telescope that simulates the effect of an IMT to learn whether vision improvement would be possible and whether peripheral vision in the eye that would not have the IMT would be adequate for the patient's needs. Also, patients need to be fully informed of the risks of the procedure–most importantly the risk of corneal endothelial cell loss which may cause long term problems with corneal clarity. After surgery patients need to undergo rehabilitative vision training with a low-vision specialist to help them attain their best possible vision.
Media: Spokespeople are available to comment.
About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons—Eye M.D.s—with more than 29,000 members worldwide. Eye health care is provided by the three "O's" – opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists. It is the ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who can treat it all: eye diseases and injuries, and perform eye surgery. To find an Eye M.D. in your area, visit the Academy's Web site at www.aao.org.