Telescopic Eyes
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness for people over age 55 in the United States. It is caused by the deterioration of the central part of the retina. For people who live with the condition, there is not a lot of good news. Doctors currently have no cure. Instead they offer a range of devices to help patients see better.
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This looks like a simple task, and it is for many, but Katherine Bretting is one of the half million people with macular degeneration.
Doctor M. Bowes hamill says the condition destroys central vision. This "A" would be invisible to someone with macular degeneration.
M. Bowes Hamill, M.D.
Ophthalmologist
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX
"It's as if you walked around with a plate in front of your face and everywhere you looked, there was that plate. You can't see around it, and it's extremely debilitating."
What allows Katherine to see these charts is this tiny device, an implantable telescope.
Katherine Bretting
Has macular degeneration
"They told me I could be able to do so many different things and I was tickled to death."
Once implanted, the telescope magnifies everything up to three times.
M. Bowes Hamill, M.D.
"All of a sudden now, enough of the A falls outside the abnormal area that the patient can read it as an A."
The success even surprised Doctor Hamill.
M. Bowes Hamill, M.D.
"There's a big step between what ought to work and what does work and Ms. Bretting certainly has given us great encouragement to keep going because she has experienced a significant improvement in her quality of life."
She's even able to go back to her hobbies. With her vision back, she can get this doll ready for the next generation.
Again, this is not a cure for macular degeneration. Instead, it is an implantable magnifying device. Right now it's designed for use in patients with the dry form of the disease. Doctors are currently enrolling 200 patients around the country at 30 research sites.
MACULAR DEGENERATION: Macular degeneration is the physical disturbance of the center of the retina called the macula. The macula, which is about the size of the capital letter "O," is the part of the retina, which is capable of our most acute and detailed vision. We use the macula for reading, driving, recognizing faces, watching television, and fine work. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of legal blindness in people over age 55. Even with a loss of central vision, however, color vision and peripheral vision may remain clear. Vision loss usually occurs gradually and typically affects both eyes at different rates.
IS THERE A CURE FOR MACULAR DEGENERATION? At this time, there is no known cure for macular degeneration. In some cases, macular degeneration may be active and then slow down considerably, or even stop progressing for many years. Today, there are ways to slow macular degeneration, depending on the type and degree of the condition. These range from nutritional intervention to laser surgery of the blood vessels. There are many low vision aids and techniques for maximizing the use of peripheral vision to help patients adapt better to their loss of central vision.
THE IMPLANTABLE TELESCOPE: VisionCare is currently evaluating the implantable miniature telescope in a Phase II/III multi-center trial in the United States. The trial is designed to establish the safety and efficacy of the implantable miniature telescope in patients with moderate to severe central vision impairment due to macular degeneration or Stargardt's disease. The study will last two years. Individuals interested in participating in the clinical trial must:
- Have bilateral (both eyes), stable, untreatable macular degeneration (AMD) or Stargardt's disease.
- Not currently have active wet AMD, not have been treated for wet AMD within the past six months, and have no other evidence of active choroidal neovascularization.
- Not have undergone previous intraocular, corneal, or refractive surgery in the eye to be implanted.
- Have no other eye disease except for well-controlled glaucoma or cataract.
- Have visual acuity no better than 20/80, but no worse than 20/630 in both eyes.
STUDY SITES:
- Tucson, AZ
- Los Altos, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Irvine, CA
- Miami, FL
- Sarasota, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Chicago, IL
- Paducah, KY
- Rockville, MD
- Boston, MA
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Royal Oak, MI
- Stillwater, MN
- Independence, MO
- Lakewood, NJ
- New York, NY
- Charlotte, NC
- Beachwood, OH
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Eugene, OR
- Philadelphia, PA
- Memphis, TN
- Nashville, TN
- Knoxville, TN
- Houston, TX
- San Antonio, TX
- Richmond, VA
- Milwaukee, WI
VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc.
Clinical Trial Info Line:
(888) 883-9500
http://www.visioncareinc.net
Copyright © 2003 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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