## Implant Restores Partial Vision in Patients wiht advanced Macular Degeneration: A “Milestone โin Treatment”
A groundbreaking clinicalโ study conducted at Moorfields Eyeโฃ Hospitalโ inโ Londonโ has demonstrated notable improvements in vision for individuals suffering from โadvanced dryโ age-related macular degenerationโฃ (AMD). The results, published in the “new Englandโฃ Journal of Medicine” (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2501396?query=featured_home), represent a “real paradigm shift” in treating this leading cause of severe visual impairment in people overโ 50.
Age-related macular degeneration involves the death of retinal cells responsible for converting light into electrical impulses. The condition manifests in two forms: โคslowly progressing dry AMD and the more rapidlyโข vision-threatening wet AMD,wich can be treated with injections.This new implant is specifically designed for patients with advanced dry AMD and loss of โcentral vision.
The study involved a total of 38 patients across 17 clinics in fiveโ countries, all experiencing advanced vision loss due โคto AMD. “These patients โฃwere blind to faces, letters, their environment. Now they โฃcan useโ their vision again,” explained Mahi Muquit, seniorโ eye surgeon at Moorfields Clinic.
The implant,originating fromโ research at Stanford University in โฃthe โฃUSA,is remarkably small – just two by two millimeters andโ 30โ micrometers thick.During a โขmicrosurgical procedure lasting less than two hours,doctors placed the chip under the patient’sโฃ retina,effectively replacing the function of the degenerated photoreceptors.โข
The โwireless implant connects โto the video camera of augmented reality glasses. These โฃglasses transmit infrared signals to the chip, activating healthy nerve cells in โthe retina. โThe optic nerveโ then relays this signal to the brain, โขinterpreting it as โฃan image. Following the implantation, โคparticipants underwent a period of vision training.
The results are highly promising.โ Researchers report that over โฃ80 percent of participants showed significant improvements in visual acuity.โข Moreover, more than 84 percent were able to recognize letters โand numbers again after the implantation. โ “While previous therapies usually only slowโ down โขthe progression ofโข theโ disease, โthis approach allowsโ partial restoration of vision for the first time,” stated retinal surgeonโ muquit.Prof. Frank Holz, firstโฃ author of the study and director of the eye clinicโ at the University Hospital of โBonn, emphasized the importance of the findings. “These results mark a milestoneโค in the treatment of geographic atrophy. Forโข theโ first time, it has been possible to partially regain central visual functions in advanced โขAMD,” he said, adding โฃthat the technology opens a “new viewpoint” for many affected individuals.
An independent data โmonitoring committee has recommendedโ approval of the technology forโ the European market. Researchers are currently focused on refining image processing and improving the comfort of the device.