Issue 37.15
Dr. Jayson Edwards, cornea surgeon at the Zion Eye Institute in St. George, Utah, has successfully implanted a tiny telescope in a patient’s eye with end-stage, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The first Southern Utah patient and St. George resident received a telescope implant in late June. The Zion Eye Institute is the only facility in Southern Utah currently implanting the mini telescope for end-stage AMD.
More than 15 million Americans are affected by some form of AMD. The number of Americans afflicted with macular degeneration is expected to double with the rapid aging of the U.S. population.
“We know the impact the telescope technology can have on a patient’s life. After more than 5 years of researching the technology and developing our team of experts, we are excited to be able to offer this technology and be the first and only provider team in the area to help these patients improve their vision and achieve a greater quality of life,” says Dr. Jason Ahee, Executive Medical Director at the Zion Eye Institute.
The treatment program focuses on comprehensive patient care, requiring prospective patients to undergo medical, visual, and functional evaluation to determine if they may be good candidates. A unique aspect of the evaluation is the ability to simulate, prior to surgery, what a person may expect to see once the telescope is implanted to determine if the possible improvement will meet the patient’s expectations. Post-implantation, the patient will learn how to use his or her new vision in everyday activities by working with a low-vision therapy specialist.
The first-of-kind telescope implant is integral to CentraSight™, a new patient care program for treating patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration, the most advanced form of AMD and the leading cause of blindness in older Americans. The FDA-approved implant is the only medical/surgical option that improves visual acuity by reducing the impact of the central vision blind spot caused by end-stage AMD. The cost is covered by Medicare.
Smaller than a pea, the telescope implant uses micro-optical technology to magnify images which would normally be seen in one’s “straight ahead,” or central, vision. The images are magnified and projected onto the healthy portion of the retina not affected by the disease, making it possible for patients to see or discern the central vision object of interest.
Patients with end-stage AMD have a central blind spot. This vision loss makes it difficult or impossible to see faces, read, and perform everyday activities such as watching TV, preparing meals, and self-care. The telescope implant has been demonstrated in clinical trials to improve quality of life by improving patients’ vision so they can see the things that are important to them, increase their independence, and re-engage in everyday activities. It also may help patients in social settings as it may allow them to recognize faces and see the facial expressions of family and friends.
A recently published study with five-years of data demonstrates the long-term effectiveness and safety of the telescope implant for macular degeneration in patients 65 and older. The telescope implant is the only FDA-approved, Medicare-eligible device to treat the most advanced form of AMD.
The telescope implant is not a cure for end-stage AMD. As with any medical intervention, potential risks and complications exist with the telescope implant. Possible side effects include decreased vision or vision-impairing corneal swelling. The risks and benefits associated with the telescope implant are discussed in the Patient Information Booklet available at www.CentraSight.com.
About the Zion Eye Institute
Dixie Ophthalmic Specialists at Zion Eye Institute has fellowship-trained specialists to cover every area of eye care and eye surgery, including Custom LASIK, ICL, Cataract, Glaucoma, Cornea, Retina, Pediatric, and Cosmetic Eyelid surgery, for St. George, Santa Clara, and Cedar City, UT, and Mesquite, NV. Their state-of-the-art facility, the Zion Eye Institute, is southern Utah’s largest and most comprehensive eye surgery center. For more information, visit http://www.dixieos.com or call toll free: (877) 841-2020.