VisionCare (Saratoga, Calif.) recently announced that it has received regulatory approval from the Australian Department of Health Therapeutic Goods Administration for its Implantable Miniature Telescope.
The miniature telescope is designed to improve the visual acuity in patients who are 55 years or older and have bilateral moderate to profound central vision impairment because of age-related macular degeneration. It is a part of the company’s CentraSight treatment program, which is designed for people 65 years and older who are diagnosed with end-stage, age-related macular degeneration.
“We are excited that ophthalmologists can begin to offer the Implantable Miniature Telescope to older adults in Australia whose central vision is severely impaired by end-stage macular degeneration,” Blake Michaels, president and CEO of VisionCare, said in a press release. “The telescope implant is proven to improve vision and quality of life, and it is very gratifying to be able to offer our device and the comprehensive treatment program now to patients in this market.”
The telescope is implanted in one eye during an outpatient surgical procedure where the device renders enlarged central vision images over a wide area of the retina to improve central vision. The non-operated eye can then give peripheral vision for mobility and orientation.
