New treatment helps AMD sufferers to see again

Image source: National Eye Institute

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of impaired sight in people over age 65. A progressive disorder, AMD results in the loss of central vision, fine detail and colour in the part of the eye which is essential for reading, driving, watching television, recognizing people and performing fine tasks.

A revolutionary new treatment to improve vision in people with macular disease is to be offered at St.Anthony’s by Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon Mr. Will Ayliffe. The pioneering treatment developed by a team in Milan is primarily suitable for patients with the dry version of Age-related Macular disease (AMD). This disease which affects cells in the retina at the back of the eye causes a loss of central vision. The new procedure, known as IOL-VIP (Intraocular Lens for Visually Impaired People) places two lenses in the eye: one is a concave lens placed in the capsule at the front of the eye as in standard cataract surgery, while the second, a convex lens, sits behind it in front of the iris. The effect is to create a telescope which provides a magnification of 1.3 but more importantly, by rotating the lenses relative to each other, images can be focused on to a functioning part of the retina.

Patients are assessed on a simulator using customized software to map the preferred areas of the retina. This allows the patient to experience the potential improvement in vision before the operation. The IOL-VIP procedure is not suitable for everyone; patients with glaucoma are excluded and certain other groups. Patients with moderate visual loss are most likely to benefit.

After detailed assessment, a YAG laser iridotomy is performed a few days before surgery. This creates a small opening in the iris. The surgery is usually done under local anaesthetic as a daycase procedure and post-operative care is the same as for cataract surgery. Risks are broadly similar to those of cataract surgery.

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