How do implantable lenses benefit patients with AMD?

The concept behind all the three implantable devices is similar. The principle is to capture the image that enters the eye before it reaches the retina and then project an enlarged image onto the retina (intraocular telescope). They mainly differ in offering different degrees of magnification and effect on peripheral vision. Additionally, one system, the IOL-VIP also tries to displace the image from the centre of the retina, enabling a healthy retinal point to be used for vision (as the natural central fixation point is damaged by the AMD process).

It is very important to understand that implantation of any of these devices does not cure the disease or alter any future progression. What it does is to enable the patient to function better with the disease, although the effects of the disease are still in the eye.

This page was last modified on Saturday, October 03, 2009