Visual prosthetic device for bilateral end-stage macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the USA. For the 1.8 million patients in the most advanced stages, there are currently no available treatments to improve vision. A visual prosthetic device that provides one eye with an enlarged retinal image of the central visual field has been developed with the goal of improving central vision in patients with bilateral end-stage macular degeneration. The other eye is left unimplanted to provide peripheral vision. This device is designed for implantation in the posterior chamber of the eye during an outpatient surgical procedure. In US Food and Drug Administration clinical trials, 72% of patients experienced an improvement in their level of visual impairment (profound or severe, to severe or moderate). This was accompanied by a clinically significant improvement in quality of life.