Three patients in Italy have been successfully implanted with SING IMT, an implantable miniature telescope that improves vision in late-stage age-related macular degeneration, according to a press release from Samsara Vision.
How long is the surgical procedure?
The Smaller-Incision New-Generation Implantable Miniature Telescope, or SING IMT, is a Galilean telescope device implanted during routine outpatient cataract surgery.
Do patients see right away after surgery?
After the procedure, patients work with occupational therapists and low vision specialists to learn how to use their vision.
Is the device approved in North America?
The device has been approved for use in patients with late-stage AMD in CE referenced countries. It is not approved by the FDA for use in the U.S.
“It is incredibly exciting to introduce the SING IMT as a treatment option to patients in Italy whose vision has been severely compromised by late-stage AMD,” Stanislao Rizzo, MD, director of the ophthalmology unit at the Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Polyclinic Foundation and Ordinary of Ophthalmology Clinic at the Catholic University campus in Rome, said in the release. Rizzo performed the implantations in early February.
“We continue to be very encouraged by these data, and we look forward to showing additional OCT and BCVA data at Angiogenesis,” Lurker said.
