Italian Patients Receive Samsara Vision’s SING IMT, a New Technology for Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Samsara Vision announced the first three successful clinical cases in Italy using its SING IMT (Smaller-Incision New-Generation Implantable Miniature Telescope) for people living with late-stage, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The SING IMT was successfully implanted in patients in early February by Professor Stanislao Rizzo, director of the Ophthalmology Unit of the Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Polyclinic Foundation and Ordinary of Ophthalmology Clinic at the Catholic University campus in Rome.
Nearly invisible inside the eye, the SING IMT is a Galilean telescope implant designed to improve visual acuity and quality of life for patients with late-stage AMD. Comprised of ultra-precise micro-optics, the SING IMT is implanted during typical, out-patient cataract surgery. After recovering from surgery, the patients work closely with a low vision specialist and occupational therapists to learn how to use their new vision, often practicing with exercises designed with their specific vision goals in mind. Images seen in “straight-ahead” vision are magnified 2.7x and projected onto healthy, undamaged areas of the macula in the back of the eye, reducing the impact of the AMD “blind spot” in central vision and allowing patients to see images that may have been unrecognizable before.
“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. Macular degeneration not only robs people of their vision, but of their independence as they have to rely on others to read to them or describe what is right in front of them. It can be isolating,” Professor Rizzo said in a company news releae. “It’s a privilege to offer my patients high quality care and access to the most advanced treatment options. I’m hopeful that these first three patients are just the first of many who will experience improved vision and then reconnect to the people and activities that they enjoy.”
The SING IMT is approved for late-stage AMD patients who are 55 years of age or older in CE Referenced Countries and is not currently FDA approved in the United States. To learn more about SING IMT, visit http://singimt.samsaravision.com