The Chicago Lighthouse is one of the official Chicagoland locations for the CentraSight Treatment Program!

The Lighthouse is thrilled to announce its participation in an exciting new treatment for end-stage age related macular degeneration (AMD).  End-stage AMD is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss and legal blindness in persons over 65.  A tiny telescope implant is now available through a treatment program that partners The Chicago Lighthouse and Rush Medical Center.

The comprehensive treatment program offers the FDA-approved Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) and visual rehabilitation to help patients maximize potential with everyday activities that have become difficult or impossible to do.  The IMT, about the size of a pea, is intended to improve distance and near vision in people who have lost central vision in both eyes because of end-Stage AMD. 

As part of the CentraSight treatment program, the telescope is implanted inside the eye to improve vision and ultimately quality of life for individuals affected with central vision loss.

Lighthouse President & Executive Director Dr. Janet Szlyk was a member of the FDA advisory panel comprised of vision experts who evaluated the technology and voted to approve this telescopic implant.  “The implanted telescope holds much promise for patients, typically elderly, who suffer from end-stage, age-related macular degeneration.  The device does not cure the disease, but it does improve visual acuity.  People can use it to recognize faces in a social setting, that’s a huge advantage,” said Dr. Szlyk in a New York Times article dated July 18, 2009.

The CentraSight treatment program involves four steps:

  1) Diagnosis
  2) Candidate Screening
  3) Implantation
  4) Rehabilitation

The Chicago Lighthouse’s Forsythe Center for Comprehensive Vision Care is part of a provider team that helps you decide if you are a potential candidate.  The Lighthouse will see patients during the Diagnosis, Screening and Rehabilitation phases, while the Rush Medical Center’s Department of Ophthalmology will perform telescopic implantation. 

If you would like more information, please visit the websites of CentraSight and Rush Medical Center or call our Low Vision Clinic Manager Diane Perski at 312-997-3685.