Vistar Patient First in Southwest VA to Receive Telescope Implant 

Vistar Eye Center’s Stuart Tims, M.D. has successfully performed the first telescope implant procedure for a patient with End-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in this region.

The FDA-approved implant is the only surgical option that improves visual sharpness by reducing the impact of the central vision blind spot caused by End-stage AMD.

The first-of-kind telescope implant is integral to CentraSight, a new patient care program for treating patients with End-stage AMD, the most advanced form of AMD and the leading cause of blindness in older Americans.

“We are very excited to have a new surgical treatment to offer certain patients that are legally blind from macular degeneration,” said Stuart Tims, M.D., cornea surgeon at Vistar Eye Center.  “In the case of Ms. Patricia Maggard, the telescope implant procedure was done in conjunction with her cataract surgery. The lens provides magnification that will allow her to see more central detail such as faces, books, and the TV screen.”

Smaller than a pea, the telescope implant uses micro-optical technology to magnify images which would normally be seen in one’s “straight ahead” or central vision. The images are projected onto the healthy portion of the retina not affected by the disease, making it possible for patients to see or discern the central vision object of interest.

“There are many criteria that have to be met in order for a patient to benefit from the device, including no prior cataract surgery and an otherwise healthy eye,” said Dr. Tims.  “But for the right patients who are motivated to go through the surgical and vision training process, it can be life changing.”