Optegra Eye Health Care is expanding access to a light-based treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) across five of its UK hospitals.
The provider will offer Espansione’s eye-light® treatment at centres in London, Manchester, Colchester, Bradford and Hampshire. The technology uses Light Modulation™ Low-Level Light Therapy – a form of photobiomodulation (PBM) – with the aim of supporting retinal cell function and slowing structural changes associated with dry AMD.
Unlike neovascular, or wet, AMD, for which anti-VEGF therapies are well established, treatment options for most patients with dry AMD remain limited. Management has traditionally focused on monitoring, lifestyle modification, smoking cessation and nutritional advice, although therapies for certain advanced forms of geographic atrophy have begun to emerge in some markets.
During eye-light treatment, patients wear a mask that delivers yellow light at approximately 590 nm and red light at approximately 630 nm through the closed eyelids. Both eyes are treated simultaneously during sessions lasting around 12 minutes.
Optegra cites clinical studies suggesting that PBM may produce improvements in visual function and retinal morphology in some patients with dry AMD. In one study, more than 20 percent of treated patients gained at least five letters of visual acuity after four months, while treated eyes also demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in mean drusen volume compared with sham treatment. Further research will be important in establishing the durability of these effects and identifying which patients are most likely to benefit.
“Dry AMD is the most common version of this disease, but until recently patients have only been given advice on diet and lifestyle, such as to stop smoking,” said Saruban Pasu, ophthalmic surgeon and AMD specialist at Optegra Eye Health Care. “The outcomes we are seeing with this treatment are hugely encouraging.”
The Optegra protocol comprises eight sessions over four weeks, with some patients potentially receiving a further six-session treatment cycle approximately four to six months later. The therapy is non-invasive and does not require injections, surgery or postoperative recovery.
Treatment will be available to patients aged 50 years and over with a confirmed diagnosis of dry AMD, following assessment for suitability. Patients may be referred by an optometrist or self-refer directly to Optegra.
The expansion reflects growing interest in photobiomodulation as a potential treatment approach for earlier-stage dry AMD, an area in which therapeutic options have historically been scarce.
