Safety And Efficacy Of The Smaller-Incision New-Generation Implantable Miniature Telescope (Sing Imt) For End-Stage Age-Related Macular Degeneration

To report the safety and efficacy of Smaller-Incision New Generation Implantable Miniature Telescope (SING IMT) implantation for end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Ophthalmology Unit, S. Anna University Hospital, University of Ferrara, Italy.

This retrospective single-surgeon interventional case series included 12 eyes of 12 patients with late-stage AMD who underwent cataract surgery and SING IMT implantation. Following standard phacoemulsification, a superior 8-mm sclerocorneal incision was created and the SING IMT was implanted in the capsular bag using the preloaded delivery system. All patients were evaluated preoperatively, 1 and 3 months after surgery. Outcomes measures were corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) (ETDRS letters), endothelial cell count, corneal astigmatism and rate of complications.

12 patients (5 males and 7 females; mean age 76.8 ± 9.3 years) with bilateral geographic atrophy were included. The surgery was uneventful in all cases. CDVA was 17.1±10.6 letters before surgery, and significantly improved to 22.1±4.4 letters at 1 month (P = 0.033) and 25.1±4.8 letters at 3 months (P = 0.014). Mean endothelial cell loss was 6.0% at 1 month and 6.3% at 3 months. 1 month after surgery, 2 patients (16.7%) had high corneal astigmatism (> 4.5 D), while no cases of high astigmatism were recorded at 3 months following complete suture removal. Postoperative complications included iris incarceration in 1 patient (8.3%), pigment deposition on the device in 1 patient (8.3%), transient corneal edema in 3 patients (25.0%).

SING IMT implantation is effective in improving visual acuity in eyes with end-stage AMD. The procedure is associated with low rates of postoperative complications, with an endothelial cell loss comparable to that of standard phacoemulsification.