IOLVIP
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The Intraocular Lens for Visually Impaired Patients (IOLVIP or IOL-VIP) is an intraocular lens system aiming to treat patients with poor central vision due to age related macular degeneration. The IOLVIP procedure involves the surgical implantation of a pair of lenses that magnify and divert the image using the principals of the Galilean telescope[1]. By arranging the lenses it is possible to direct the image to a different part of the eye than the fovea, which is the centre of the macula and is usually used for detailed vision. The magnified image is projected on to a part of the eye not normally used for detailed vision. Magnification and patient training are both necessary to allow useful vision from this part of the retina.
It is a procedure to give symptomatic relief rather than treat disease and is best understood as an implanted miniature telescope[2].
The procedure was pioneered in Italy and has since been taken to the UK and USA. It should not be used in anyone with active (that is changing) macular degeneration[3]. It can be used in both "burned out" wet macular degeneration and in dry or atrophic macular degeneration. A telescopic simulator can be used to assess whether the surgery might be helpful, and to establish the best rotation for the two lenses[4].
There are few clinical studies on this or related systems[5].
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />External links
- LensSpecial, the manufacturers of the IOLVIP lens (Italian)
- About macular degeneration (from BrendanMoriarty.com)
- IOLVIP procedure page (from BrendanMoriarty.com)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IOLVIP.svg
