Dr. Randolph Kinkade has been recently interviewed on WFSB’s
Your Health and WTNH’s Health News discussing this new technology. Dr. Kinkade, a Connecticut optometrist, is a founding
member of the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists.
About the size of an eraser tip, the Implantable
Miniature Telescope shows promise for some patients who are legal blind due to
macular degeneration. Macular
degeneration is the leading cause of permanent vision loss in older
Americans.
“I have been fitting Spectacle Miniature Telescopes in
glasses for improving eyesight for over twenty years to help patients improve
their ability to read, write and watch television”, says Dr. Kinkade. “For
certain patients we now have the ability to replace a developing cataract in
their eye with a micro-telescope that returns some very useful vision.”
The newly FDA and Medicare approved telescope is placed
in only one eye. The telescope implant
focuses and enlarged image onto healthier parts of the macula and retina at the
back of the eye. The other eye provides the
necessary peripheral or side vision for walking and performing other tasks.
Dr. Kinkade’s treatment role is with candidate selection
and determining which eye gets the implant.
He also spends considerable time with patients after surgery guiding
them to use their new vision. Dr. Mark
Milner will be doing the surgery.
“The implant is not a cure for macular degeneration, but
a rehabilitation tool to return some very important vision”, says Dr. Kinkade. “Patients will need to relearn to see and use
additional low vision aids to maximize their vision.”
For pictures of the telescopic implant, educational videos and information about the treatment program please visit www.LowVisionEyeglasses.com
·
Macular degeneration affects the macula, the
part of the retina needed for detail central vision. Patients do see things to
the side with their peripheral vision, but it is too blurry for detailed vision
like reading.
·
The first signs of macular degeneration may
include wavy lines, distortion, or blurry spots when reading.
·
There are two types of macular degeneration (wet
and dry). There is no medical treatment
for the dry form of the disease.
·
Low vision rehabilitation provides Spectacle
Miniature Telescopes and other magnification aids to help restore lost vision.
About Dr. Randolph Kinkade
Dr. Kinkade is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry Low Vision Section and a member of the Vision Rehabilitation Section of the American Optometric Association.
Dr. Kinkade has a master of public health degree (MPH) from the University of Connecticut where he concentrated his studies on the prevalence and treatment of low vision.
He has offices throughout Connecticut: Cheshire, Danbury, Farmington, Litchfield, Manchester, Norwalk and Waterford.
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