Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc has signed an agreement with Tel Aviv-based Notal Vision Ltd for worldwide distribution rights for a novel new perimetry device for the detection and management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Carl Zeiss Meditec plans to introduce the product in the United States this fall and in Europe and Asia sometime afterwards.

AMD affects more than eight million Americans, making it the most common cause of severe, irreversible vision loss among people age 50 and older in the United States. In a clinical study filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the new device was shown to be more than twice as likely to detect the presence of AMD than the current standard diagnostic. The impressive results have led researchers to believe that treatment for AMD could be initiated earlier than is currently possible.

According to Neil Bressler, James P. Gills Professor of Ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and co-author of the clinical study, "Since the vision outcomes following treatments for AMD are more likely to result in a better level of visual acuity when the treatments are applied at an earlier stage -- before visual acuity has become too poor and before a neovascular lesion has become too large - prompt detection of AMD features that would benefit from treatment should reduce the magnitude of vision loss from this major public health problem." Dr. Bressler is a pioneer in the development of new treatments for AMD, chairing trials evaluating photodynamic therapy and other interventions.

The current standard for detecting changes in the retina from AMD is the Amsler grid, which is simply a pattern of intersecting straight lines that form perfect squares. The patient focuses on a large dot in the middle of the grid and notes any areas where the lines appear to be broken, blurry or wavy. Patients are tested over a period of time to detect changes in their vision.

However, one of the problems with the Amsler grid is that the results are based solely on a patient's perception which often does not detect physical abnormalities on the retina caused by AMD. In addition, the "self-test" nature of the Amsler grid may miss subtle changes in the patient's sight, potentially causing critical delays in the start of therapy. The new technology, developed by Notal Vision, employs a concept known as hyperacuity to painlessly and non-invasively detect the retinal lesions from AMD that can lead to loss of central vision.