Vision improvements sustained with photobiomodulation at 24 months in dry AMD trial

Photobiomodulation (PBM) delivered with the Valeda light delivery system demonstrated sustained improvements in best corrected visual acuity at 24 months in patients with dry AMD, according to a press release from LumiThera. In addition, fewer eyes treated with PBM progressed to new geographic atrophy, according to the release. 

The LIGHTSITE III clinical trial investigated the treatment in 100 patients with early to intermediate dry AMD at 10 U.S. retinal centers, with a primary efficacy endpoint of best corrected visual acuity. Eighty percent of patients completed the trial, and there were minimal safety risks and high patient compliance at the 24-month mark. 

“These final results from the LIGHTSITE III trial are indeed very exciting and encouraging,” said Diana V. Do, MD and Quan Dong Nguyen, MD, MSc. Both are professors of ophthalmology and members of the Retina Division at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University, which is one of the clinical sites for the LIGHTSITE III trial. “PBM is a non-invasive therapy that can improve and sustain vision and slow the progression of disease. PBM is a significant advancement in saving sight for AMD patients. We are in urgent need of therapy for our patients with dry AMD, especially if the treatment is non-invasive such as the Valeda Light Delivery System.” 

Healio, March 16, 2023, and LumiThera press release, March 15, 2023; see Healio article, press release