Three Maryland patients have received implantable miniature telescopes (IMTs) to reverse the blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the website The Inquisitr. The announcement came from the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, which also participated in the trials to earn FDA approval for the device in 2010.
The 77-year-old founder and retired CEO of Jiffy Lube, Willis “James” Hindman, is one of the three patients. Hindman had the surgery in December and is still being trained in how to use the implant, but he is already enthusiastic. As blindness claimed his vision, he had become depressed and lost interest in his hobby of racing thoroughbreds, but now he’s eager to get “working with my horses because I can see.”