Landmark AMD robotic treatment heralded

Researchers from King’s College London have successfully used a robotic system to administer stereotactic radiotherapy for the treatment of wet neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Trialled on 411 participants across 30 NHS hospitals, the one-off, minimally invasive dose of radiation could save around 1.8 million subsequent injections of radiotherapy per year around the world.

The treatment’s improved targeting involves aiming three beams of focused radiation into the diseased eye and could save the NHS £565 per patient over the first two years due to the reduced need for injections.

Timothy Jackson, professor of retinal research, consultant ophthalmic surgeon and lead author, said: ‘By better stabilising the disease and reducing its activity, the new treatment could reduce the number of injections people need by about a quarter. Hopefully, this discovery will reduce the burden of treatment that patients have to endure.’