Sheffield hospital becomes first in the NHS to offer non-invasive AMD therapy

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has become the first NHS hospital to offer  a new non-invasive treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration.

Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital has treated patients with wet AMD using Oraya Therapy, which delivers highly targeted, low-energy X-rays to the eye. The low-energy X-rays are delivered by a non-invasive robotic device called IRay Radiotherapy System which uses low-level radiation, similar to a dental X-ray. The treatment works by controlling, or potentially, stopping leakage by focusing the X-ray on the back of the eye. This reduces scarring and improves vision by drying up the leaking vessels in the retina. The treatment is given once and used in combination with anti-VEGF injections. Patients treated with the IRay device sit at the machine with their chin on a chin rest.