STILLWATER, Minn. - Macular degeneration is the leading cause of
blindness in people over 55. For those with end stage disease,
there has been virtually no chance of seeing what is directly in
front of them again. But a new device, an implantable telescope,
is changing that. Retired nurse, 76-year-old JoAnn Zorn, had the
device implanted in her left eye this summer. Now she has a
critical part of her vision back. If you look at her left eye,
you can see it. It twinkles. Light reflects off the tiny
telescope implanted where her lens once was. It has brought back
the central vision she lost to macular degeneration. Dr. Stephen
Lane of Associated Eye Care in Stillwater explains, "The area
that allows for central vision to watch TV, read a book, drive a
car is called the macula. When that macula is destroyed by an
age related process, there's essentially a hole in people's
vision." While most of us see clearly what's in front of us,
those with macular degeneration see around the periphery but not
what is directly