The results of an innovative new surgical procedure at the Storm Eye Institute became apparent with the dramatic improvement in the vision of an 84-year old woman with macular degeneration.

Macular translocation, a procedure done at only a few medical centers worldwide, was performed on Maggie Claffy in July. Prior to the surgery she was only able to see the large E on the eye chart from five feet away, now she can see it from 20 feet. She was unable to read the time on the clock of the microwave oven prior to the surgery, and now she sees it without a problem. She said she can see things much more clearly now, and her granddaughter reports that she can navigate around the house quickly and without hesitation now. It takes six months to get the full therapeutic effect of the surgery, and it is expected that Claffy will see further improvement in her vision.

Claffy, a Virginia native, who lives part of the time with her granddaughter in Charleston, was the first patient in South Carolina to have the macular translocation procedure done. Previously this surgery was performed only at Duke University, the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, a center in Japan and one in Germany.

“The surgical procedure is extremely tedious and can take four hours,” said Virgil Alfaro, M.D., the MUSC eye surgeon and specialist in retinal disease who performed the surgery. “The retina is detached and reattached to an area where the cells are healthier.” Since Claffy’s surgery, he has operated on 14 more patients. Alfaro emphasized that this procedure is not appropriate for all patients and needs to be done before the disease progresses too far.

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible, central vision loss among persons aged 65 and older in the United States. It accounts for almost 60 percent of all legal blindness in this age group. Macular degeneration occurs when a layer of cells found under the retina begin to degenerate, explained Alfaro. The relationship of the retina and this layer of cells is so important that cells of the macula (the central retina, which allows us to see fine detail) begin to deteriorate also. The patients lose central or reading vision. They can navigate through the house, but can’t drive a car. Lines that should appear straight have a curved appearance.