SARATOGA, Calif.— VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc., a developer of advanced visual prosthetic devices, announced the Implantable Miniature Telescope, designed to improve vision in patients with end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), was named "Best of What's New" 2010 by Popular Science magazine.

VisionCare's first-of-kind telescope implant, designed by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz, is integral to a new patient care program, CentraSight, for treating patients with end-stage macular degeneration, the most advanced form of AMD and the leading cause of blindness in older Americans in the U.S., according to the announcement. Smaller than a pea, the telescope implant earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval on July 1, 2010 and is the first and only treatment for AMD patients who progress to end-stage disease.

Through a rigorous screening process, Popular Science magazine evaluated companies and products in 11 different categories to identify innovations with potential to positively impact the future and push the envelope of what was not thought to be possible in the previous 12 months. Annually, the magazine’s Best of What's New honors the top 100 innovations. VisionCare's telescope implant is a Best of What's New winner in the health category in the December issue of the magazine.