A New Hope for People Living with Dry Macular Degeneration
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with dry age related macular degeneration (dry AMD), you know how frustrating it can be. Reading the fine print of a menu, recognizing a loved ones face across the room, or even seeing road signs clearly can feel like they’re slipping away over time. For many years, options for dry AMD focused on monitoring the condition and supporting eye health through things like nutrition and supplements. But now there’s something new on the horizon, MacuMira and people are asking: how does it work?
A Gentle, Non-Invasive Treatment You Can Feel Comfortable With
First, let’s talk about what MacuMira is and what it isn’t. It’s not surgery. There are no injections, no needles, and no long recovery times. Instead, MacuMira uses a very mild form of electrical stimulation called microcurrent therapy. Tiny amounts of current are delivered through soft eye cups placed over your closed eyelids during a treatment session.
Many patients describe the feeling as relaxing — some even drift off to sleep during the 32-minute treatment session. And because it’s so gentle, you can go about your day right after leaving our clinic.
So What Is Microcurrent — and How Does It Help the Eye?
At its core, MacuMira works by delivering a small electrical signal to the retina, the part of the back of the eye that senses light and sends visual signals to your brain. With dry AMD, the cells in the macula, the part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision, slowly weaken and break down over time. This is why tasks like reading, driving, or seeing faces become more difficult.
Microcurrent stimulation through the closed eyelids is thought to help in a few key ways:
- Supports retinal cell activity. The gentle electrical signal may help the remaining healthy cells in the macula work better.
- Encourages healthier cell function. Early research suggests microcurrent can enhance blood flow and cell metabolism in the retina, giving struggling cells a boost.
- Improves visual performance. In the clinical study published in the International Journal of Retina and Vitreous, patients who received MacuMira treatment showed notable improvements in their ability to read letters on an eye chart and in contrast sensitivity — the ability to distinguish between light and dark. In fact, patients in the treatment group gained significantly more letters on the eye chart than those who did not receive the active electrical stimulation.
- It’s important to understand that this treatment is not a cure for dry AMD because at the moment there isn’t one. But many patients report real improvements in how they see and function visually in the world around them, especially within the first few weeks after beginning therapy.
What Can You Expect From a MacuMira Treatment Plan?
Here’s what most patients experience when starting treatment with MacuMira:
- Initial phase: A series of treatments (4 sessions over 10 days) to encourage visual gains.
- Noticeable improvement: Many people begin to notice sharper vision or better contrast — like seeing in dim light or reading more comfortably — after the 4th treatment session.
- Follow-up care: To help maintain these benefits, follow-up treatments are usually recommended approximately every 3 months based on your Optometrists guidance.
Most importantly, treatments happen right here in our office, and they are designed to fit into your life not take over it.
Is MacuMira Right for You?
If you’ve been living with dry AMD and feel like you’re losing more of your vision than you’d like, MacuMira offers a real evidenced-based option to do more than just watch and wait. It’s a safe, non-invasive, and according to early clinical research, can deliver meaningful improvements in visual function for many patients.
We’re proud to offer this innovative technology at Abbey Eye Care, and we’d be honored to guide you or your loved one through the process and to see whether it’s a good fit for your vision goals. If you have questions or want to schedule a consultation to learn more, we’re here to help.
— The Team at Abbey Eye Care
