VALEDA LIGHT DELIVERY SYSTEM
great lakes eye care now offers the first and only fda-authorized non-invasive therapy for dry amd
What is Valeda Light Therapy?
The Valeda Photobiomodulation System is an advanced, non-invasive light therapy designed for patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and overall retinal changes.
It uses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate cellular activity in the retina, helping support energy production in retinal cells and overall visual function.
This treatment represents a new approach to managing retinal health, focused on preserving vision and slowing retinal disease progression!
Is Valeda Right For You?
You may be a candidate if you have:
- Early to intermediate dry age-related macular degeneration
- Early retinal related changes, such as drusen
- Gradual central vision changes
- Difficulty with reading, detail work, or contrast sensitivity
Why Patients Choose Valeda
- Non-invasive treatment (no injections or surgery)
- Designed to support retinal cell function
- May help slow progression of dry AMD
- Quick, comfortable in-office sessions
- Backed by clinical research in photobiomodulation therapy
How Treatment Works
Treatment with the Valeda Photobiomodulation System is simple:
Your doctor will let you know if Valeda is right for you!
- Typically 9 sessions over 3–5 weeks
- Each session lasts approximately 5–10 minutes per eye
- You sit comfortably while the device delivers controlled light therapy
Your provider monitors your vision and determines if additional treatment cycles are appropriate.
What Does It Feel Like?
Patients typically report:
- No pain or discomfort
- No recovery time needed
- Ability to resume normal activities immediately
- A relaxing, seated treatment experience
What You Should Know
Valeda is not a cure for macular degeneration, but it is designed to:
- Support retinal health
- Help maintain visual function
- Slow disease progression in appropriate patients
Results vary based on disease stage and individual response.
publications & clinical trials
Outcome/Measure
What Was Observed
What This Means
Improvements in Visual Acuity (Letters gained on eye chart)
• After 13 months, patients treated with Valeda showed an average gain of 5.4 letters vs 3.0 letters in the sham (placebo‑light) group.
• At 24 months, treated eyes maintained a gain of 5 or more letters (one line on the standard ETDRS eye chart) over baseline.
Gaining 5 letters roughly equals moving up one line on the vision chart. This might translate into being able to read a slightly smaller print or seeing a little more clearly in daily life. Improved vision might be especially noticeable for reading, recognizing faces, or seeing details.
Percentage of Eyes with a Gain of 5 or More Letters
• Around 55% of Valeda‑treated eyes achieved a gain of 5 letters or more by 13 months.
• In extension studies, more than 60% of subjects retained vision benefit (over one line) after additional treatments, including after gaps in treatment.
Many patients may see noticeable but moderate improvements. Over half of patients saw improvement, so it’s a realistic outcome—but not everyone will see big changes. Drops or increases depend on disease stage, baseline vision, and individual response.
Slow or Reducing Disease Features
• New cases of geographic atrophy (GA) were significantly lower in treated eyes vs sham: about 5‑6% in PBM (Valeda) vs 21‑24% in sham group at certain points.
• Treated eyes showed little to no increase in drusen volume, while sham eyes showed measurable increases.
• In the 4.5‑year extension study, many patients maintained vision benefit during a 20‑month treatment gap and recovered more vision when retreatment resumed.
This suggests Valeda may do more than just improve vision temporarily—it might help slow the progression of disease, delay or reduce worsening (like GA), and preserve structure of the retina. That’s important for long‑term vision stability.
Duration & Treatment Pattern
• The therapy is delivered in cycles: e.g. nine treatments over 3‑5 weeks each cycle, repeated every 4 months, in the LIGHTSITE III trial.
• Maintenance of benefit over 24 months, and data now out to 4.5 years in some patients in the extension trials.
• Even when there was a treatment pause of ~20 months, patients still maintained some benefit and regained more on retreatment.
This tells patients that this is not a one‑and‑done treatment. To get and keep the benefit, repeated treatments over months and years are needed. It is possible to maintain benefit even if treatments are temporarily paused.
Safety & Side Effects
• Overall safety was good. No serious device‑related adverse events. Most side effects were mild and transient.
• Some “ocular adverse events” (e.g. dry eye, foreign body sensation, eye discomfort) occurred but were generally mild and manageable.
• High patient compliance in trials.
Patients considering Valeda can have confidence that serious risks are rare. Mild discomfort is possible, but most people tolerated the therapy well in studies. Good adherence to treatment schedules improves outcomes.
RELEVANT LINKS TO ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS
- PubMed Central – LIGHTSIGHT III
- Healio – Vision Improvements Sustained with PBM at 24 Months in AMD Trial
- Eyes on Glance – LumiThera (now Valeda) Announced Sustained Vision Improvement for 24 Months in Dry AMD Subjects
- Macular Society – Encouraging Results from Light Therapy Study for Dry AMD
- Eyewire – LumiThera’s (now Valeda) LIGHTSITE Phase 3B Extension Trial Shows Extended Vision Improvement in Dry AMD
Is It Covered By Insurance?
Most insurances do not currently have an active policy for this treatment. Patients should expect Valeda Light Therapy to be an out-of-pocket expense.
We offer payment options to make this new treatment available to our patients!
Payment for Valeda is due prior to initial treatment.