Alcon to Acquire LumiThera and Its Photobiomodulation Device for the Treatment of Early and Intermediate Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Alcon announced its intention to acquire LumiThera and its PBM device for the treatment of early and intermediate dry AMD.¹ LumiThera’s PBM is the only device that has demonstrated meaningful vision improvement compared to baseline for people living with early to intermediate dry AMD.^2,* Dry AMD is a progressive disease typically treated in late stage, with limited treatment options.²

“For more than 25 years, Alcon has been a leader in vitreoretinal surgery, and we are excited to expand our offerings into the clinic, to help millions of people living with dry AMD gain vision,” said Sean Clark, Vice President and General Manager, Global Surgical Franchise, Alcon. “Dry AMD is an area of significant unmet need, and PBM is an efficacious, non-invasive light therapy that can provide visual improvement for patients with early and intermediate disease. With Alcon’s global commercial and clinical expertise, we have the potential to make this therapy more broadly available to Eye Care Professionals and their patients, while continuing to strengthen its body of clinical evidence.”

Understanding Dry AMD and How PBM Works

In dry AMD, vision loss results from the dysfunction and break down of retinal cells within the macula—the part of the retina that allows for sharpness and fine detail in seeing what’s directly in front of the viewer.⁴ In the early stages, central vision becomes distorted and may ultimately progress to a complete loss, making everyday activities difficult, like reading, driving and even recognizing faces.⁵

The retina is rich in mitochondria, and mitochondrial dysfunction is a known cause of vision loss in dry AMD.⁶ PBM uses low-level light to stimulate mitochondrial energy production, promoting retinal cellular health. It uses three specific, science-backed wavelengths—delivering non-phototoxic light therapy (not laser therapy).^7,8 The non-invasive treatments are administered while the patient is sitting comfortably in a clinic setting.

For more information about the LIGHTSITE study and forward-looking statements click here.

 

_References

_{1 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. De Novo classification request for Valeda Light Delivery System (DEN230083). Accessed June 2025 at https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf23/DEN230083.pdf.}

_{2 LumiThera, Inc. A double-masked, randomized, sham-controlled, parallel group, multi-center study to assess the safety and efficacy of photobiomodulation (PBM) in subjects with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (LIGHTSITE III). Clinical Study Report CSP005.}

_{4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Common Eye Disorders and Diseases. Accessed in June 2025 at www.cdc.gov/vision-health/about-eye-disorders/index.html.}

_{5 Mitchell P, Liew G, Gopinath B, Wong TY. Age-related macular degeneration. The Lancet. 2018;392(10153):1147–1159. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31550-2.}

_{6 Eells JT. Mitochondrial dysfunction in the aging retina. Biology (Basel). 2019;8(2):31. DOI: 10.3390/biology8020031.}

_{7 Wong-Riley MTT, Liang HL, Eells JT, Chance B. Photobiomodulation directly benefits primary neurons functionally inactivated by toxins: Role of cytochrome c oxidase. J Biol Chem. 2005;280(6):4761–4771. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M409650200.}

_{8 Ball KA, Castello PR, Poyton RO. Low intensity light stimulates nitrite-dependent nitric oxide synthesis but not oxygen consumption by cytochrome c oxidase: Implications for phototherapy. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2011;1807(7):964–970. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2011.04.003.}