If this is not your name, click here. Other Ophthalmic Surgery Organ Transplantation Orthopaedics Other Osteoarthritis Osteoporosis Otitis Otorhino. The Vitrasert Implant which delivers ganciclovir to the site of CMV retinitis offered significant improvement over intravenous ganciclovir, reducing the risk of disease progression by nearly three-fold. We have confirmed that the Vitrasert Implant significantly delays the progression of CMV retinitis in the treated eye and is the most effective treatment for CMV retinitis to date. It usually begins as a white infiltrate within the retina, and can progress rapidly to cause destruction of retinal tissue.
Retinal damage can lead to detachment of the retina and permanent loss of vision.
Study authors noted that because patients treated with the Vitrasert Implant alone remained at risk for the development of CMV disease outside the treated eye, oral systemic treatment with ganciclovir may be recommended in addition to the implant. The randomized multi-center study was conducted with 188 patients with AIDS and newly diagnosed CMV retinitis. The Vitrasert Implant is surgically placed in the posterior segment of the eye in a procedure that takes less than one hour, requires only local anesthesia and is conducted in an outpatient, day-surgery setting. Immediately following insertion of the implant, most patients experienced blurred vision, which generally cleared within two to four weeks. The implant can be removed when depleted of drug, usually within six to eight months and a new Vitrasert Implant can be inserted.