ARVO 2025: Update on the LIGHTSITE III study in AMD

At ARVO 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Diana Do, MD, gave an update on the LIGHTSITE III study of photobiomodulation for dry age-related macular degeneration.

Video Transcript:

Editor's note: The below transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Diana Do, MD:

Hi, I'm Dr Diana Do, Professor of Ophthalmology and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University. I had the pleasure of being at ARVO 2025, in Salt Lake City and presenting an update on the LIGHTSITE III study of photobiomodulation for dry age-related macular degeneration. Photobiomodulation uses low level light to stimulate oxygenation and cellular function in local tissues.

The purpose of the study was to look at eyes with intermediate age-related macular degeneration and see if PBM therapy could improve visual acuity over time. The LIGHTSITE III study was a randomized clinical trial, and it met its primary endpoint. In that eyes that were treated with active photobiomodulation gained an average of 5.6 letters over a 24-month treatment interval. And this was proven in this multicenter study. In addition, a post hoc analysis also looked at incident geographic atrophy development, and the study suggested that active photobiomodulation decreased the risk in these study participants of developing incident geographic atrophy. Furthermore, there were no safety signals and no adverse events related to photobiomodulation.

Recently, the FDA approved photobiomodulation for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. It's an exciting new treatment option for our patients with this disease.