20 November 2025
Aalto University researchers have described a new laser-based treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Nature Communications.
The new therapeutic approach involves applying controlled warmth with near infrared light to retinal cells to stimulate the eye’s repair and clean up systems.
The scientists developed a method to ensure that retinal temperature could be measured in real-time while the laser was applied – ensuring that the temperature did not exceed a level where cellular damage can occur (45 degrees).
Early trials in mice and pigs using the technique yielded positive results, with the first human trials scheduled to begin in Finland in spring 2026.
The clinical trials will focus on investigating the safety of the new treatment before determining how frequently it should be applied for effective treatment.
Professor Ari Koskelainen, of Aalto University, explained: "The treatment needs to be repetitive, since the response can already begin to decline some days after the treatment."
The research team has launched a spin-off company, Maculaser, to help bring the new approach into clinical use.
"An optimistic schedule would see the method already being used in hospital eye clinics in as little as three years' time," Koskelainen said.
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