It is the only documented treatment to reverse vision loss in cases of both Wet and Dry AMD. It also works in other retinal conditions including Stargardt's, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Histoplasmosis, Myopic Degeneration and several rare genetic conditions. In aggregate these all behave similarly to AMD — but the numbers and most experience is with AMD.

Dr. Lundgren will be presenting his November 2007 to March 2008 results at the next International Congress of Eye Research (English speaking academic ophthalmologists) in Beijing this September. The Abstract of his paper is posted at the end of this Home Page.

The Santa Fe Eye Protocol is a four-fold treatment that achieves measurable results through minimally invasive techniques. First, small steel studs are inserted in regions of the ear whose nerve endings have been shown to correspond with specific areas of the brain. By stimulating these nerves, cortisone and oxygen-rich blood are induced in the region of the retina. Second, needle electrodes are inserted in the fat around the eyeball and are stimulated with a mild electrical current. These electrodes stimulate the retina and surrounding tissues. Third, needles are inserted into specific points, which, through observation and Dr. Lundgren's personal experience, have been demonstrated to affect the eye. In Spring 2007, a forth component was added - electrically stimulating the scalp over the visual cortex which occupies a very considerable portion of the brain.

In the course of over 5,000 individual eye treatments on more than 650 individual patients, and as reported in two articles in peer-reviewed medical journals, this combination of physical and electric stimulation currently results in measurable improvements in the vision of approximately 85% of patients. The Santa Fe Eye Protocol has few risks, is minimally invasive and therefore is a welcome addition to traditional treatments such as vitamin therapy, thermal laser, Photodynamic Therapy, Macugen, Avastin and Lucentis.

Dr. Lundgren is so confident in the results of this protocol that all charges will be refunded if after four treatments there is not objective improvement in visual acuity. As measured on National Eye Institute ETDRS charts, one eye must test at least one line better in either near or distant vision. Most patients show much greater improvement.

Abstract of paper to be presented at the International Congress of Eye Research in Beijing, China September 2008:

Statistical Significance of Lundgren ICER Abstract

We all know that patients will sometimes test better and sometimes test worse a line or more on eye charts on different days. Literature supports test-to-test variation as being 1 1/2 lines with a 95% confidence level.* If 1 1/2 lines equals 2 standard deviations, then one standard deviation is 0.75 lines on a logMAR chart like the ETDRS ones. (Because I am having same trained examiner test the same patient and am rigorous about rotating charts to prevent memorization of letters and quantifying light intensity, etc it is likely that my test to test variation is better than the literature reports.)

For groups of patients some people will test better and some will test worse at any point in time. Basic statistics states that if the standard deviation for a test for one patient is X, for a cohort of N patients, the standard deviation is X divided by the square root of N. For a group the size reported, the standard deviation is on the order of 1/10th line.

This ICER Abstract reports a visual acuity gain of a line in several categories. For test-to-test variation to cause that much difference in visual acuity would only happen with the same frequency as any other 2 events 10 standard deviations apart - about 3 chances in 10 million. That makes the reported results statistically extremely significant.

* Siderov J, Tiu AL, Variability of Measurements of Visual Acuity in a Large Eye Clinic; Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 1999 Dec; 77 (6):673-6
* Rosser DA, Murdoch IE, Cousens SN; The Effect of Optical Defocus on the test-retest variability of Visual Acuity Measurements; Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2004 Apr, 45 (4): 1076-9