The American Medical Association’s CPT Editorial Panel has approved a new Category III CPT code for photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy of the retina. The new code, XX69T, will take effect on January 1, 2025. This marks a step toward broader reimbursement for PBM treatment in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The approval was bolstered by data from the LIGHTSITE III trial, a double-masked, randomized study that demonstrated significant improvements in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) for patients treated with LumiThera’s Valeda PBM system, with patients showing a mean increase of >5 ETDRS letters at 13 and 21 months. A larger study, EUROLIGHT, is now under way and will expand on this research by collecting data on the treatment outcomes of between 500 to 1,000 patients across all stages of AMD.

The Valeda system is CE Marked in the European Union and is also available in Latin American countries. Earlier this year, LumiThera submitted a de novo request to the US Food and Drug Administration to reclassify the Valeda system as a Class II device for the treatment of dry AMD. LumiThera also applied to the CPT Editorial Panel for the new code.