Age-related macular degeneration remains one of the leading causes of vision loss in older adults, yet therapeutic options for the dry form have been frustratingly limited. This extended case study offers a rare glimpse into the potential of sustained neurotrophic factor delivery to preserve retinal tissue over more than a decade. A 76-year-old man received a ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) implant in one eye while the other served as an untreated control, creating an unusual natural experiment tracked through advanced retinal imaging from 2012 to 2024. The implanted eye demonstrated measurably slower progression of geographic atrophy, with growth rates of 0.21 mm/year compared to 0.26 mm/year in the untreated eye—a 16.3% reduction in disease advancement. Similarly, peripapillary atrophy expanded at only 0.2 mm²/year versus 1.03 mm²/year, suggesting the neurotrophic factor's protective effects extended beyond the macula. While single-case studies carry inherent limitations and cannot establish causation definitively, this 13-year observation period provides valuable real-world evidence for sustained neuroprotection. The CNTF implant represents a fundamentally different approach than current treatments, delivering growth factors directly to retinal cells rather than targeting inflammation or complement pathways. For the aging population facing this progressive condition, the prospect of a one-time surgical intervention that could meaningfully slow vision loss deserves serious consideration, though larger controlled trials remain essential to validate these promising preliminary findings.