Medical technology provider Carl Zeiss Meditec announced the installation of its 10,000^th Cirrus™ HD-OCT system at the practice of Christa Dawson OD, Premier Eyecare & Eyewear, in Grandview, MO. The record number of installations, which expands access to this new clinical care standard for management of ocular disease comes during the same month that the 2012 António Champalimaud Vision Award was presented to the inventors of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The Champalimaud Foundation recognized the developers for this advanced imaging technology that has improved the practices of ophthalmology and optometry and the ability of clinicians to understand and manage ocular diseases.

The Award was presented September 14, 2012 in Lisbon, Portugal to Carmen A. Puliafito, MD, MBA and Joel Schuman, MD for the clinical ocular applications of OCT that have led to improved diagnostics and clinical management and to James G. Fujimoto, PhD, David Huang, MD, PhD and Eric A. Swanson, MS for OCT development.

“OCT has revolutionized the treatment of eye disease on a global basis,” said Dr. Puliafito, “and it is now routinely used to make clinical decisions about treating patients with blinding diseases such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.”

Collaboration between scientific and medical researchers and industry brought OCT to real-world clinical practice, and Carl Zeiss introduced the first commercially available ophthalmic OCT in 1996. Today over 50 percent of all OCTs in ophthalmic practices around the world are ZEISS OCT systems. Carl Zeiss has advanced the technology across four generations of imaging devices and continues to work with leading researchers to develop new applications to help doctors interpret the complex images and data.

Today’s Cirrus HD-OCT from Carl Zeiss offers a wide spectrum of analyses including Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) and Optic Nerve Head with progression analyses and anterior segment imaging for glaucoma, as well as a variety of Macular Thickness and Macular Change analyses with high resolution B-scans and 3-D visualizations for managing retinal disease. With the recent introduction of expanded applications for glaucoma and dry AMD, the Cirrus HD-OCT offers robust comprehensive suites of clinical applications for glaucoma and retina disease management that serve the full spectrum of practice needs.

The 10,000^th system installation is a Cirrus HD-OCT Model 400, which offers core OCT applications and analyses for comprehensive eye care practices. Carl Zeiss introduced the Model 400 in 2010. “We have been wanting to incorporate OCT into our practice for quite some time, but finding an affordable, yet high quality product, was essential for a small practice like ours,” said Dr. Christa Dawson. “As our practice grew and we started seeing more glaucoma and retina patients, the need for OCT became critical. We looked at many different OCT systems but ultimately chose the ZEISS Cirrus Model 400 for its high resolution images, normative data, proven clinical analyses and connectivity – all within a manageable budget. I am delighted to be able to offer my patients a higher level of care with OCT.”

Dr. Ludwin Monz, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, sees the installation in Grandview as a proof point of the company’s ability to offer a broad portfolio of state-of-the-art technology with connectivity solutions, training and services that is helping practices of all sizes achieve higher efficiency and better patient outcomes. “We constantly strive to make the most modern technology available to practices like Premier Eyecare & Eyewear, enabling them to treat their patients in the best possible way. Efficiency and productivity play a key role in meeting the demands of an aging patient demographic and the cost containment challenges ahead.”

More than 76 million Baby Boomers were born in the US between 1946 and 1964. According to the US Census Bureau, between 2000 and 2010 the US population aged 45 to 64 grew at a rate of 31.5 percent, primarily due to the aging of the Baby Boom population. This rapidly aging demographic will drive the need for more care for patients with age-related eye diseases in coming years.

Brief profile

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ISIN: DE0005313704) is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies. The company supplies innovative technologies and application-oriented solutions designed to help doctors improve the quality of life of their patients. It provides complete packages of solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases, including implants and consumables. The company creates innovative visualization solutions in the field of microsurgery. Carl Zeiss Meditec's medical technology portfolio is rounded off by promising, future-oriented technologies such as intraoperative radiotherapy. In fiscal year 2010/11 (ended 30 September) the company's around 2,400 employees generated revenue of EUR 759 million.

Carl Zeiss Meditec headquarters are located in Jena, Germany. The company has subsidiaries in Germany and abroad; more than 50 percent of its employees are based in the USA, Japan, Spain and France. The Center for Application and Research in India (CARIn) in Bangalore, India, and the Carl Zeiss Innovation Center for Research and Development in Shanghai, China, strengthen the company's presence in these fast-growing countries. 35 percent of Carl Zeiss Meditec shares are in free float. The remaining 65% are held by Carl Zeiss AG, one of the world’s leading groups in the optical and optoelectronic industries.

Carl Zeiss offers innovative solutions for the future-oriented markets of Medical and Research Solutions, Industrial Solutions, Eye Care and Lifestyle Products. Carl Zeiss AG, Oberkochen, is fully owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation.

For more information, please go to: www.meditec.zeiss.de