Heidelberg Makes Move into Cataract-Refractive Field

Heidelberg Engineering, which has more than 10,000 optical coherence tomography (OCT) units in place worldwide, is looking to help drive the premium channel by entering the cataract-refractive field with swept-source OCT imaging, Managing Director Kester Nahen, PhD, reported at OIS@ASCRS 2016.

Heidelberg Engineering previewed its cataract and refractive imaging platform last year at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons meeting. The platform is based on an upgradable, modular design. Main options include intraocular lens (IOL) biometry, corneal topography/tomography, anterior segment biometry, and anterior segment imaging.

The new platform is based on swept-source OCT technology that measures the inside of the anterior segment, from the front of the cornea to the back of the lens, with a single scan, Dr. Nahen said. All measurements are based on high-resolution diagnostic images, mitigating the effects of confounding factors such as coexisting abnormalities, which often cannot be identified without diagnostic imaging.

The latest development follows a host of improvements in the company’s existing Spectralis expandable multi-modal imaging platform for applications in retina, glaucoma, and anterior segment, Dr. Nahen said. The Spectralis MultiColor module, introduced two years ago, is capable of visualizing structures at different depths of the retina, and now widefield MultiColor imaging expands the captured image area from 30 degrees out to 55 degrees.

The OCT2 module, Heidelberg’s next-generation OCT module for the Spectralis platform, increases scan speed from 40 kHz to 85 kHz and cuts the scan time in half, according to Dr. Nahen. The OCT2 module is also the foundation for OCT angiography, he said. Dr. Nahen added that Spectralis devices that were purchased with the Advanced Upgrade Package or MultiColor module can now be upgraded with the OCT2 module.

Presenter: