Smithfield, RI –November, 2011 – Due to continuing double-digit growth, Heidelberg Engineering has announced its recent move into an upgraded and custom-built technical services facility in Rhode Island. Following the relocation of their U.S. Corporate Headquarters earlier this year, the technical services division has moved into a new facility specifically built and designed to meet their increased capacity needs. The new space nearly doubles the previous facilities square footage. The continued expansion comes after four years of double-digit growth built on the persistent success of the Company’s leading product, the SPECTRALIS^® SD-OCT, a family of multi-modality diagnostic instruments for ophthalmic imaging.

“The strong continued growth of the Company speaks volumes during one of the biggest economic downturns in our nation’s history,” noted Travis Lindsay, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Heidelberg Engineering. “The new facilities reflect our position as the leading innovator of confocal scanning laser technology combined with OCT and will help us continue to provide first-in-class service for our customers.”

About Heidelberg Engineering
Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, this privately-held company is a leader in light-based medical devices for ophthalmic applications. The company designs, manufactures and markets a variety of instruments that aid in the diagnosis and management of anterior and posterior disease of the eye. The U.S. corporate office is located in Carlsbad, California.

“The RegionFinder has been validated at our reading center to measure the primary endpoint in clinical trials on potential treatments of dry AMD,” said Glenn Jaffe, Professor of Ophthalmology, Chief, Vitreoretinal Service and Director, Duke Reading Center.

Frank Holz, Professor of Ophthalmology and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Bonn added, “Heidelberg Engineering recognized early on the clinical importance of Blue Laser Autofluorescence in the management of AMD and supported the collaborative development of the RegionFinder with our department and reading center”.

Literature Reference 
Semiautomated image processing method for identification and quantification of geographic atrophy in age-related macular degeneration. Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Brinkmann CK, Alten F, Herrmann P, Stratmann NK, Göbel AP, Fleckenstein M, Diller M, Jaffe GJ, Holz FG. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011 Sep 29;52(10):7640-6.

About Heidelberg Engineering GmbH

Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, this privately-held company is a leader in light-based medical devices for ophthalmic applications. The company designs, manufactures and markets a variety of diagnostic instruments for application in retina, glaucoma and cornea diseases. The company has direct operations in the US with corporate offices in Carlsbad, California and in the U.K. with offices in Hemel, Hempstead.

Vista, CA – March 21, 2011 – Due to continuing, rapid growth, Heidelberg Engineering announced plans to move its corporate US headquarters to the Carlsbad Research Center in Carlsbad, California at the beginning of April. The company will also move its service center to a new facility in Rhode Island later this year. The expansion comes after four years of double-digit growth built on the continuing success of the company’s leading product, the SPECTRALIS^® SD-OCT, a multi-modality diagnostic instrument for ophthalmic imaging.

“We feel fortunate to be experiencing such strong growth during one of the biggest economic downturns in our nation’s history,” noted Travis Lindsay, general manager and chief operating officer (COO) of Heidelberg Engineering. “The new facilities reflect our position as the leading innovator of confocal scanning laser technology and will help us continue to provide first-in-class service for our customers.”

In Carlsbad, the corporate office joins a neighborhood filled with other biotech growth companies such as Life Technologies and Genoptix (recently acquired by Novartis). The new location will offer a host of advantages including space for future expansion and access to a highly trained biotech employment pool. Heidelberg Engineering’s new corporate headquarters will be located at 1808 Aston Avenue, Carlsbad, CA, and is expected to be fully-operational by Monday, April 4^th.

About Heidelberg Engineering
Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, this privately-held company is a leader in light-based medical devices for ophthalmic applications. The company designs, manufactures and markets a variety of instruments that aid in the diagnosis and management of anterior and posterior disease of the eye. U.S. corporate office is located in Carlsbad, California.

New Software Provides Powerful Tools for Tracking RNFL Change Over Time.

Vista, California and Heidelberg, Germany– October, 5, 2010 – Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, the leading developer of laser diagnostics for ophthalmic applications, announced today the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance for the new, SPECTRALIS^® age-adjusted RNFL thickness normative database.

This FDA cleared normative database gives clinicians a tool for assessing glaucoma risk from a patient’s very first visit. Combined with unique SPECTRALIS features including FoDi™ fovea-to-disc alignment software and the new, Posterior Pole Asymmetry Analysis, the normative database increases the power of SPECTRALIS for glaucoma risk assessment and progression management.

Because of its unique TruTrack™ active eye tracking capability, the SPECTRALIS system offers image detail and measurement precision not previously available. In peer-reviewed journal articles, SPECTRALIS has been shown to offer precise measurement reproducibly which is important in glaucoma assessment.

“This new technology is an important addition to our glaucoma assessment toolbox,” said Sanjay Asrani, MD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Head of the Glaucoma OCT Reading Center, Director of Education, Duke University Eye Center. “The combination of SPECTRALIS precision with the new normative data and the Asymmetry Analysis adds to our ability to detect glaucomatous changes as well as changes over time.”

The new normative database, Asymmetry Analysis, and other new features are a part of the SPECTRALIS Version 5.3 software, which debuted at this week’s Vision Expo West meeting and will be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting later this month and the American Academy of Optometry meeting in November. The company plans to begin shipping the new software following these meetings.

About Heidelberg Engineering GmbH
Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, this privately-held company is the leader in light-based diagnostics for ophthalmic applications and has the world’s largest installed base of laser imaging equipment. The company designs, manufactures and markets a variety of diagnostic instruments for application in retina, glaucoma and cornea diseases. U.S. corporate offices are located in Vista, California. For more information visit the company’s new website at http://www.HeidelbergEngineering.com/.

Vista, California and Heidelberg, Germany- September 11th, 2009 – Heidelberg

Engineering today announced two new additions to the SPECTRALIS® family of multi-modality ophthalmic imaging devices. The new models add BluePeak laser autofluorescence to the company’s more economical spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) devices.

“BluePeak autofluorescence adds a functional indicator of retinal health by measuring the metabolic activity of the RPE,” said Karl Csaky MD, PhD, Retina Foundation of the Southwest.  “Recent results from the Geographic Atrophy Progression (GAP) study clearly demonstrate the need to use autofluorescence to track the progression of geographic atrophy for dry AMD patients.  This has attracted the interest of the pharmaceutical companies; at least ten new therapies for dry AMD are now under clinical investigation. The combination of BluePeak and OCT will enable clinicians to potentially take advantage of these emerging therapeutics in the same way that ranibizumab and OCT changed the management of wet AMD.”   

BluePeak laser autofluorescence is now available on five of the SPECTRALIS models.     

“The SPECTRALIS imaging platform was designed to be modular,” said Carole McCallum, marketing manager for Heidelberg Engineering.  “These new models demonstrate our ability to incorporate new imaging technology into our existing platform and offer clinicians more utility and value with the multi-modality design.” 

There are now seven different SPECTRALIS models available. The main differences between the models are which of the available imaging modalities they include, whether the instrument is set up for Wide Field imaging, and hardware upgrade options.

Learn more about BluePeak™ Technology

About Heidelberg Engineering GmbH

Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, this privately-held company is a leader in light-based medical devices for ophthalmic applications. The company designs, manufactures and markets a variety of instruments that aid in the diagnosis and management of anterior and posterior disease of the eye.  The U.S. corporate office is located in Vista, California.

Vista, California and Heidelberg, Germany- May 8, 2009 - OCT measurement of retinal thickness showed reproducibility of 1 micron in a new study with a head-to-head comparison of six commercial OCT devices.  The SPECTRALIS^® spectral-domain OCT device from Heidelberg Engineering showed the lowest co-efficient of variation in the test-retest study.  The authors concluded that each instrument measures differently, and that the measurements cannot be used interchangeably.

The study by Ute Wolf-Schnurrbusch, MD, et al, University of Bern, was published online in February 2009 [Epub ahead of print] and is slated for publication in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (IOVS). The purpose of the study was to compare central retinal thickness (CRT) measurements in healthy eyes by different commercially available OCT instruments and to compare the intersession reproducibility of such measurements.  The method used was to measure central retinal thickness (CRT) in twenty subjects with healthy eyes using six different, commercially available OCT instruments and to assess the intersession reproducibility of these measurements. Instruments tested in the study were:  the Stratus^TM OCT, SOCT Copernicus, Spectral OCT/SLO, RTVue-100, SPECTRALIS^® HRA+OCT, and Cirrus^TM HD-OCT.

According to Dr. Wolf-Schnurrbusch the lead investigator of the study, “The high repeatability of the SPECTRALIS^® HRA+OCT measurements is most likely related to the unique feature of the system that allows eye tracking during the scanning process

(TruTrack^TM Active Eye Tracking) and automatic recognition of the exact same scan location for follow-up examination (AutoRescan^TM). By using this feature for all follow-up scans with the SPECTRALIS^® HRA+OCT we could minimize extrinsic factors, such as patient fixation and the operator’s ability to consistently place the macular grid over the same points during each scan.”

In the study data, central retinal thickness measurements differed significantly between the different OCT instruments, with the SPECTRALIS^® HRA+OCT and Cirrus^TM HD-OCT showing significantly higher values than all other instruments and the Stratus^TM OCT showing the lowest values.  This is due in part to different methods of segmentation of the retinal borders used by the various systems. In the study the only instrument with a Coefficient of Variation below 1.0 was the SPECTRALIS^® system. The SPECTRALIS^® was also the only system with a Smallest Measurable Change of less than 2 microns.  The data suggest that the different OCT systems should not be used interchangeably in follow-up examinations for the measurement of macular thickness.

“All of the newer spectral-domain OCT devices have higher resolution images than time-domain OCT, however, faster scanning speeds and higher resolution do not automatically translate to consistent reproducibility as was shown in this study,” noted Carole McCallum, marketing manager at Heidelberg Engineering.  “The ability to minimize motion artifact and reliably re-scan in the same location, however, can lead to improved reproducibility”.

For more information, call Heidelberg Engineering at (800) 931-2230.

* Smallest Measurable Change is Central Retinal Thickness multiplied by Coefficient of Variation.  Results rounded to nearest micron.

About Heidelberg Engineering GmbH

Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, this privately-held company is a leader in light-based medical devices for ophthalmic applications. The company designs, manufactures and markets a variety of instruments that aid in the diagnosis and management of anterior and posterior disease of the eye. U.S. corporate office is located in Vista, California.

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“The upgrade adds four new features which build on our TruTrack™ eye tracking technology,” said Adam Doherty, Product Manager at Heidelberg Engineering.  “These include dynamic selection of reference images for progression analysis, manual adjustment of the layer segmentation lines, improved display options, and expanded printing options.” 

The set reference feature allows the user to select any image in an existing progression series as a reference in order to analyze changes from different time points. This is possible because TruTrack™ eye tracking technology places follow-up scans at precisely the same location thus enabling detection of subtle changes. The segmentation adjustment feature enables doctors to manually mark any layer of the retina for analysis.

In addition, since doctors often want to see fine detail in both the fundus and OCT images the new version is designed so the user can customize the display on the instrument or networked viewing stations. The new printing options provide similar capabilities for hardcopy printouts. 

Heidelberg Engineering has begun shipping the software upgrade to customers at no charge.  For more information visit the company’s new website at http://www.heidelbergengineering.com/. 

About Heidelberg Engineering GmbH

Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, this privately-held company is a leader in light-based medical devices for ophthalmic applications. The company designs, manufactures and markets a variety of diagnostic instruments for application in retina, glaucoma and cornea diseases. U.S. corporate office is located in Vista, California.

Vista, California and Heidelberg, Germany-June 25, 2008 - Heidelberg Engineering, Inc. today announced the launch of their newly updated website, http://www.heidelbergengineering.com/.  The company implemented several new and enhanced features to improve the ease of information retrieval, and to provide enhanced clinician and operator education for all Heidelberg Engineering products.

The site is easy to navigate and includes:

• An in-depth look at the proprietary technologies behind each instrument
  • HRT Glaucoma, Retina and Cornea modules
  • Spectralis^® HRA, Spectralis^® OCT, and Spectralis^® HRA + OCT
• Stunning image and movie libraries that demonstrate disease progression and pathologies over time, using different modes and functions
• Precise, detailed images that reveal structures never seen before
• Animations and videos that explain how each device delivers results that enable better clinical decisions
• Expanded education, support, reimbursement and clinical application pages

“We are a high-tech imaging company,” says Travis Lindsay, Chief Operating Officer at Heidelberg Engineering.  “Our new website is a powerful tool for clinical personnel in ophthalmology and optometry anywhere in the world.  Image libraries and videos illustrate and explain our instruments.  These online resources help doctors choose the right instrument for their practice and allow our customers to maximize their device’s utility by understanding its functions.”

About Heidelberg Engineering GmbH

Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, this privately-held company is a leader in light-based medical devices for ophthalmic applications. The company designs, manufactures and markets a variety of diagnostic instruments for application in retina, glaucoma and cornea diseases. U.S. corporate office is located in Vista, California.

VISTA, CALIFORNIA and HEIDELBERG, GERMANY– April 26, 2007 – Heidelberg Engineering GmbH announces the expansion of the Spectralis™ family of retinal imaging products, adding a more economical 2-mode SD-OCT to the existing 6-mode SD-OCT and 5-mode HRA. The expanded family now consists of:

- Spectralis OCT (2 modes)
- Spectralis HRA, (5 modes) and
- Spectralis HRA+OCT (6 modes)
“These are exciting times for eye care professionals—these new imaging devices provide reliable data that our predecessors never imagined,” explains Scott Cousins, MD, retinal specialist and Director of the Duke Center of Macular Diseases at the Duke Eye Center. “Heidelberg has further improved upon spectral domain OCT by incorporating image alignment know-how from their experience with the HRA and HRT products. As a result, the Spectralis OCT can lock onto a specific location of interest on the retina, and accurately relocate this site on subsequent exams. This feature will improve our ability to monitor disease progression and treatment response over time.”

Spectralis OCT offers two imaging modes (Spectral Domain-OCT and Infrared), while the Spectralis HRA+OCT includes four additional imaging modes (autofluorescence, red free imaging, fluorescein angiography and ICG angiography). The new model shares three key features with the earlier version: 40,000 A-Scans per second, TruTrack™ eye-tracking technology and Heidelberg Noise Reduction for image clarity.

“We designed the new Spectralis OCT in response to requests from clinicians at smaller eye care practices who wanted an imaging system that could grow with their practice. Spectralis OCT offers the flexibility to upgrade later,” said Adam Doherty, product manager. “The expanded product family gives the clinician a range of choices to fit the economic and clinical needs of the practice.”

The Spectralis instrument captures the OCT cross-sectional scan under constant guidance of one of five fundus imaging modalities. This helps ensure image registration and enables the instruments to precisely track change over time, an advantage over the technical limitations of time domain OCT. In addition, the instrument incorporates Heidelberg Noise Reduction (HNR) technology, a proprietary method of image enhancement which significantly improves image quality by eliminating unwanted optical noise in both fundus and OCT images. In the way that Dolby®* noise reduction has the ability to improve sound quality, HNR has the ability to improve image quality. This feature will be available on all three Spectralis models.

“Studies done at Ohio State University and at the University of California, San Diego demonstrated that first generation OCT systems suffer from an inability to precisely identify the scan location, leading to hidden artifact and possible misinterpretation,” noted Doherty. “By imaging the fundus simultaneous with SD-OCT, we constantly track eye movement, enabling us to avoid much of the motion artifact while accurately locating the OCT scan on the fundus image.”

The Spectralis™ Family will be introduced at the upcoming American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting in San Diego, beginning April 27, 2007. The company expects to begin shipping the product in summer.

About Heidelberg Engineering GmbH

Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, this privately-held company is a leader in light-based medical devices for ophthalmic applications. The company designs, manufactures and markets a variety of instruments for application in retina, glaucoma and cornea diseases. U.S. corporate office is located in Vista, California.

*DOLBY is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories, Inc., which is not affiliated with Heidelberg Engineering