Heidelberg Engineering reflects on a year of milestones and looks ahead to 2026

As 2025 draws to a close, we take a moment to reflect on a year defined by progress, collaboration, and innovation. Guided by our mission to empower clinicians and enhance patient care, Heidelberg Engineering continued to advance imaging excellence, integrate artificial intelligence into clinical workflows, and actively contribute to shaping the future of eyecare.

A year of scientific exchange, partnerships, and innovation

2025 was marked by a series of inspiring highlights. We began the year with our inaugural International Glaucoma Symposium, held in collaboration with the University Medical Center Mainz. The event brought together leading experts to exchange insights on glaucoma diagnostics and management, reinforcing our commitment to clinical education and scientific dialogue.

On the international stage, we joined our parent company EssilorLuxottica at their booth at MIDO in Milan, strengthening our presence within the global eyecare community. We also expanded our Heidelberg AppWay marketplace by welcoming NetraMind Innovations as a new partner, further enhancing diagnostic accuracy through advanced AI solutions. At the same time, we continued to deepen collaborations with established partners such as Eye2Gene™ and deepeye Medical, ensuring our customers benefit from a growing ecosystem of integrated, clinically relevant applications.

At ARVO 2025 in Salt Lake City (USA), we were proud to honor Dr. Lukas Goerdt, MD, and his research team with the Xtreme Research Award 2025. The award recognized their pioneering work in high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT), conducted using Heidelberg Engineering’s HighRes-OCT investigational device. Their work underscores the importance of close collaboration between clinical research and technological innovation in driving meaningful progress in ophthalmology.

A true standout moment of 2025 was the 21st International SPECTRALIS Symposium – and Beyond (ISS), hosted for the first time ever in Heidelberg, just across from our headquarters. The symposium brought together an exceptional community and world-renowned experts — and the keynote sessions showed how powerful it is when imaging, science, and curiosity come together. The symposium featured exceptional keynote speakers, including NASA astronaut Warren Hoburg and CAPT Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, who shared unique clinical insights from in-orbit ocular testing. Their presentations offered attendees a rare glimpse into the intersection of spaceflight, advanced imaging, and eye health.
You can watch the full ISS recap here.

During the busy autumn conference season, we took time to connect with valued partners ahead of ESCRS in Copenhagen, reinforcing long-standing collaborations. We also strengthened our partnership with the nonprofit organization Orbis by launching a clinical project in Lusaka, Zambia. As part of this initiative, an ANTERION device was provided to support pre-operative imaging, helping to generate robust, data-driven evidence for integrating optical biometry into routine cataract surgery protocols and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Internally, 2025 was also a year of important developments. We welcomed Dr. Stephanie Magazzeni and Dr. Holger Ruchartz into key leadership roles within our management team, further strengthening our strategic and clinical expertise. In addition, the founding of our Swedish subsidiary allows customers in Sweden to work directly with our local representative, Henrik Mårtensson, ensuring even closer support and collaboration.

Expanding innovation within the EssilorLuxottica ecosystem

Another highlight was the addition of RetinAI to the EssilorLuxottica family, creating new opportunities to further strengthen this partnership. Throughout major congresses such as AAO, EURETINA, and FLORetina, customers experienced live demonstrations of the workflow between SPECTRALIS and RetinAI’s Discovery platform, showcasing how imaging data and AI-driven analysis can seamlessly complement each other in clinical practice.
You can read the full press release here.

We are also proud to be a member of the Collective for Clinical Ophthalmic Innovation (CCOI) through our parent company EssilorLuxottica. CCOI brings together leading industry partners, clinicians, and researchers with a shared goal: accelerating innovation in ophthalmology through collaboration, open dialogue, and evidence-based solutions. Our involvement reflects our commitment to contributing actively to cross-industry initiatives that advance standards of care, foster innovation, and ultimately improve patient outcomes worldwide.

Finally, 2025 saw the launch of our first Visionary Horizons Symposium, co-hosted with EssilorLuxottica. The event brought together leading experts to share clinical perspectives and exchange insights on how imaging technologies, AI, and novel lens innovations can address evolving patient needs—while highlighting the combined technological and research strengths of both companies across the full eyecare spectrum.

We thank our customers, researchers, and partners for their continued trust in Heidelberg Engineering. We look forward to building on this momentum and further advancing eyecare together in 2026.