Carl Zeiss Meditec debuts OCT systems, reports first cases in laser vision correction trial

Carl Zeiss Meditec (Dublin, CA) has added new optical coherence tomography (OCT) products to its existing Cirrus OCT family: The HD-OCT 5000 and 500 systems and the photo 800 and 600 integrated multimodality OCT and fundus imaging systems. All deliver clinical and workflow solutions for the diagnosis and management of glaucoma and retinal disease, from comprehensive practices to advanced subspecialty practices, explains Dr. Ludwin Monz, president and CEO. The Cirrus HD-OCT 5000 features the company's FastTrac retinal tracking, enabling high-resolution B-scans to be captured in identical locations from visit to visit, providing accurate assessment of change in targeted pathologies. FastTrac compensates for eye motion during scanning and can be optionally turned on to assist with poor fixators to optimize patient throughput. SriniVas Saddam, MD, director of the Medical Retina Service at Doheny Eye Institute (Los Angeles, CA), comments that the technology is helpful for removing any eye motion from larger cube scans without disturbing patient flow. And to meet the needs of advanced care, the system is configured with advanced RPE analysis to track retinal pigment epithelial integrity, and ganglion cell analysis to assess glaucomatous loss in the macula that may not be evident in the peripapillary region. The Cirrus HD-OCT 500 has a fast OCT camera to enable quick OCT fundus image refresh for efficient patient alignment. The Cirrus photo 800 and 600 multimodality systems feature mydriatic/non-mydriatic fundus imaging: Practitioners can correlate data from high-density OCT cubes, thickness, and layer maps with results from color fundus and angiography images in one imaging session without the need to move the patient. The Cirrus photo 800 supports advanced disease management with fluorescein and ICG angiography, color and fundus autofluorescence imaging, and OCT technology in an integrated imaging solution. The Cirrus photo 600 combines non-mydriatic color imaging and OCT with a fundus autofluorescence option, and is designed for comprehensive eye care practices needing efficient fundus imaging and essential OCT capabilities for assessment and management of a broad range of conditions. The Cirrus HD-OCT 5000 and 500 are immediately available for sale in the US and other markets, while the Cirrus photo 800 and 600 will be released globally in early 2013. Also, the company has treated the first 29 subjects in its US-based VisuMax IDE clinical trial with the ReLEx smile procedure for the correction of spherical myopia with the VisuMax femtosecond laser. The company received conditional approval from the FDA to initiate the clinical trial in April 2012. ReLEx smile is laser vision correction by small incision lenticule extraction developed by the company for refractive surgery. The procedure combines femtosecond laser technology and precise lenticule extraction for minimally invasive laser vision correction using the company's VisuMax femtosecond laser system. While in LASIK procedures the excimer laser vaporizes tissue, the ReLEx smile method generates a refractive lenticule in the intact cornea with the femtosecond laser. The surgeon then removes the lenticule through a <4 mm incision without needing to move the patient to an excimer laser. ReLEx smile, which is the first small incision, single-step, and all-femto vision correction, was launched internationally in September 2011. ----- Follow us on Twitter, 'like' us on Facebook, and join our group on LinkedInLaser Focus World has gone mobile: Get all of the mobile-friendly options here.Subscribe now to BioOptics World magazine; it's free!