Fife-based takeover target Optos has shipped the first of a new generation of retinal imaging devices.
The Dunfermline-based firm, currently the subject of a £260 million bid by Japanese photography and imaging giant Nikon, yesterday said it had started to release California into the market.
The table-top device is capable of providing ultra-widefield images of the eye and features ICG scanning which is used for the diagnosis, management and treatment of conditions such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration for the first time.
The device has been several years in development, and chief executive Roy Davis said its market release was a milestone for the firm.
“We have begun shipments of our California devices as planned, demonstrating a tremendous company-wide achievement,” Mr Davis said.
“We have utilised the latest design, manufacturing and software technologies in California and continued our investment in clinical research to support this product launch.
“The addition of ICG in our newest UWF device provides retinal specialists and ophthalmologists with more imaging tools, allowing them to see and treat retinal pathology more effectively.
“California further supports our entry into the ophthalmology segment and aspiration to make optomap images a standard of care in this market.”
An early adopter of California, SriniVas R Sadda of the Doheny Eye Institute in America, said the new equipment represented a step forward for eye health.
“One of the great advantages of the Optos system has been the ability to capture the largest field of view in one image,” he said.
“The reality is that we didn’t know until we had ultra-widefield just how much disease was out in the far periphery.
“With the introduction of California, we have all of the current image modalities, with the added benefit of ICG angiography imaging.
“ICG is going to be huge because it is an important component in treating difficult disease such as uveitis.
“I’m particularly excited about the new improvements to the optical system.”