MP Sir Mike Penning visits Heidelberg Engineering to promote World Glaucoma Week

27 March 2018

Hemel Hemstead, UK – Sir Mike Penning MP marked the start of World Glaucoma Week (11-17 March) when he called into his Hemel Hempstead constituency company Heidelberg Engineering which provides scanning technology for advanced eye health check.

Sir Mike had his eyes examined on the SPECTRALIS OCT (Optical Coherence Tomographer) which can reveal the first signs of eye disease years before they might become apparent to the patient. He was delighted to learn that he showed no signs of developing glaucoma – a leading cause of preventable blindness.

Krysten Williams, UK Director of Heidelberg Engineering explained –

“Sir Mike has highlighted the need for a regular eye health check as glaucoma – has no obvious signs in the early stages of the disease. As pressure builds in the eye, the optic nerve can be irreversibly damaged, but the patient is not normally aware of this happening. The patient may not even notice vision loss because the brain cleverly compensates for any missing information. This is why regular screening is so important.”

Sir Mike toured the company’s training centre, met staff and learned about the company’s mission to support a sustainable healthcare model that devolves early detection and monitoring of eye disease into the community. This would facilitate treatment at the right time to combat avoidable sight loss.

“As Sir Mike has a keen interest in healthcare, it was a great opportunity to discuss the effects of vision loss and the tremendous opportunities to use the latest image management technologies to reduce the growing burden of an ageing population on the health service with distributed care models,” added Krysten.

Sir Mike said –

“It was fascinating to visit Heidelberg Engineering and learn about how their advanced scanning technology is helping prevent blindness through identification of patients with the early stages of glaucoma. I would encourage everyone to have regular eye checks whether they think they need new glasses or not!”

Visit www.spectralis-eyehealthcheck.co.uk to find out more about the SPECTRALIS eye health check for glaucoma.

Macular Nutrition is Highlighted at Optrafair

23 March 2018

Hemel Hemstead, UK – The significance of macular nutrition for good eye health comes into sharp focus at Optrafair with a CET lecture from Professor John Nolan, BSc, PhD, who leads international research in this field.

Sponsored by Heidelberg Engineering, the insight into current understanding of macular pigment significance, takes place on Sunday 15^th April at the NEC, Birmingham show. Places are booking up fast so registering is recommended via www.optrafair.co.uk/education/cet-theatre

Following several years of research, Professor Nolan will share his internationally respected findings of how the macular pigment influences ocular health and cognitive function. Guidance on how to interpret clinical trial data and the impact on visual and cognitive performance will be covered, as well as how assessing macular nutrition could motivate patients to consider positive lifestyles changes.

Christopher Mody, Heidelberg Engineering Professional Services Manager, explained –

“There is a lot of clinical noise about macular nutrition, but we are bringing to Optrafair a world class authority on the subject who will provide much needed clarity. Professor Nolan will summarise the novel protocol for using dual wavelength auto-fluorescence for assessing macular nutrition. Using data from the European Research Council funded CREST clinical trials he will make recommendations on using this knowledge to take a more holistic approach to patient care.”

Heidelberg Engineering will have a strong presence at Optrafair and its team of experts will be on hand to discuss all aspects of monitoring eye health from High Street optometry practices.

Tim Cole joins the Heidelberg Engineering Academy Team

19 October 2017

Hemel Hempstead, UK – Heidelberg Engineering has recruited imaging expert Tim Cole – known to many in the optical profession for his OCT knowledge.

Following six years with Topcon, Tim joins Heidelberg Engineering as Clinical Market Development Manager and will be supporting Christopher Mody, Director of Clinical Affairs , in educating clinicians and supporting their research projects.

Tim, who trained as an NHS Ophthalmology photographer at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, is highly impressed with the Heidelberg Engineering technology –

“The SPECTRALIS is amazing. I always knew it to be an exceptional piece of technology and the more I have learned about its functionality the more amazed I am. The precision of SPECTRALIS in capturing confocal scanning laser images of the retina surpasses anything that I have ever seen before.”

Tim, who is well known in both the High Street optometry world and the eye hospital community, has been warmly welcomed by the Heidelberg Engineering team, as UK Director Krysten Williams, said:

“We are very focused on strengthening our Academy team to hold our position as leaders in clinical education. Tim comes to us with quite a pedigree and will help us with education at every level from research, to clinic, and High Street optometry.”

To learn more about the Heidelberg Engineering Academy please contact: 01442 502 330

Specsavers and Heidelberg Engineering set to transform Community Eyecare in the UK

29 September 2017

Hemel Hempstead, UK – Heidelberg Engineering has designed the SPECTRALIS SPIRIT, a bespoke OCT imaging platform – which achieves high definition images in just three clicks – to support Specsavers’ ambition to offer patients a choice of the best possible technology in their eye examination by installing an OCT in every practice.

The new SPECTRALIS SPIRIT is set to transform eyecare in the community at a time when hospital services are increasingly stretched. Providing excellent image quality, accuracy and reproducibility, it measures up to one micron of change over time – which sets the technology apart from competitors. With an emphasis on glaucoma diagnosis and care, the SPECTRALIS SPIRIT uses highly sensitive and specific parameters for early detection of glaucoma, minimising false positive referrals and providing the clinician with an easy-to-interpret traffic light signal report.

To understand how the Specsavers’ partnership integrates with the existing SPECTRALIS business, Krysten Williams, Director of Heidelberg Engineering UK, stressed the differentiation of the two models and the roles they play –

“In past years the challenge was to find and design an imaging solution to meet the demand for a high-volume retail environment, and to ensure that both optometrists and ophthalmologists can embrace shared care with confidence,” said Krysten Williams.

“This strategic move is a highly significant contribution to advancing eyecare in the community. Those who have already invested in the SPECTRALIS platform can be confident that the full range of functionality and imaging modalities of the retinal specialists’ OCT of choice, as well as their own expertise continues to set them apart.”

“We have just one ophthalmologist per 50,000 people in the UK. By comparison, in Germany the figure is one per 11,100 people. High Street optometry could help to relieve the burden on hospital eye departments, who are faced with an ageing demographic, and an alarming rise in age-related eye disease. For over 6 years Heidelberg Engineering UK has been dedicated to providing high level clinical education to optometrists and we have seen those who invested in technology and their own education raise the standard of patient care in their community.“

“The collaboration with Specsavers raises the bar for diagnostic technology and education in all Specsavers practices and, in turn, encourages the NHS to recognise the profession as the logical choice for commissioning and paying for services provided in the community. The business opportunity for diagnosis and care is here for the entire profession to seize. The SPECTRALIS SPIRIT is available to all optometrists, allowing them to build their clinical confidence by starting with the essentials of OCT and upgrading to additional imaging modalities that enhance their clinical decision making as their practice grow.”

Paul Morris, Specsavers’ Optometrist Director of Professional Advancement, spoke of the enthusiasm of Specsavers ‘practices to roll out OCT, and the company’s “significant” investment in training –

“OCT is the future of optometry. Our partners have shown a passion for the opportunity to offer the latest in imaging technology to better identify and manage the long-term eye health of patients. Our relationship with Heidelberg Engineering is new, but the quality of their OCT devices needs no explanation as the company is synonymous with leading-edge technology. I am confident that we will have a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

If you have questions about Heidelberg Engineering’s partnership with Specsavers or about the SPECTRALIS SPIRIT please call 01442 502 330 or email Info-UK@HeidelbergEngineering.com

New study proves advantages of MultiColor imaging over fundus photography for early diagnosis and monitoring of AMD

25 September 2017

Heidelberg, Germany – A research group from the Centre for Public Health at the Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has just published the results of a study comparing SPECTRALIS^® MultiColor imaging and traditional color fundus photography for the detection of features of early and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study’s findings demonstrate the benefits of SPECTRALIS MultiColor imaging for increased sensitivity and specificity.

The study, which was published digitally in August and will appear in the November issue of Retina, is titled: “Identifying features of early and late AMD: A comparison of MultiColor versus traditional color fundus photography”. The authors are Katie W. Graham, Usha Chakravarthy, Ruth E. Hogg, K. Alyson Muldrew, Ian S. Young and Frank Kee, all of the Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The goal of the study was to compare the MultiColor Module of the SPECTRALIS diagnostic imaging platform to color fundus photography (CFP), which is currently considered the gold standard examination for the recognition and classification of features of early and late AMD. The SPECTRALIS MultiColor Module, on the other hand, is a newer imaging modality which utilizes confocal scanning laser technology with light of discrete wavelengths instead of standard optics and white light to visualize the retina.

MultiColor was proven to have higher sensitivity than CFP for the detection of early AMD features using a sample of 105 eyes. In cases with discrepancies, an analysis of OCT also showed better agreement with MultiColor for all AMD lesions, with the exception of hemorrhage and non-geographic atrophy hypopigmentation. For pigment clumping, CFP and MultiColor were in equal agreement to OCT.

MultiColor imaging was able to identify soft drusen in 85%, reticular drusen in 83%, and atrophy and fibrosis in 100% of cases where these abnormalities were seen on CFP. However, when using MultiColor as the basis for analysis, CFP was less sensitive. In this analysis, soft drusen were identified in only 58%, reticular drusen in 28%, atrophy in 83%, and fibrosis in 68% of the cases where such changes were seen on MultiColor images.

“This systematic analysis of color fundus photography versus MultiColor demonstrated the robustness of MultiColor imaging in the detection of early AMD features. The ability to delineate atrophy and fibrosis in late stage AMD gives added value in the clinical setting, as these components of the wet AMD lesion have an important impact on visual function”, said Usha Chakravarthy, Professor of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Other clinicians also familiar with the MultiColor Module appreciate its advantages: “With the advent of MultiColor imaging we can obtain high-resolution fundus images for a precise study of the morphometric changes of the retina and combine them with structural OCT scans of up to 55 degrees. This gives us the possibility to monitor changes from visit to visit in both imaging modalities. In addition, at our clinic we can even obtain an OCTA over a MultiColor image, selecting the area of particular interest. And all of that, without having the patient moving from one system to another”, said Roberto Gallego-Pinazo, MD, Retina Specialist of the Macula Unit at Oftalvist in Valencia, Spain.

See structure at different depths

MultiColor is able to achieve such sensitivity and specificity due to its confocal scanning laser imaging technology, which uses three laser wavelengths (blue, green and infrared) simultaneously to provide diagnostic images that show distinct structures at different depths within the retina. As a result, the high-resolution MultiColor images can be used to detect and delineate structures and pathologies not visible on ophthalmoscopy and fundus photography.

MultiColor images can and should ideally be visualized both as a composite image combining all three wavelengths and also as individual blue, green and infrared reflectance images. Each of the three reflectance images offers unique details due to the penetration depth and reflectance properties of each individual wavelength used. The infrared reflectance image shows deeper structures in the choroid and the retinal pigment epithelium. The green reflectance image is useful for examining blood, blood vessels, and exudates. The blue reflectance image is best for identifying changes in superficial retinal structures, like epiretinal membranes or retinal nerve fiber layer defects.

MultiColor as part of a multimodal approach

“It is encouraging to see the clinical significance of the MultiColor Module proven in a large study related to a prevalent pathology such as AMD. Beyond the clinical value, clinicians also appreciate the fact that MultiColor images can be acquired through undilated pupils and in patients with media opacity or even nystagmus. While we don’t see MultiColor as a substitute for color fundus photography, which remains useful for documentation purposes, it is a particularly useful diagnostic tool that can be combined with other imaging modalities”, said Dr. Kester Nahen, Managing Director at Heidelberg Engineering.

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SPECTRALIS OCT Angiography Module update enhances speed and expands the field of view

23 June 2017

Hemel Hempstead, UK – Heidelberg Engineering has released an update for the SPECTRALIS OCT Angiography Module, which is now available to all new and existing customers. New benefits include a significantly faster image processing time and the ability to customise the field of view of the OCTA image to suit the level of detail required for clinical assessment. The field of view ranges from a high resolution 10°x10° at 5.7µm/pixel lateral resolution, which is suitable for indicating the presence or absence of flow in even the smallest capillaries, to a full field view of 30°x15° at 11µm/pixel.

“The unique algorithm utilised in the OCT Angiography Module for SPECTRALIS separates vascular flow from structure using a sophisticated statistical analysis that, put simply, assigns flow as white and structure as black in the image” explains Christopher Mody, Director of Clinical Services. “This approach, combined with patented TruTrack Active Eye Tracking, ensures there are no grey areas of uncertainty in the OCTA image and produces the highest resolution OCTA images in any field of view.”

Also included in the update is the fusion of high resolution OCT images with flow. The flow is colour-coded as yellow on the OCT image to allow the clinician to visualise its precise location in abnormal vessels to aid assessment of pathology.

Visit www.spectralis-oct-angiography.com or email info-UK@HeidelbergEngineering.com to find out more.

Flex Module for the SPECTRALIS used in first human aqueous angiography study

21 June 2017

Hemel Hempstead, UK – A pilot study, headed by Dr Alex Huang, Doheny Eye Institute, USA, has confirmed the efficacy of live aqueous angiography on human patients in need of cataract surgery. Using the Flex Module for SPECTRALIS, the study demonstrated the ability to safely perform such a procedure, allowing for refinement of the surgical techniques needed in order to develop a concrete protocol for the next phase of the trial. The results of this study further confirmed the outcomes of previous ex-vivo and in-vivo non-human primate studies.

SPECTRALIS Flex Module, with its movable stand and an adjustable arm, enables all SPECTRALIS examinations, using any imaging modality, to be performed on patients lying down in the supine position. “Minimally invasive trabecular bypass/ablation glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) have shown intraocular pressure reduction, but the magnitude is variable and unpredictable” explains Christopher Mody, Director of Clinical Services. “Now that we can examine individual patients with the SPECTRALIS Flex Module to understand the physiology of aqueous humor outflow pathways, it may be possible to enhance the magnitude of intraocular pressure lowering and its predictability.”

The next phases of Aqueous Angiography research will aim to determine outflow differences between glaucomatous eyes and those without glaucoma. Dr. Huang and his research team also intend to show whether Aqueous Angiography-guided MIGS placement is feasible and whether such a procedure reveals improvement in outflow pathways and potential enhancement in efficacy of MIGS.

The Flex Module will be available for delivery in June 2017. Find out more about other applications for the new Flex Module for the SPECTRALIS Imaging Platform by emailing info-UK@HeidelbergEngineering.com.

Heidelberg Engineering strengthens its support team

19 June 2017

Hemel Hempstead, UK – Heidelberg Engineering has expanded its support team with several new appointments in order to enhance the customer experience and maintain excellent technical support standards.

John Tudor and Kevin Hughes have joined the company as Technical Support Managers for the Central and Northern regions of the country respectively. They bring a combined 30 years of experience to the team and are dedicated to providing gold-standard support to customers in their regions. In addition, Debi Robson has been appointed Customer Experience Coordinator. She brings over 13 years’ experience in project management and logistics and will provide customers with a single point of contact for all helpdesk, contracts and order processing enquiries at the head office.

Overseeing this growing team is Phill Ennion, who has taken on the role of Technical Services Manager. Phill brings over 15 years’ experience with Heidelberg Engineering to his new role. “I am excited to be expanding the Heidelberg Engineering UK team”, explains Phill. “We are excited about the combined wealth of experience the new additions to the team will bring, which will ensure we continue to provide the high level of care our customers expect and deserve. The new members of staff will look after our customers Heidelberg Engineering instruments as well as provide networking and I.T. support to ensure smooth clinic workflow”.

To find out more about career opportunities with a highly dynamic and versatile company please visit: http://careers.heidelbergengineering.co.uk/

Record numbers attend annual Heidelberg Engineering Academy Masterclass

13 June 2017

Hemel Hempstead, UK – Over 100 eye care professionals attended the 6^th Annual Heidelberg Engineering Academy Masterclass, making it the company’s biggest Masterclass yet. The popular event, which took place at the historic Royal Liver Building in Liverpool, showcased the latest innovations in non-invasive vascular imaging of the retina.

Dr Pearse Keane from Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, chaired the evening whilst Professor Usha Chakravarthy from Queens University Belfast, and Dr Roberto Gallego-Pinazo from Oftalvist Valencia, Spain, presented the latest research on MultiColor imaging and OCT Angiography. A highlight of the Masterclass was the OCT LIVE segment, where two real patients from the Royal Liverpool University Hospital were scanned live on the big screen in front of the audience using the SPECTRALIS Imaging Platform. The audience and speaker panel were invited to discuss their thoughts on the patient’s diagnosis and a lively debate ensued.

“OCT, MultiColor, autofluorescence and OCT angiography imaging were all performed live in front of the audience and compared to baseline scans”, explains Christopher Mody, Director of Clinical Services. “Doctors called out requests for additional imaging on the patients, including customised OCT scan placement and autofluorescence, which we were able to perform on the spot for them. It was a unique experience and it was clear that the multimodal imaging approach increased the clinician’s certainty in the diagnosis.”

It was concluded that the first patient had proliferative diabetic retinopathy and ischemic maculopathy and the second patient has dry and neovascular AMD. The patient volunteers stated that they found the event fascinating and they both independently made the decision to selflessly donate their honorariums to sight care charities.

The next OCT LIVE event from Heidelberg Engineering will be on the subject of glaucoma and optic neuropathies and will take place on Friday 28^th and Saturday 29^th July at Plymouth University. Contact Paul Artes to register: paul.artes@plymouth.ac.uk

Dr. Massimo Fazio receives 2017 Xtreme Research Award

6 June 2017

Heidelberg, Germany – Massimo Fazio, PhD, a biomechanics and mechanobiology researcher at the Department of Ophthalmology in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) received the award at an event held by Heidelberg Engineering during ARVO’s Annual Meeting in Baltimore.

Dr. Fazio has a background in mechanical engineering, and as part of the UAB Ocular Biomechanics and Mechanobiology group his work primarily focuses on developing advanced image processing algorithms and custom optical devices in order to investigate the biomechanics and morphology of ocular tissue in glaucoma and myopia.

At the award ceremony, Dr. Fazio presented a riveting lecture entitled “In-vivo Quantification of Biomechanics and Morphometry across Ocular Disease”, which illustrated how custom methods of image analysis combined with unique imaging modalities are applied to human and animal models. These methods set the stage for novel imaging tools that may aid in the diagnosis of various ocular diseases.

With the annual Xtreme Research Award, Heidelberg Engineering intends to honor cutting-edge research for the advancement of ophthalmic care. This year, Dr. Fazio’s work was recognized for its contribution to identifying novel imaging biomarkers that take into account the dynamic biomechanical response of ocular tissues to intraocular pressure. This response is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of glaucoma and myopia.

Although still in its early stages, Dr. Fazio’s research aims to develop imaging methods that can enhance the current OCT-based diagnostic parameters and offer customized analyses that may be predictive of future damage. One such method is the use of a simple and quick image scanning protocol that can assess each eye’s unique mechanical response by the optic nerve head to IOP changes. The evaluation of such changes offers shear strain values that may be indicative of the eye’s susceptibility to damage due to diurnal IOP variations and of future visual field loss. If this hypothesis is proven true, customized measurements of characteristics such as retinal nerve fiber layer, lamina cribrosa shifts, and peripapillary sclera changes could lead to improved glaucomatous OCT parameters and diagnostically sensitive predictive factors.

“The imaging capabilities achieved by the SPECTRALIS OCT allowed us to visualize and quantify the complex biomechanical behavior of ocular tissue in-vivo and in real-time. This quantification has never been done before. Quantitative eye-specific analyses that were only achievable in a research environment are soon going to be transferred to daily clinical practice. I believe that with the widespread use of new OCT technologies, we’ll soon witness a radical shift on how we diagnose and treat debilitating ocular diseases”, said Dr. Fazio.

“Moving forward, we would like to provide a diagnostic imaging platform to offer a suite of diagnostic parameters that extend beyond static measures and are customized to each eye’s unique anatomy. We are excited about Dr. Fazio’s research project and hope that such tools will enable clinicians to better predict their diagnostic and treatment outcomes, offering the opportunity to make more informed decisions with higher clinical confidence,” said Ali Tafreshi, Director of Clinical Research, Heidelberg Engineering.

For that purpose, Heidelberg Engineering’s Research and Development team supports Dr. Fazio and the UAB Ocular Biomechanics and Mechanobiology group as well as other leading scientists eager to enhance OCT-based diagnostic parameters. Heidelberg Engineering aims to expand its collaborative efforts with a growing number of researchers around the world to offer novel OCT-based methods geared towards individualized assessment of various ocular pathologies such as glaucoma.