Optovue Reaches Milestone with Placement of 1000th RTVue FD-OCT

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Optovue, a pioneer in optical coherence tomography (OCT), announced that the company has now shipped more than 1000 RTVue™ systems worldwide.

“The system gives us the resolution we need, together with image registration and excellent progression mapping. Plus it is easy for technicians to operate. In short, RTVue gives us the right package of functions for our clinical needs, at an acceptable price.”

In just two years since its introduction, RTVue has gained rapid acceptance by leading clinicians around the globe. RTVue is the first and only FDA-cleared spectral domain OCT capable of imaging both the front (cornea) and back (retina) of the eye in a single system. In addition, RTVue offers unprecedented analytical capabilities, allowing physicians to evaluate tissue at greater depths and with more detail than is possible with other commercially available systems. These functions, together with other proprietary features such as extensive normative databases, have helped establish RTVue as a clinical and market leader.

“When our practice considered the options for spectral domain OCT, we concluded that RTVue offered the best combination of performance and value,” said Lawrence Singerman, MD, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at Case Western University and a senior physician at Retina Associates of Cleveland, which purchased unit number 1000 along with three other RTVues. “The system gives us the resolution we need, together with image registration and excellent progression mapping. Plus it is easy for technicians to operate. In short, RTVue gives us the right package of functions for our clinical needs, at an acceptable price.”

A Strong 2008

This milestone comes at the end of a strong year for Optovue. Revenue has increased 80 percent over 2007, fueled by adoption both in the United States and abroad. Internationally, Optovue marked a number of achievements this year. Most recently, the company was granted marketing registration in China. With this clearance, Optovue now sells RTVue in every major market in Asia.

In addition, the company established its first European operations, based in Heidelberg, Germany. This step is part of Optovue's commitment to provide the same high quality service to its users in that region as the company is already known for in the United States.

“Our strong sales performance, even in the face of much larger competitors, speaks to the quality of our technology and our ability to meet the needs of clinicians,” said Jay Wei, the company’s CEO. “We may be the new company in this field, but we have great depth of experience in OCT. This combination has enabled us to bring a fresh perspective to OCT, and to create the most innovative, versatile technology available today.”

About Optovue (www.optovue.com)

Optovue Corp. is a privately held ophthalmic device company dedicated to working with eye care professionals and clinical researchers to lead the commercialization of new imaging modalities that improve diagnosis and therapy of ocular disease. Optovue has achieved widespread market success through a combination of unique data analysis design, a reputation for excellent customer service, and rapid innovation of its technology in response to physician feedback. The company is headquartered in Fremont, CA, with European operations in Heidelberg, Germany.