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LONDON, UK, 30 July 2009 – Optos plc (LSE: OPTS), a leading retinal imaging company, today publishes its Interim Management Statement for the nine month period ended 30 June 2009.

Highlights

• Good progress continues on strategic changes
  o Strategically important new agreement with VSP Global to drive increased usage in existing sites and increase patient awareness
  o Restructuring complete; new territory-based sales structure in place, cost reductions achieved
  
  
• Pay per patient revenue up 3% to $70.0 million (2008: $68.2M)
  o 97% of revenue generated from core pay-per-patient business model (2008: 93%)
  o 3,735 customers operating on the pay-per-patient model (2008: 3,638)
  o 85% customer contract renewal rate for the period (2008: 89%)
  
  
• Total revenue of $72.2 million (2008: $73.1M)
  o Reflects focus on pay-per-patient revenues and reduced emphasis on capital sales.

Trading Update

The Group has continued to trade in line with expectations for the full year. Core pay per patient revenues at $70.0 million for the nine month period are in line with achieving the target of over $90 million for the full year. Total revenues in the period of $72.2 million declined 1% reflecting the Group’s focus on its core pay-per-patient business model and its reduced emphasis on capital sales.

The customer renewal rate has strengthened further since the half year and now stands at 85% over nine months, well ahead of the full year target of over 80%.  The addition of new customers is being much more carefully assessed in line with the updated strategic aims announced earlier in the year. Accordingly the total number of customers operating on the pay-per-patient business model has seen a modest decline over the third quarter to the current level of 3,735 (3,788 at the end of Q2).

Update on strategy

In February 2009 we announced an update to our strategy including a priority of increasing the utilisation of the devices currently installed. Since that time a number of actions have been taken that will contribute to that goal including:

• The implementation of a new, single global sales structure with remuneration and incentives packages aimed at driving utilisation;
• A new customer service function to support the efforts of the sales team; and
• An important new agreement with VSP, the largest eye health insurance provider in the US with 55 million members and 26,000 provider doctors that will help drive the adoption of optomap^® eye examinations amongst both VSP members and doctors.

The company will announce results for the full year ending 30 September 2009 on December 2009.

Roy Davis, Chief Executive Officer, commented:
“We now have the business clearly focused on our core optometry market. Restructuring is complete and we have delivered overhead reductions at the top end of our 10-20% target range. The new organisation put into place in the first half is already rising to the challenge of delivering improved business performance over the medium term and I am particularly pleased that we have secured an agreement with VSP that provides a platform for increasing asset utilisation and targeted future installations.

”Optos is making good progress in the current challenging environment and we remain firmly on track to achieve our targets for the full year”

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Enquiries

Optos plc Roy Davis, CEO	+44 (0)1383 843 316
Maitland Neil Bennett Brian Hudspith	+44 (0)20 7379 5151

About Optos Plc

Optos plc is a leading retinal imaging company with a vision to be recognised as the leading provider of retinal diagnostics through leveraging its unique wide-field imaging technology. The company has built an extensive installed base for its technology among healthcare professionals under its pay-per-patient business model. This provides an excellent position from which to focus on its core optometry business and expand into ophthalmology in a measured way.

For more information please visit our website www.optos.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts but rather are based on the Company's current expectations, estimates and projections about its industry, its beliefs and assumptions. Words such as 'anticipates,' 'expects,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'believes,' 'seeks,' 'estimates,' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company's control, are difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements. The Company cautions shareholders and prospective shareholders not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the view of the Company only as of the date of this announcement. The forward-looking statements made in this announcement relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. The Company will not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions or updates to these forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or unanticipated events occurring after the date of this announcement except as required by law or by any appropriate regulatory authority.