Optos Provides Use of optomap® Retinal Exam for the Illinois State Fair
8/7/2008
MARLBOROUGH, MA, August 6, 2008 – Optos, a leading medical technology company for the design, development, manufacturing, and marketing of retinal imaging devices will provide its optomap® Retinal Exam at the Illinois State Fair for an Eye Scanning Event sponsored by the Illinois Optometric Association and the Illinois Diabetes Association. The Event will take place August 8-16, 2008 in the Senior Building.
“Early detection of retinal conditions, such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and glaucoma, leads to early and safe treatment and in many cases prevents vision loss,” said Michael Horstman, Executive Director, Illinois Optometric Association. “Last year we imaged over 2500 Fair attendees with the optomap® Retinal Exam and we are hoping to exceed that this year.”
Facts about Eye Disease
- Every five seconds one person in the world goes blind. A child goes blind every minute.
- More than 1.1 million Americans are legally blind. An additional 50,000 people lose their sight each year.
- The National Eye Institute estimates that of the approximately 10.5 million Americans who have diagnosed diabetes, between 40-45 percent have some degree of diabetic retinopathy.
- As many as 24,000 people go blind from diabetic retinopathy annually, making it a leading cause of blindness among working-age Americans.
“We are pleased to support the Illinois Optometric Association’s Scanning Event by providing the optomap® Retinal Exam to image people of all ages comfortably and quickly,” said Tom Daniells, Vice President, Marketing, Optos North America. “The optomap® Retinal Exam is beneficial for an event of this nature as it quickly and easily takes an image of the retina that the doctor can instantly review with the patient who is able to resume normal activities immediately.”
About Optos
Optos plc is a leading and rapidly growing medical technology company for the design, development, manufacturing and marketing of devices that image the retina, the light-sensitive area at the back of the eye. Optos' platform technology is the Panoramic200 Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope device - known as the P200. In a quarter of a second the P200 device produces a high resolution image of up to 200 degrees or approximately 82 percent of the retina in a single capture. The image - branded the optomap® Retinal Exam - provides eye care practitioners with clinically useful information that facilitates the early detection of disorders and diseases evidenced in the retina, such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. Retinal imaging can also indicate evidence of non-eye or systemic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers.
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Optos is incorporated in Scotland under the Companies Act 1985 with registered number SC139953. The Company maintains its Registered Office at Queensferry House, Carnegie Business Campus, Dunfermline, Scotland KY11 8GR United Kingdom.
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