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DUBLIN,
Calif./BALTIMORE, Md., April 19, 2007 -- Carl
Zeiss Meditec AG and TBI/Tissue Banks International
are pleased to announce the installation of an OPMI®
VISU 140, donated by Carl Zeiss Meditec to The
National Eye Bank Center – TBI’s new
state-of-the-art facility in Memphis, Tenn. TBI will
be the first eye banking organization to utilize the
microscope, which is typically used in operating
rooms, to help in the evaluation and preparation of
corneal tissue for transplant.
The OPMI VISU will
be used primarily in the preparation of pre-cut
corneas and will allow technicians to perform tasks
including positioning, cutting, and marking the
cornea with greater accuracy.
Pre-cut corneas are
used in a revolutionary new surgery that represents
the first real changes in cornea transplants since
the development of storage media in the 1970s.
Known as Descement’s Stripping Automated Endothelial
Keratoplasty (DSAEK or DSEK) or Posterior Lamellar
Keratoplasty (PLK), these new procedures replace
only the damaged layers of a patient’s cornea with
health donor tissue. Avoiding the replacement of
the entire cornea offers patients some advantages
which can include quicker healing time.
“Nearly half of our
requests for corneal tissue are for these new
corneal transplant procedures and increasingly,
surgeons are asking TBI to prepare the tissue,” said
Gerald J. Cole, President and CEO of TBI. “The OPMI
VISU from Carl Zeiss Meditec provides our eye bank
staff with unprecedented visibility of the corneal
tissue they are cutting for surgeons, and has
already provided enhanced results for our
ophthalmologists.”
The OPMI® VISU 140
delivers the basic functions necessary for
physicians to perform efficient surgery. The main
lens and zoom optics are apochromatically corrected
and the co-axial illumination provides an excellent
red reflex. Additionally, in surgical applications,
the integrated UV filter delivers optimum protection
to the patient.
“We are grateful to
be the first eye banking facility working with Carl
Zeiss Meditec to expand the use of this microscope
beyond the operating room,” said The National Eye
Bank Center Medical Director, Thomas O. Wood, M.D.
“More precise graft preparation will enhance the
quality of TBI corneas, and allow for improved
outcomes for transplant recipients.”
The National Eye
Bank Center is a state-of-the-art facility designed
to centralize the screening, evaluation and shipping
of eye tissue for sight-restoring corneal transplant
surgery. The first such Center in the world, the
multi-million dollar project offers surgeons and
their patients the largest concentration of ocular
tissue and pre-cut grafts for ocular surgery.
Through centralized processing, The Center ensures
the tissue’s safety, quality, and rapid and
efficient distribution to surgeons and researchers
in the United States and overseas.
Primary among the
ocular tissues recovered by TBI eye banks is the
cornea, the clear piece of tissue at the front of
the eye. When damaged by disease, trauma or
inherited conditions, loss of sight can occur, but
often can be reversed through corneal
transplantation.
About Carl Zeiss
Meditec:
Built on an
unparalleled 160-year heritage of optical
innovation, Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (International
Securities Identification Number DE000531370) is one
of the world’s leading eye care solutions
providers.
Its product line
includes systems for the diagnosis and treatment of
the four main diseases of the eye: vision defects
(refraction), cataracts, glaucoma and retinal
disorders. The company has incorporated its
technological expertise into a stream of product
innovations throughout the years, from slit lamps
and fundus cameras; to the Humphrey® Field Analyzer,
recognized as the global standard for glaucoma
detection and management; to its newest applications
of lasers as embodied in its leading-edge MEL 80™
refractive laser, and innovative STRATUS OCT™ device
as an aid for glaucoma detection and management.
Since 2005, the company has also been present in the
market for intraocular lenses and consumables, and
now covers almost the entire value chain of
ophthalmic surgery. The company is looking to
continue its profitable growth in the future. The
acquisition of Carl Zeiss Surgical further
supplements the product portfolio in ophthalmic
surgery and opens up additional growth prospects in
neuro and ENT surgery. Carl Zeiss Surgical is the
world’s leading provider of visualization solutions
in the two named fields.
Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
is based in Jena, Germany, with subsidiaries in the
USA (Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc.), Japan (Carl Zeiss
Meditec Co., Ltd.), Spain (Carl Zeiss Meditec Iberia
S.A.) and France (IOLTECH S.A., Carl Zeiss Meditec
SAS). The rapidly aging global population and other
trends are expected to grow the ophthalmic market in
the long term. The company is focused on applying
innovative optical technologies to protect and
enhance vision now and into the future.
Thirty-five percent
of Carl Zeiss Meditec shares are in free float. The
remaining 65 percent are held by Carl Zeiss, one of
the world’s leading international groups engaged in
the optical and opto-electronics industry.
About TBI:
Non-profit TBI/Tissue
Banks International, founded as a single eye bank in
1962, today is a far-reaching network of associated
eye and tissue banks throughout the United States
and across the globe. Providing nearly 10,000
corneas annually, TBI is the largest single provider
of ocular tissue in the world. For additional
information about TBI and The National Eye Bank
Center, visit TBI’s website:
www.tbionline.org.
For further
information concerning this press release, contact:
For Tissue Banks
International:
For Carl Zeiss Meditec:
Kathleen C.
Terlizzese,
Amy Cook
410-752-3800
925-552-7893
kterlizzese@tbionline.org
amycook@amcpublicrelations.com
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