OptiMedica's new PASCAL Photocoagulator targets office-based ophthalmology practices

July 1, 2008 -- OptiMedica Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.), a global ophthalmic company, is debuting its new PASCAL Slim Line Photocoagulator this week at the World Ophthalmology Congress (Hong Kong, June 28 - July 2). Designed for office-based ophthalmology practices, the unit enables PASCAL pattern scanning in a compact design.

Representing an advancement from single-spot green laser photocoagulation, the PASCAL Method is a proprietary, semi-automated pattern generation technique that allows the rapid delivery of 532 nanometer laser pulses in a predetermined sequence. Indicated for a variety of retinal diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and retinal vascular occlusive disease, the PASCAL Method promises to dramatically improve physicians' control of the precision, safety and efficiency of the procedure, while optimizing patient comfort and convenience.

"Our initial experience with the PASCAL Slim Line has been excellent," said Tom Chang, M.D., Retina Institute of California. "The Slim Line delivers all of the functionality and performance of the original PASCAL product while offering the convenience of a much more compact form factor. I believe it will be well received by office-based practices like ours that value its full functionality, minimal space requirements and enhanced economics."

The PASCAL Slim Line is currently available in the United States and Japan and will be rolled out worldwide over Q4 2008. OptiMedica introduced its original PASCAL instrument, the Photocoagulator system -- which was originally developed at Stanford University -- in 2006.