Jena, Germany, October 22, 2004--Carl Zeiss Meditec and Laser Diagnostic Technologies (LDT), based in San Diego, CA, today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement for Carl Zeiss Meditec's acquisition of LDT yesterday evening. LDT invented and commercialized a new standard for glaucoma detection with its proprietary ocular nerve fiber measurement instrument.
LDT's main product GDx VCC is a dedicated glaucoma diagnosis and management tool. It complements the market presence of Carl Zeiss Meditec's STRATUSOCT which is a multipurpose retinal imaging system used not only for the diagnosis of glaucoma, but also for a wide array of conditions including AMD, diabetic retinopathy and pre-and post-cataract assessment. Thus, the GDx VCC targets especially at customers who do not require the full range of capacities as offered by the STRATUSOCT.
The global market for glaucoma products is expected to increase at an annual rate of over 10% as a result of the aging population and technology advances. Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness. Approximately three million Americans, and more than sixty million people worldwide, have glaucoma, but almost half are unaware that they have it. Carl Zeiss Meditec provides a complete line of functional diagnostic products, including the Humphrey Matrix and Humphrey Field Analyzer, which is recognized as the standard of care for diagnosis and management of glaucoma through measurement and tracking of changes in the visual field. Through the acquisition Carl Zeiss Meditec now offers the most comprehensive line of both structural and functional assessment tools for the diagnosis and management of glaucoma.