DUBLIN, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 29, 2016) - New Swept-Source OCT technology platform from ZEISS empowers leading clinical experts around the world to expand discovery in clinical research for retina. The Medical Technology Business Group of ZEISS announces receiving CE Mark approval for PLEX™ Elite 90001 which facilitates discovery of new clinical applications for the diagnosis and treatment of eye disease. ZEISS PLEX Elite 9000 expands researchers' ability to examine the critical retinal microstructures and microvasculature of the eye at any depth of interest (e.g. vitreous, retina and choroid) by providing OCT and OCT Angiography imaging that is fast, dense, wide and deep -- with visualization previously not possible with other technologies.

PLEX Elite 9000 from ZEISS, a powerful Swept-Source OCT platform, is offered as a clinical research technology at the core of the Advanced Retina Imaging network2 being introduced by ZEISS during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting May 1 - 6, 2016 in Seattle.

The Advanced Retina Imaging network is a unique global consortium of scientists from around the world working at the forefront of retinal disease research. Participating researchers will have access to the most up-to-date ZEISS technology and the opportunity to collaborate with peers in the network and with ZEISS. Each PLEX Elite imaging system in the network is maintained at the cutting edge with iterative hardware and software upgrades. Researchers are supported with an assigned ZEISS scientific liaison who will respond to technology needs for specific investigations.

PLEX Elite 9000 Swept-Source OCT is the latest and most advanced OCT innovation from ZEISS. This technology allows clinical researchers the potential to see deeper, wider and in more detail from the vitreous to the sclera in the posterior segment. The platform offers researchers the potential to assess early mechanisms for micro- and neo-vascularization, to explore the predictors of progression of retinal and choroidal pathology, to deepen the understanding of choroid physiopathology, and to evaluate mechanisms of retina and choroid response to therapy.

"Collaboration between scientific and medical researchers and industry brought OCT to real-world clinical practice. ZEISS introduced the first commercially available ophthalmic OCT in 1996. Now 20 years later, collaboration between clinical researchers and ZEISS is crucial again to bring OCT to the next level, to advance its applications and to make the next generation accessible for daily practice," stated Dr. Ludwin Monz, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG.

Furthermore, according to Dr. Monz, "Collaboration with leading experts has been and continues to be at the heart of our innovation process. The Advanced Retina Imaging network brings collaboration to a level not seen before and has the potential to open new frontiers of discovery in research, and to accelerate the development of innovations to benefit patients today and in the future."

1ZEISS PLEX Elite 9000 is CE Mark approved. Not FDA cleared. Not commercially available in the US. Investigational Use Only.
2 ZEISS PLEX Elite 9000 and the Advanced Retina Imaging network limited to select markets.

Brief profile
 Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ISIN: DE 0005313704), which is listed on TecDAX of the German stock exchange, is one of the world's leading medical technology companies. The Company supplies innovative technologies and application-oriented solutions designed to help doctors improve the quality of life of their patients. It provides complete packages of solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases, including implants and consumable materials. The Company creates innovative visualization solutions in the field of microsurgery. The medical technology portfolio of ZEISS is rounded off by promising future technologies such as intraoperative radiation therapy. With approximately 2,900 employees worldwide, the Group generated revenue of EUR 1,040 million in financial year 2014/2015 (to 30 September).

The Group's head office is located in Jena, Germany, and it has subsidiaries in Germany and abroad; more than 50 percent of its employees are based in the USA, Japan, Spain and France. The Center for Application and Research (CARIn) in Bangalore, India and the Carl Zeiss Innovations Center for Research and Development in Shanghai, China, strengthen the Company's presence in these rapidly developing economies. Around 35 percent of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG's shares are in free float. The remaining approx. 65 percent are held by Carl Zeiss AG, one of the world's leading companies in the optical and optoelectronic industries.

For more information visit our website at: www.zeiss.com/med

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