Alcon, Carl Zeiss, Bausch & Lomb Lead European Ophthalmic Device Sales Growth Despite EU Economic Turmoil

Cataract Diagnoses Expected to Rise by 2017 Across Europe

VANCOUVER, Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - According to a new report by iData Research (www.idataresearch.net), the leading global authority in medical device and pharmaceutical market research, the European diagnostic and interventional ophthalmic device market is expected to reach over $1 billion by 2017. Growth in this market will be fueled by increases in cataract, glaucoma and refractive surgeries, particularly in Germany, France and the U.K, which have been the most resilient to the recent European economic turmoil. New technologies in the optical coherence tomography (OCT) and intraocular lens (IOL) segments are also driving sales in this market.

"Improvements in resolution and performance of OCT devices from Carl Zeiss Meditec and Heidelberg Engineering are driving replacement sales in the mature markets of Germany and Italy, while growth is expected to accelerate in France and the U.K., which have been slower to adopt the technology," says Dr. Kamran Zamanian, CEO of iData. "The overall European ophthalmic device market will also be fueled by intraocular lens (IOL) and phacoemulsification console sales due to the rising incidence of cataracts associated with a growing elderly population. More than 50% of adults over the age of 75 are affected by cataracts, the leading cause of blindness world-wide."

The report states that Alcon, Abbott Medical Optics (AMO) and Bausch & Lomb controlled the majority of the lucrative European IOL market , which will be valued at over half a billion dollars by 2017. The companies have taken aggressive steps to compete with smaller, lower-priced IOL manufacturers, by bundling IOLs with phacoemulsification consoles at significant discounts. Additionally, sales of new, easy-to-use automatic Fundus Cameras from CenterVue and Nidek are expected to grow among opticians and optometrists. 

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iData's 4-report series on the "Markets for Diagnostic & Interventional Ophthalmics 2012" covers the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific. The report provides comprehensive analyses and forecasts for: OCT, IOLs, phacoemulsification, fundus-cameras, slit-lamp, Perimeters, tonometers, ultrasound systems, corneal-topographers, wavefront-aberrometers and more.

About iData Research

iData Research (www.idataresearch.net/idata/discoveridata.php) is an international market research and consulting group focused on providing market intelligence for medical device and pharmaceutical companies. iData covers research in: ophthalmics, diabetes, surgical equipment, and more.

SOURCE iData Research Inc.