Heidelberg Engineering
German ophthalmic imaging specialist. Primary global competitor to Carl Zeiss Meditec in retinal OCT. Reputation for research-grade optics + image quality + open-data philosophy (proprietary formats but with strong third-party integration).
Company history
- 1990 — founded in Heidelberg.
- 1990s — Heidelberg Retina Angiograph (HRA) — confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO) establishes the company.
- 2000s — Spectralis launches — combines cSLO + spectral-domain OCT in one device.
- 2010s–2020s — expansion into glaucoma imaging, widefield retinal imaging, OCT angiography.
Product line
- Spectralis family — cSLO + OCT + OCT-A + widefield imaging. Modular — customers buy the base unit + the modality modules they need.
- HRT3 — Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (confocal scanning laser glaucoma imaging; legacy).
Distinctive tech
- cSLO + OCT hybrid — Zeiss Cirrus is pure OCT; Heidelberg Spectralis combines cSLO and OCT in one acquisition. The cSLO gives high-contrast fundus image; OCT gives cross-section; they're registered to each other.
- Eye Tracking — real-time compensation during OCT acquisition; improves image stability in uncooperative patients.
- OCT-A (angiography without contrast) — dye-free vascular imaging.
Market position
Strong #2 globally in retinal OCT. Preferred in academic + research-heavy practices where image quality + data export matter more than throughput. Zeiss Cirrus is more common in high-volume general ophthalmology.