system-familyZeissOphthalmic OCTfamily: cirrus

Zeiss Cirrus OCT (family)

Carl Zeiss Meditec's dominant ophthalmic OCT platform — spectral-domain OCT for retinal imaging, glaucoma assessment (RNFL, ganglion-cell analysis), and anterior-segment imaging. Installed in essentially every U.S.-based ophthalmology practice of meaningful volume; the de facto reference platform for clinical retinal OCT. Recent generation (Cirrus 6000) adds swept-source-like acquisition rate and integrated OCT-A (angiography) as standard.

History

  • 2007 — Cirrus HD-OCT launches; spectral-domain successor to time-domain Stratus OCT.
  • 2010s — Cirrus HD-OCT 4000 / 5000 generations dominate U.S. retinal-clinic installed base.
  • 2018 — Cirrus 6000 launches with 100,000 A-scans / sec acquisition rate and OCT-Angiography as standard.
  • 2020s — continued software / analytics evolution; AnalyzPlus, OCT-A workflow, AI-assisted glaucoma progression.

Variants

  • Cirrus HD-OCT 4000 — common refurb unit; widely deployed in community ophthalmology.
  • Cirrus HD-OCT 5000 — successor, expanded macular scan, faster acquisition.
  • Cirrus 6000 — current, ~100k A-scans / sec, OCT-A standard, expanded scan widths.

Shared platform characteristics

  • Spectral-domain OCT (Cirrus 6000 is faster-SD with swept-source-like throughput).
  • FastTrac motion correction during acquisition.
  • Zeiss Forum PACS-equivalent integration for ophthalmology imaging.
  • AnalyzPlus analytics package — RNFL analysis, ganglion-cell analysis, macular cube.
  • Normative databases for RNFL, macular thickness, and ganglion-cell layer.

Distinctive technology

  • Workflow speed — Cirrus is engineered for high-volume ophthalmology throughput; in many clinics it's the default device on every exam-room workflow.
  • OCT-Angiography — dye-free retinal vascular imaging on Cirrus 6000.
  • Angle Analysis and anterior-segment modules on configured units.
  • Cube scan — volumetric retinal acquisition with multi-plane analysis.

Market position

Top-tier globally in retinal OCT. Cirrus dominates U.S. retinal-clinic installed base; Heidelberg Spectralis is the strongest direct competitor (cSLO + OCT hybrid, academic-tier preference). Topcon Triton / Maestro hold significant Asia-Pacific share; Optovue / Nidek round out the global category.

Refurb posture

  • Cirrus 4000 / 5000 dominate the refurb / practice-turnover market — large supply, mature parts, software-version status as the price-determining variable.
  • Cirrus 6000 refurb supply is smaller as the installed base is younger; OCT-A licensing transfers with the unit.
  • Vendor lock-in on serial patient comparison — Cirrus-to-Cirrus refurb preserves clinic data continuity; cross-vendor migration breaks longitudinal records.
  • Software version drives analytics-package availability — outdated software constrains clinical use.

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