Opthalmologists can tell a great deal about someone's overall health just by looking into their eyes. From retinal detachments, cataracts and glaucomas to diseases such as cancer and diabetes, many serious conditions can be detected early on via eye exams. The major benefit is that these are cheap and non-invasive compared to many procedures.
Optos was set up in 1992 after founder Douglas Anderson's five-year-old son became blind in one eye. The firm is now the global leader in retinal diagnostics: more than 4,500 of its scanning machines are installed worldwide the majority in America. These instruments take wide-angle, high-resolution digital images (optomaps') of 82% of the retina. No other device can do this in a single picture. The devices are backed by a raft of clinical data, giving Optos a major competitive edge in this $2bn-$3bn market.
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