AMETEK Reichert® Announces Ocular Surface and Dry Eye Technology with Exclusive US Partnership Agreement

As previewed at the 2023 American Academy of Ophthalmology, Reichert Technologies®, a business of AMETEK, Inc. and global leader in designing, engineering, and manufacturing diagnostic devices for eye care, announced an exclusive partnership with SBM Sistemi of Italy to distribute SBM’s imaging and dry eye assessment and treatment devices in the United States. This wide and flexible range of devices make up the most comprehensive family of ocular surface assessment technologies available.

"The collaboration with Reichert is something we have wanted to achieve for a long time, and we are proud that it has come to fruition. We believe the experience of the Reichert team is the best way to bring the SBM product line to the US market,” states Michele Barberis, SBM Sistemi, President and Founder.

Traditional methods of diagnosing Dry Eye Diseases (DED) such as Schirmer strips and staining, are invasive, uncomfortable for patients, time consuming, and cumbersome for staff to administer. In addition, the results of such tests do not provide high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing the specific type of DED affecting patients, which is essential to optimizing treatment approaches.

The Reichert-SBM IDRA is the world’s most complete system for supporting dry eye diagnosis. IDRA evaluates all the tear film layers (Lipid, Aqueous, and Mucin) and the Meibomian Glands, to identify specific type of DED and provide personalized treatment recommendations relative to the patient’s needs. The IDRA and OS1000 ocular surface evaluation devices were uniquely designed for quick, painless, and non-invasive assessment of DED, providing accurate, reproducible and objective results. The Reichert-SBM OS1000 is an integrated diagnostic platform that combines a corneal topographer with DED assessment giving eye care professionals the ability to perform various DED and topography tests all with one device, increasing operational efficiency and minimizing capital expense for practices. The Reichert-SBM DEM100-DSLC200 is an anterior imaging camera system compatible with a wide range of slit lamps and is available with comprehensive DED assessment..

The products include patient and data management software that enables eye care professionals to review images and provide diagnoses instantaneously to their patients. Customized treatment recommendations, created by a unique algorithm, are also provided to the user.

In-office treatment is made easy for staff and highly effective for the patient with the Reichert-SBM ACTIVA, an innovative and non-invasive device that relieves symptoms caused by the Meibomian Glands Disfunction (MGD) and associated evaporative dry eye with controlled heating and micro-vibrations that stimulate the meibomian glands, increasing their functionality to provide significant and lasting symptom relief.

“The partnership with SBM Sistemi of Italy is a perfect fit for Reichert and will provide eye care practitioners and patients with unparalleled functionality and flexibility for managing dry eye disease,” states Ian Lee-Bennett, Reichert Technologies Division Vice President and Business Unit Manager. “This comprehensive family of dry eye assessment and treatment devices expands our world-leading portfolio and builds upon our wide range of trusted devices such as Phoroptor®, Tono-Pen®, and Ocular Response Analyzer®.”

Diagnosing and treating DED is a growing global concern and an important factor for maintaining the health of the ocular surface of a patient. Reichert and SBM are enthusiastic about this partnership and eager to enhance patient care with the Reichert-SBM IDRA, OS1000, DEM100-DSLC200 and ACTIVA devices.