BOC Ophthalmic instruments will remain as the Australian distributor of Henson perimetry devices after they were sold to Japanese ophthalmic device company Topcon this month.
On 15 July, Topcon announced it had acquired the Henson line of perimetry products, including the Henson 9000 and 7000, from Elektron Eye Technology (EET), which is based in Cambridge in the UK.
The acquisitions include the transfer of a number of EET staff to Topcon, with manufacturing to continue in the UK. Topcon will also continue to work with academic, researcher and inventor Professor David Henson, whose expertise has driven the evolution of Henson instruments since 1986.
Sydney-based BOC has held a licensing agreement to distribute Henson perimeters for a number of years. However, Topcon has a distribution deal with a different Australian company, leaving questions over who may distribute the devices locally in future.
BOC national sales executive Mr Robin Lanesman said EET had informed him that BOC would continue to be the Australian distributer for the product line.
“We have been selling Henson perimeters for many years. The latest Henson 9000 is an excellent product,” he said.
According to Topcon, Henson perimeters are regarded in the eyecare sector for their accuracy, speed and ease of use. The Henson 9000 is the ideal perimeter for the early detection of glaucoma and the ongoing monitoring of established loss.
Meanwhile, the Henson 7000 is an affordable, lightweight, mobile model designed to perform suprathreshold glaucoma screening in the central field.
Commenting on the acquisition, Topcon Healthcare global vice president of marketing and product design Mr John Trefethen said: “The acquisition of the Henson range of products will provide us with the opportunity to strategically develop this area of the company’s product portfolio. With Topcon’s growing emphasis on screening and early disease detection, the Henson product range perfectly complements our global strategy.”
He added: “We look forward to working with Professor Henson and the talented team from EET to further develop this innovative product line, bringing critical glaucoma screening, monitoring and early disease detection tools to the global eye care community.”