SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH develops, produces and markets devices for the treatment of

ametropia Refractive error, also known as refraction error, is a problem with focusing light accurately on the retina due to the shape of the eye and or cornea. The most common types of refractive error are near-sightedness, far-sightedness, astigmatism, ...

e and

corneal disease The cornea is the transparency (optics), transparent front part of the human eye, eye that covers the Iris (anatomy), iris, pupil, and Anterior chamber of eyeball, anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and Lens (anatomy), lens, the c ...

s consisting of

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

systems, diagnostic systems, software for individual treatment planning and a microkeratome. The owner-operated enterprise, based in

Kleinostheim Kleinostheim is a community in the Aschaffenburg district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Lower Franconia (''Unterfranken'') in Bavaria, Germany. Geography Location The community of Kleinostheim is about 40 kilometers east southeast of Frankfur ...

near

Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; South Franconian: ''Aschebersch'') is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is its administrative seat. Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, employs more than 100 people and distributes its products in more than 120 countries worldwide. Customers include ophthalmic surgeons, eye clinics, laser centers, and university hospitals. Three months after announcing its intention to acquire the company, Adagia Partners completed the purchase of Schwind eye-tech-solutions in February 2022 for an undisclosed amount.

History

Named after its founder, the enterprise was registered in 1958 as Herbert Schwind GmbH & Co. KG in the

trade register. Founded in 1964, the subsidiary Titmus Eurocon specialized in the development of

contact lens Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmetic ...

es. In 1972, with the introduction of the first soft contact lenses, Titmus Eurocon brought a world novelty to the market. Titmus Eurocon was sold in 1982 to the Swiss group Ciba Geigy (

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

). In the following years, Schwind eye-tech-solutions made a decisive turn from diagnostic technology supplier for ophthalmologic practices to the development of innovative technology in laser systems for refractive and therapeutic corneal surgery. In 2007 the company introduced a new

excimer laser An excimer laser, sometimes more correctly called an exciplex laser, is a form of ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of microelectronic devices, semiconductor based integrated circuits or "chips", eye surgery, and microm ...

generation, the Schwind Amaris, which is the first and only laser system worldwide to combine all available modern refractive technologies in one system. Since then, the Schwind Amaris product family has been enhanced continuously. Today, Schwind Amaris laser systems compete successfully in a market otherwise dominated by multinational, market-listed corporations. The latest Amaris evolution features, with 1050 Hertz, the second after Optosystems Microscan (1100 Hertz) the highest available pulse repetition rate on the market of

s today. In 2013, Schwind concluded an agreement to license the Schwind Amaris platform to the Alphaeon Corporation for marketing and FDA approval in the United States.

SmartSurfACE

Schwind recently enhanced the Schwind AMARIS firmware to include a new feature called "SmartSurfACE", a laser spot optimization algorithm, developed in conjunction with Dr. David T.C. Lin in Vancouver, Canada. SmartSurfACE provides for an exceptionally smooth stromal surface post-ablation, which accelerates re-epithelialization and dramatically reduces discomfort. The results of this stromal smoothing optimization have been nothing short of spectacular, with transepithelial PRK (transPRK) patients seeing better immediately after surgery than they would after one month with a previous treatment algorithm. In the words of Dr. Lin, Pacific Laser Eye Center, Vancouver, Canada, patients are routinely seeing better immediately after surgery than they did with their glasses prior to surgery. Third party studies are now confirming the previously published results of the company's consultants.

Awards

For its innovations, Schwind was awarded various national and international prizes since 2008, for example the German "Industriepreis 2008" in the medical technology category, the "

Gusi Peace Prize The Gusi Peace Prize is a private award given by the Gusi Peace Prize Foundation, based in Manila, Philippines. The Gusi Peace Prize is given to recognize individuals and organizations who contribute to global peace and progress through a wide var ...

2008", the " Medical Design Excellence Award 2008" in Gold as well as the German "TOP 100 most innovative companies 2008" and "Germany Land of Ideas - Selected Landmark 2009" awards.

References

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External links

Official Website
Companies based in Bavaria 1958 establishments in West Germany Health care companies established in 1958 Medical technology companies of Germany Laser medicine 2022 mergers and acquisitions