We focus this month on Haag-Streit, a medical device company, and recently had the pleasure to hear from Jeff Sieve, CEO and president.

JEFF SIEVECEO AND PRESIDENT, HAAG-STREIT

Mr. Sieve, please tell us about your company in terms of its history and direction.

The foundation for the company began back in 1858 in Bern, Switzerland. There were two precision mechanics there, Hermann Studer and Friedrich Hermann, who partnered with the University of Bern and quickly created a foundation for the company that was built with a focus on high-quality and precision instrumentation.

The company’s focus on eye care, specifically, took shape back in the 1930s, led by Wilhelm Haag—hence the name. From this point forward, the Haag-Streit brand and name became synonymous with excellence in quality and precision, as well as for legendary optics. It’s based on this that Haag-Streit created the first slit lamp in 1933. Our slit lamps continue to be really recognized as the gold standard in slit lamp technology in the marketplace.

In the 1940s, in conjunction with Dr. Hans Goldmann, Haag-Streit earned a leading role in the development and standardization of perimetry. Today, the Octopus Perimeter is well regarded for its clinical excellence in visual field testing.

Back in the 1960s, Haag-Streit expanded into the U.S. market, creating Haag-Streit USA.

In the ’80s, the company acquired Reliance Medical Products, which are widely considered to be the ultimate in exam chairs and stands in the United States.

Further innovation came later with the development of the Lenstar biometer. Our most recent addition to the portfolio occurred with the acquisition of VRmagic, which is now known as Haag-Streit Simulation. It has really raised the bar of what’s possible with clinical and surgical education.

We continue to uphold our commitment to the highest levels of quality and precision and innovation. We are constantly looking for new ways to help elevate the level of technology and the patient care benefits that come with that in both optometry and ophthalmology.

Tell us about any new developments in which Haag-Streit is involved.

We just introduced a new slit lamp imaging platform called the IM 910, which delivers truly stunning detail and image quality. A lot of the feedback received is that it takes the ability to appreciate even the most subtle pathology to the next level.

Myopia management is one of the most heavily discussed topics right now in eye care—for good reason, given the rapidly increasing incidence that we see.

Haag-Streit is really committed to being part of the solution to address the growing myopia pandemic, evidenced by the introduction of the Lenstar Myopia, in which we’re proud to offer what we think is far and away the most robust technology for acquiring the biometric measurements and the analysis to help practitioners treat myopic progression.

Tell us your vision for the myopia field in the short term (less than five years) and in the long term (20 years from now).

For us, we see two significant challenges right now to addressing the growing prevalence of myopia. Number one, creating awareness among patients and parents that this problem exists, and the growing frequency with which we are seeing this. The second piece of that is helping eyecare professionals increase their confidence in both identifying and treating the issue.

We think that with the right tools and the right education, in partnership with our customers and other organizations who share our interest in combatting this growing problem, we can better equip eyecare professionals to limit the negative impacts of myopia on their patients, however that treatment path looks. All indications right now are that the need for myopia management is going to continue to grow and evolve and become a more mainstream area of patient care. At Haag-Streit, we feel well positioned to partner with the eyecare community to help make that a reality. CLS