-New Orleans, LA, USA, November 11, 2001-

NIDEK, Inc. announced today it has submitted a 510(k) application for the NIDEK Advanced Vision Information System (NAVIS) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for evaluation of its image restoration function.

NAVIS is the only software program for ophthalmic data acquisition to incorporate an image manipulation function. This latest addition to NAVIS's capabilities suite allows eye care professionals to enhance captured images for greater detail, exposing images that would not otherwise be observed and providing better diagnoses.

"Through advanced imaging technology available in NAVIS, we hope to help eye care professionals diagnose early indicators of vision problems that might go untreated," said Hiroshi Okada, vice president and general manager, NIDEK, Inc. "With 30 years in developing sophisticated technologies for the eye care industry, NIDEK is in a position to further computerized medical imaging for eye care and help physicians interpret the data acquired from those diagnostic instruments."

NAVIS is a comprehensive diagnostic solution that integrates virtually all of the eye care professionals' information - everything from front office scheduling and billing to back office eye care procedures, storage and clinical information management. Operating on an open architecture platform, NAVIS accommodates instrumentation and diagnostic patient information from multiple manufacturers. NAVIS is designed to synchronize a multitude of information and medical devices at any PC workstation, saving time and increasing practice profitability.