Heidelberg Engineering, a global leader in ophthalmic imaging, has officially joined the Collaborative Community on Ophthalmic Innovation (CCOI) through its parent company EssilorLuxottica's Vision Architect membership. This announcement was made on November 14, 2025, from Heidelberg, Germany.
A Strategic Move for Patient-Centric Innovation
The Vision Architect membership represents the highest level of industry participation within CCOI. This step underscores a long-term, shared commitment to advancing patient-centric innovation in eye care through multi-stakeholder collaboration, rigorous scientific validation, and global consensus-building.
CCOI is a unique public-private forum that brings together a diverse group of stakeholders, including patients, clinicians, researchers, regulators, industry representatives, and payors. Its primary goal is to speed up the development, evaluation, and adoption of new ophthalmic medical products.
Focus on AMD and Glaucoma Workstreams
As an active participant, Heidelberg Engineering will contribute its extensive expertise to CCOI's dedicated workstreams for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma. The company will work alongside partners to align on clinically meaningful endpoints, establish interoperable data standards, and develop pathways that help promising diagnostic and therapeutic technologies reach patients faster, without compromising on safety or quality.
Kfir Azoulay, Managing Director of Heidelberg Engineering, will represent the company within the CCOI working groups. Azoulay stated that the company aims to contribute its deep imaging and data expertise to consensus efforts on endpoints, validation frameworks, and real-world deployment strategies.
Leadership Emphasizes Commitment to Science
Dr. Norbert Gorny, Chief Science Officer of EssilorLuxottica, emphasized that their commitment to science is measured in deeds. He expressed particular pleasure that Heidelberg Engineering will bring its decades of strength in imaging to the AMD and Glaucoma workstreams.
Dr. Malvina Eydelman, Chief Executive Officer of CCOI, welcomed Heidelberg Engineering's participation, noting that it reflects a strong dedication to advancing the science, standards, and trust necessary for responsible innovation in eye care.
Advancing a Shared Agenda for the Future
Heidelberg Engineering's involvement will focus on several key areas to advance the shared agenda of CCOI. The company will support efforts to define and validate patient-centered, clinically meaningful measures, particularly those leveraging structural and functional imaging.
Building on its experience with multimodal OCT/SLO platforms, the company will also contribute to initiatives that improve data fidelity, reproducibility, and cross-site comparability. Furthermore, Heidelberg Engineering will engage in critical dialogues on the ethical, real-world deployment of AI and digital tools to ensure they improve access, equity, and patient outcomes.
Finally, together with CCOI partners, the company will help promote evidence-based best practices and expand awareness of vision science advances across clinical, regulatory, and patient communities worldwide.
