A celebratory event with attendance from local, state, and federal elected officials, industry partners, and Vision to Learn.
Buffalo, NY: Today, Reichert Technologies® — a business unit of AMETEK, Inc. and a global leader in designing, engineering, and manufacturing diagnostic eye care devices — celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the first Phoroptor® Refracting Instrument model. Released in 1922, this instrument helped transform eye care with its revolutionary ability to provide practitioners a better, faster, and more efficient way to perform vision tests, making Phoroptor synonymous with eye care and creating a globally iconic device. Reichert held a celebratory event at their 83,000-square-foot Depew, NY (a suburb of Buffalo) location to commemorate the milestone achievement. Proclamations were given on-site from state and local elected officials, including New York State Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (59th Senate District), a representative from New York State Congressman Chris Jacobs (27th Congressional District), and Village of Depew Mayor Kevin Peterson.
“We are truly grateful to everyone who has joined us in our celebration today and to all the hard-working individuals who've made the achievements over the last century possible,” said Ian Lee-Bennett AMETEK UPT Division VP & Reichert Business Unit Manager. “From the moment the very first Phoroptor was developed, the eye care industry was forever changed. As we look to the future, our mission remains clear: addressing the evolving demands of eye care through continuous innovation.”
Tours of the facility were provided to attendees to give them a firsthand look at the production of Reichert’s products, while leaders in Western New York’s eye care industry were on-site for peer-to-peer networking. Tours of a Vision to Learn's mobile eye care clinic — one of a fleet outfitted with Reichert devices that provide free eye exams and glasses to children in underserved communities across more than 400 United States cities — were also provided. Oxford Pennant, a Buffalo-based and globally recognized lifestyle brand, developed a custom 100-year Phoroptor banner for Reichert to commemorate the occasion.
Mark Scaramuzzi of Vision To Learn, ready to give tours of the mobile eye clinic.
“I congratulate Reichert Technologies for its continued leadership in the eye care industry and its ongoing commitment to excellence. Anyone who has ever had an eye exam has benefited from the state-of-the-art technology developed right here in Depew,” said New York State Senator Patrick M. Gallivan. “Thank you for calling Western New York home, and I wish the entire team continued success.”
From the very first model developed 100 years ago to the modern Phoroptor® VRx Digital Refraction System, Phoroptor has paved the way for innovation and optical excellence in the eye care industry. A complete history of Reichert’s Phoroptor can be found online at Reichert.com/Phoroptor100/.
Reichert has provided advancements in all aspects of eye care for more than 180 years. In 1972, Dr. Bernard Grolman developed the Non-Contact Air Puff Tonometer (NCT), the first diagnostic device of its kind that measures eye pressure easily, quickly and without an anesthetic. The company has continued to pioneer innovations in glaucoma risk assessment by introducing the Ocular Response Analyzer®, which provides Corneal Hysteresis and Corneal Compensated IOP (IOPcc) measurements and is clinically shown to be more objective predictors of glaucoma development1, 2, 3. Reichert’s Tono-Pen® is the market leader in handheld tonometry within both human and veterinary segments. Other Reichert products include the Lensometer®, which measures lens prescriptions in glasses, and ClearChart® Digital Acuity Systems, which display eye charts for vision tests.
"Providing earlier diagnosis and better progression assessments of some of the most serious eye conditions as well as innovating new solutions to ensure everybody has access to the best technology for vision correction are what drive us forward as a business," continued Mr. Lee-Bennett. “Vision is one of our most treasured senses, and here at Reichert, we want to preserve the quality of vision throughout the entirety of our customers' lives.”
About Reichert Technologies®
Reichert Technologies®, a business unit of AMETEK, Inc., is based in Buffalo, New York, and is a global leader in designing, engineering, and manufacturing high-quality diagnostic devices and equipment for ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians, veterinarians, and retail eye centers. This year, Reichert is celebrating 100 Years of Phoroptor! Inventor of Phoroptor®, Lensometer®, and the Non-Contact Tonometer, Reichert continues a 180-year tradition of providing American innovation with the digital Phoroptor® VRx, Tono-Pen® Tonometer, ClearChart® Digital Acuity Systems, and Ocular Response Analyzer®, a break-through in glaucoma diagnosis and management, featuring Corneal Hysteresis and IOPcc.
AMETEK, Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with 2021 sales of $5.5 billion.
EXPLORE PHOROPTOR'S HISTORY »
1 - Medeiros FA, Meira-Freitas D, Lisboa R, Kuang TM, Zangwill LM, Weinreb RN. Corneal hysteresis as a risk factor for glaucoma progression: a prospective longitudinal study. Ophthalmology. 2013 Aug;120(8):1533-40.
2 - Liu J, Roberts CJ. Influence of corneal biomechanical properties on intraocular pressure measurement: quantitative analysis. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2005 Jan;31(1):146-55.
3 - Robert N. Weinreb, James D. Brandt, David Garway-Heath and Felipe Medeiros World Glaucoma Association on Intraocular Pressure; Consensus Series 4; May 5, 2007, Pg 18.