-Fremont, CA November 13th, 2003-

NIDEK Inc. announced today that it has received FDA approval for commercial sales and marketing of the NIDEK GYC-1000 Green Laser Photocoagulator in the United States. The NIDEK GYC-1000 is the industry’s smallest and most versatile green laser photocoagulator. The product will be officially launched at this year’s American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) meeting being held in Anaheim, California from November 15 to 18.

The NIDEK GYC-1000 is the world’s smallest green laser on the market, offering the user the greatest performance and versatility. With compact design and extreme portability, the unit can be integrated with various laser delivery systems. The NIDEK GYC-1000 delivers a solid-state green laser with 1.7 watts of energy and plugs into any standard wall outlet, offering the user a simple plug-and-play feature. The unit also offers many delivery options for slit lamps, indirects and endophotocoagulation. This highly feature-rich green laser photocoagulator has a dimensional size that makes it extremely portable and easy for mobile use. Weighing less than 15 lbs, the unit weighs much less than other green lasers currently offered in the marketplace.

"We are very pleased and excited with this approval and with the introduction of this product in our product portfolio at NIDEK Inc.," stated Mr. Ted Shimomura, Executive Vice-President & General Manager of NIDEK Inc. "With the NIDEK GYC-1000, NIDEK will offer to the ophthalmologist, and specifically the retina specialist, an advanced laser platform, fully loaded with excellent features and capabilities. The product has gone through rigorous development and testing to offer retina surgeons a state-of-the-art photocoagulator system for their practice and clinical needs," added Mr. Shimomura. With the introduction of the new NIDEK GYC-1000, NIDEK will offer a complete suite of laser systems and diagnostic products for the vision care professional.

NIDEK will exhibit the NIDEK GYC-1000 and other laser and diagnostic solutions at the AAO 2003 Meeting in Anaheim, California. NIDEK’s booth number is 2561.

Contact: Mr. Mitsutoshi Amano
Title: Manager, Corporate Planning
Phone: +81-533-67-6753
Fax: +81-533-67-6610
Email: mitsutoshi_amano@nidek.co.jp