COSTRUZIONI STRUMENTI OFTALMICI C.S.O. SRL

Their core work

CSO is an Italian manufacturer of ophthalmic diagnostic instruments — the machines eye doctors use to image the cornea, measure the optics of the eye, and plan surgery. Their product family includes corneal topographers, tomographers, aberrometers, and OCT-based imaging systems used in clinics worldwide for diagnosing corneal disease and preparing refractive procedures like LASIK and SMILE. Their H2020 work has pushed these instruments from standalone diagnostic devices toward integrated platforms that feed patient data into simulation and surgical-planning software. In short: they build the hardware that measures eyes, and they are now extending it with predictive software for surgery outcomes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015-2017, through MD-SD-OCT, CSO focused on building diagnostic hardware — specifically a dual-technology OCT device for imaging corneal disease, where they were confident enough to lead the consortium. From 2019 onward, their VEMoS participation shows a clear shift from pure hardware into software and AI: using their topographer, tomographer and aberrometer data as inputs to a neural-network-driven virtual eye model that simulates surgical outcomes. The trajectory is hardware-first → data-and-simulation layer on top of that hardware.

They are moving from selling instruments to selling instrument-plus-software platforms, which makes them an interesting partner for anyone building clinical decision support in ophthalmology.

How they like to work

CSO has shown both modes: leading a consortium when the project is centred on their own device (MD-SD-OCT) and joining as a specialist hardware partner when the project is larger and software-led (VEMoS). Their consortia have been compact — six unique partners across three countries over two projects — which suggests they prefer focused, tightly-scoped collaborations over sprawling networks. Expect a hands-on technical partner who brings real instruments, not just requirements.

Small, focused network of six partners across three countries over two H2020 projects. Strongly Italy-anchored, with limited but targeted European reach centred on ophthalmic clinical and engineering partners.

What sets them apart

Unlike research groups that publish papers or software houses that only model eyes, CSO actually builds and sells the diagnostic instruments sitting in eye clinics — topographers, tomographers, aberrometers and OCT devices. That means a partner can get both a measurement tool and a route to market through CSO's existing clinical customer base. For an SME they have credibility as a coordinator (EUR 1.97M IA project under their lead) and are now extending into the software and AI layer rather than staying a pure hardware vendor.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MD-SD-OCT
  Their largest project (EUR 1.97M) and the one where they led the consortium — a rare SME coordinator role in a Health Innovation Action.
• VEMoS
  Marks their pivot from hardware-only to AI-based surgery simulation, combining their full instrument stack with neural-network outcome prediction.