Optical Imaging Market Size, Share, By Product, Therapeutic Area, Techniques, Application, End-User, and Region - Trends, Analysis, and Forecast till 2035

• Optical imaging market size is expected to grow at USD 7.0 billion by 2035.
• The target market was valued at USD 2.62 billion in 2024.
• Target market is expanding at a CAGR of 11.4%.

Optical imaging is an imaging technique, which uses light and photon characteristics to procure complete images of various organs, tissues, cells, and molecules. Target market is driven by the increasing research activities in the biopharmaceutical industry and rising applications of optical imaging modalities for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. In addition, the increasing incidence of diseases, health expenditure, and rising demand for minimally invasive treatment procedures are another factors propelling growth of the global market. Furthermore, technological advancements, which increases the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of production is also anticipated to create opportunities for growth of the global market over the forecast period.

Key Takeaways:

• North America held the largest share of the market in 2024 due to favorable reimbursement policies.
• Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing market in the coming years. This is due to the continuous focus on R&D development.

Key Drivers of Target Market:

Increasing Demand in Health Care Sector can Drive Market Expansion

Optical imaging technique use for the purpose of molecular imaging in disease and therapy. It also helps to identify regulatory molecular pathways in vitro and in vivo, to acquire precise, real-time, high contrast images of various organs, tissues, cells, and molecules without harmful radiation for early detection of diseases, and diagnostic or treatment of diseases accurately, and to accurately guidance in any medical surgery or operation. This widespread applications of optical imaging is driving the optical imaging market growth.

• For instance, according to the data published by National Library of Medicine, the medical optical device industry has become the largest single technology sector in medicine today. The optical technologies used in many point-of-care procedures have significant value and when viewed as a technology sector may be better positioned to translate ideas or find innovations that advance the tool capabilities.

Restraints:

Limitations of Optical Imaging can Hamper Target Market Growth

Limitations of optical imaging, such as strong absorption of incident light by tissue, weak penetration of light at large wavelengths, light absorbance by hemoglobin and endogenous fluorophores, and light scattering in tissue due to refractive index mismatch, among others , which can limit the expansion of optical imaging market.

• Counterbalance Statements: Some technical approaches can be used to fix these issues. The band-pass filters near excitation wavelength can block the light outside their transmission range, while emission filters (band-pass or long-pass cut-on filters) can block the light scattered from tissue.

Opportunities & Market Trends:

Economies of Growth in Infancy to Boost Market Expansion

Emerging markets in Asia Pacific (China, India, and Japan), which consider government support, policies, and concentration on growth of the healthcare sector, as the growing factors, create major opportunities for the market's growth, especially in medical imaging. Thus, many key market players are adopting strategic growth properties, such as acquisitions, mergers, and collaboration, among others.

• For instance, in February 2024, Bruker has acquired preclinical in-vivo optical imaging Systems Company Spectral Instruments Imaging (SII) and Nanophoton Corporation, a provider of advanced research Raman microscopy systems. The acquisition fills a gap in the technology and product portfolio of the Bruker BioSpin Preclinical Imaging division, broadening its range of preclinical solutions for disease research

The market is segmented based on product, therapeutic area, techniques, application, end-user, and region. 

Product

On the basis of product, the optical imaging market is segmented into imaging systems, camera, software, lenses, illuminating systems, and others. The imaging systems segment dominate the target market growth with 44% of total market share due to their widespread usage in various medical fields including ophthalmology, cancer, neurology, and others.

• For instance, in October 2024, a team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has unveiled a new development in optical imaging technology that could significantly enhance visual information processing and communication systems.

Therapeutic Area

The optical imaging market by therapeutic area is segmented into ophthalmology, oncology, cardiology, dermatology, neurology, and others. The ophthalmology segment holds the largest optical imaging market share due to its rising cases of eye diseases, technological advancements, and others.

• For instance, in March 2024, according to the Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion and abnormalities in multiple organs and systems, including the brain, heart, liver, and kidneys. With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and ophthalmic imaging technology and medical experts are exploring new methods to predict and diagnose systemic diseases through ocular images.

Techniques

The optical imaging market by techniques is segmented into optical coherence tomography, near infrared spectroscopy, hyper spectral imaging, photo acoustic tomography, and others. The optical coherence tomography (OCT) segment is expected to dominate the target market growth due to its widespread application used in ophthalmology, cardiology, dermatology, and among others.

• For instance, in February 2024, The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has awarded USD 20 million to Chao Zhou, a professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, to support the development of a portable OCT system. The solution could offer advanced eye screenings to many more patients at lower costs. Additionally, the technology could be used in additional applications, including cardiology, dermatology, dentistry, endoscopy, and urology.

Application

On the basis of application, the optical imaging market is segmented into pathological imaging, Intraoperative Imaging, and others. The pathological imaging segment dominate the target market growth due to the increasing demand to diagnose clinical conditions. 

End-User

The optical imaging market by end-user is segmented into hospitals & clinics, diagnostic laboratories, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, and others. The hospitals & clinics segment holds the largest share of the market due to the increase in healthcare funding, rising adoption of advance technologies, availability of skilled healthcare professionals, and others.

Regional

Geographically, the market is studied across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

North America: North America is expected to dominate the growth of the market during forecast period due to advance health care technologies, rising eyes related issues such as glaucoma and cataract cases, rapid adoption, availability of skilled professionals, well-developed research infrastructure, increasing awareness regarding available treatments of diseases, and other factors.

• For instance, in September 2023, Revvity, Inc. introduced its enhanced imaging portfolio designed to drive innovation across diverse applications in preclinical research with the launch of three systems. These new innovations include the next-generation IVIS Spectrum 2 and the IVIS SpectrumCT 2 imaging systems, further elevating versatility and sensitivity standards in in vivo optical imaging. 

Asia Pacific: Asia Pacific is considered to be the fastest growing region in the target market as countries, such as India, China, and many more are leading the charge significantly due to rising cases of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart diseases, and arthritis, among others, increasing the use of this technology for diagnosis of diseases, preclinical research, and imaging of cellular processes.

For instance, according to the data published by World Bank Group, in the East Asia and Pacific region, most diseases that affect children rapidly declined over the past two decades, but chronic diseases are killing more people prematurely and causing increasing disability.

Optical Imaging Market Report Scope:

Attribute	Details
Market Size 2025	USD 2.9 Billion
Projected Market Size 2035	USD 7.0 Billion
CAGR Growth Rate	11.4% (2025-2035)
Base year for estimation	2024
Forecast period	2025 – 2035
Market representation	Revenue in USD Billion & CAGR from 2024 to 2034
Regional scope	North America - U.S. and Canada Europe – Germany, U.K., France, Russia, Italy, Spain, Netherland, and Rest of Europe Asia Pacific – China, India, Japan, Australia, Indonesia Malaysia, South Korea, and Rest of Asia-Pacific Latin America - Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Rest of Latin America Middle East & Africa – GCC, Israel South Africa, and Rest of the Middle East & Africa
Report coverage	Revenue forecast, company share, competitive landscape, growth factors, and trends

Segmentation:

By Product:

• Imaging Systems
• Camera
• Software
• Lenses
• Illuminating System
• Others

By Therapeutic Area:

• Ophthalmology
• Oncology
• Cardiology
• Dermatology
• Neurology
• Others

By Techniques:

• Optical Coherence Tomography
• Near Infrared Spectroscopy
• Hyper Spectral Imaging
• Photo Acoustic Tomography
• Others

By Application:

• Pathological Imaging
• Intraoperative Imaging
• Others

By End-User:

• Hospitals & Clinics
• Diagnostic Laboratories
• Pharma & Biotech Companies
• Others

By Region:

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany
  • U.K.
  • France
  • Russia
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Netherlands
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • Indonesia
  • Malaysia
  • South Korea
  • Rest of Asia Pacific
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
  • Rest of Latin America
• Middle East & Africa
  • GCC
  • Israel
  • South Africa
  • Rest of Middle East & Africa

The key players operating in the optical imaging market include Canon Medical Systems, TOPCON CORPORATION, Heidelberg Engineering Inc., Thorlabs, Inc., Leica Microsystems, and others. These key players focusing on different organic and inorganic strategies, such as acquisition, merger, partnership, agreement, product launch and approval to expand their product portfolio and strengthen their market presence globally.

List of Key Players in the Market:

• Canon Medical Systems
• TOPCON CORPORATION
• Heidelberg Engineering Inc.
• Thorlabs, Inc.
• Leica Microsystems
• ZEISS
• Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• ABBOTT
• VISIONIX USA INC
• Optos
• Wasatch Photonics
• ArcScan
• Cylite
• SHENZHEN CERTAINN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.

• In October 2024, a study by researchers from the Institute of Applied Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, published in Nature Photonics, presents a revolutionary new method for non-invasive high-resolution imaging through highly scattering media. The team introduced a holography-based computational technique that addresses key challenges in the field of optical imaging and opens new doors for applications in diverse areas such as medical imaging, autonomous vehicles, and microscopy.
• In September 2024, HospiMedica, scientists’ team from Boston University, developed an optical machine learning model to predict triglyceride levels from the SFDI measurements with achieving accuracy of 40 mg/dL. This innovation clear the path for noninvasive monitoring of cardiovascular health.
• In May 2024, Spryte Medical, an intravascular imaging and AI company announced the publication of their first-in-human study of its neuro Optical Coherence Tomography (nOCT) technology in the peer reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine, entitled “Volumetric microscopy of cerebral arteries with a miniaturized optical coherence tomography imaging probe.” This research is the first to demonstrate the ability to bring intravascular imaging to the brain, helping clinicians to better see the pathology associated to neurovascular disease, with potential future implications for the treatment of stroke and related conditions.

Analyst View:      

The industry for optical imaging market is placed for substantial growth due to the increasing research activities in the biopharmaceutical industry, rising applications of optical imaging modalities for therapeutic & diagnostic purposes, increasing incidence of diseases, health expenditure, and rising demand for minimally invasive treatment procedures. New innovations and development, advance technologies, and many collaborations and partnerships helps to boost the growth of the market in upcoming years.

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Company Name	ABBOTT
Headquarter	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
CEO	Robert B. Ford
Employee Count (2024)	114,000 Employees