Coherent to Participate in U.S. Joint Economic Committees Medical Technology Fair.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Sept. 28, 1999--

Coherent, Inc. (Nasdaq: COHR) announced today that Senator Connie Mack (R-FL) Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), has invited the Company to participate in a special medical technology fair showcasing breakthrough medical technologies. The Fair will be held on Wednesday, September 29th, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM in Room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.

The Fair is part of a day long program devoted to exploring how medical technologies are improving and enhancing the lives of Americans and what public policies can encourage these innovations. Coherent is one of 22 firms featured at the Fair and will be displaying new laser technology for treating the wet form of Age Related Macular Degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 50 in the westernized world.

The laser, Opal(TM) Photoactivator(TM), was developed for use in ophthalmic photodynamic therapy and specifically for use with Visudyne(R) therapy. Visudyne(TM) is a trademark of Novartis AG and co-developed by CIBA Vision and QLT. The therapy, Visudyne therapy, has currently been assigned priority review status to its new joint device/drug application by the FDA. The review specifically seeks clearance to market Visudyne therapy for the treatment of wet AMD in patients with predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization, the most aggressive cause of vision loss associated with the disease and for which Visudyne therapy showed a dramatic benefit. The application, filed jointly by Coherent and QLT PhotoTherapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: QLTI), covers Coherent's new Opal Photoactivator laser, as well as Visudyne, the drug which is activated by the special purpose 689nm diode laser device. Visudyne will be marketed globally by CIBA Vision Corporation, the eye care unit of Novartis.

The Opal Photoactivator and Photodynamic Therapy in ophthalmology treats the wet form of Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Wet AMD is characterized by the formation of abnormal leaky blood vessels (choroidal neovasculature) that grow across the central part of the retina, call the macula. The wet form represents an estimated 15% of all AMD cases but accounts for approximately 90% of the severe vision loss associated with the disease. Currently available treatments are limited and are only applicable for approximately 10% to 20% of the 500,000 new cases of wet AMD that develop worldwide every year.

Jim Taylor, Coherent Medical Group President, said, "Coherent's focus on ophthalmology has stretched from pioneering the Argon Photocoagulator in the early '70s to partnering today in this exciting new sight saving possibility with Visudyne therapy". It's estimated that over 10 million people have had their sight saved as a result of treatments performed with Coherent lasers.

"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 

The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with uncertainties related to currency adjustments, contract cancellations, manufacturing risks, competitive factors, uncertainties pertaining to customer orders, demand for products and services, development of markets for the Company's products and services and other risks identified in the Company's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Readers are encouraged to refer to the risk disclosures described in the Company's reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8K, as applicable.

Coherent, Inc., of Santa Clara, California, is a Standard & Poor's SmallCap 600 company and a world leader in design, manufacture and marketing of lasers and laser systems for medical, scientific, and commercial applications. Please direct any questions to Peter Schuman, Director of Investor Relations at 408/764-4174. For more information about Coherent, visit our Web site at http://www.cohr.com. To receive a full text copy of this press release by fax, please call 877/329-2647.