Oculate’s Partnership with Sterimedix: Advancing Ophthalmic Surgery in South Africa
Dr Gordon Von Sichart has spent over two decades in ophthalmology — from a leading role at one of the world’s largest eye‑care companies to co‑founding Oculate, a specialist surgical distributor in South Africa. Over the past decade, Oculate has built a reputation as a trusted partner to ophthalmic surgeons nationwide by offering only premium products combined with premium service.
In this conversation, Dr Von Sichart shares an insider’s view of South Africa’s mature ophthalmic landscape, what Oculate looks for in a distribution partner, and how its new collaboration with Sterimedix is delivering real benefits to surgeons and patients alike.
For distributors and manufacturers across the industry, his experience offers valuable lessons on selecting the right partner, maintaining supply excellence, and building credibility in a competitive and regulated environment.
“When we’re looking at a business‑to‑business relationship, it’s very important that you have shared values and a shared ethos... We see ourselves as an extension of Sterimedix in South Africa.”
Oculate’s Growth in South Africa’s Ophthalmology Market
Oculate launched in 2016 with an unwavering focus: serve the ophthalmic market with products that can be clinically and commercially differentiated.
“We started in 2016, and the business has really grown from strength to strength. Next year we'll be celebrating the 10th year of being in business, which is quite amazing.”
Gordon’s own experience provided a strong foundation:
“I've been in ophthalmology now for about 30 years. I was previously with one of the largest eye care businesses in the world before my business partner and I started Oculate, and our aim has always been to represent the best in class, so the best product in a particular part of the market.”
That selective approach (working only with companies whose products meet stringent quality and differentiation criteria) has built Oculate’s credibility with surgeons nationwide.
Understanding South Africa’s Ophthalmic Surgery Landscape
South Africa’s ophthalmic market is substantial and highly specialised; factors that make it fertile ground for introducing quality products when done right.
“The ophthalmic market in South Africa is very well established. There are about 350 ophthalmologists here, split between those in private practice and those that service the state. The vast majority of our business is in the private sector, and we deal on a national basis with every ophthalmologist, really, across South Africa.”
Oculate’s reach means access to all practice settings: large multi‑disciplinary hospitals, private eye hospitals, and small specialised centres.
“We’re very privileged in South Africa to have surgeons that cover everything from cataract to retina to glaucoma surgery, and then those who have chosen to also hyper-specialise in certain areas. We’ve got a really good network of excellent surgeons in South Africa that are incredibly well trained.”
For other distributors, Gordon’s experience highlights that in mature ophthalmic markets, distributors should prioritise wide, cross-subspecialty relationships. Strong national coverage and credibility across practice settings make it easier to introduce new products and expand their use across multiple surgical settings.
First Impressions: How Oculate’s Partnership with Sterimedix Began
The first meeting between Oculate and Sterimedix happened not in South Africa, but at ESCRS in Europe, sparked by customer insight.
“We [first] heard about Sterimedix in feedback from customers, so we took the opportunity at ECSRS to pop on to the booth and introduce ourselves to the team. It was very much an introduction to outline… what value we thought we could add as a distributor for South Africa based on our experience and our network across the country.”
“We were impressed by the calibre of Sterimedix staff that were on the booth and the willingness to engage, so we immediately had a very good feeling that there was a similarity in terms of ethos, personalities, and what the company stood for.”
Once back in South Africa, discussions deepened quickly.
“We’re very pleased to have progressed those talks to the point of being able to take on the distribution rights for South Africa — it’s been an incredible journey so far.”
For other distributors considering new partnerships, Gordon’s advice is clear: judge early discussions not only on the quality of the product, but on the attitude, responsiveness and cultural fit of the people behind the brand.
"We’ve got a really good network of excellent surgeons in South Africa that are incredibly well trained."
Navigating South African Healthcare Regulations in Ophthalmology
South Africa’s healthcare industry is heavily regulated, which means success is often reliant on tightly managed regulatory processes both internally and in collaboration with your suppliers.
“When you take over a distribution arrangement, there’s a lot of regulatory work that needs to be done. We were very impressed by how available Sterimedix’s regulatory staff have been, making sure all the necessary documentation is always available when products are brought into the country.”
That responsiveness enabled Oculate to accelerate the timeline from ordering products to making them available for sale — a vital advantage in a competitive market.
“From the point of ordering right through to the product being received and available in South Africa, there’s been no delays.”
Supply reliability can make or break a new market introduction. For Oculate, Sterimedix’s performance in this area has been a decisive factor.
“When trying to establish a brand, it's important that the stock is available… So far, it’s been very reassuring to know the stock is always available, so we've built up the number of lines that we sell in the country. Every time the doctors come with a request for a certain product, when we've placed the order, that product’s been available.”
Keeping fulfilment seamless reinforces surgeon confidence, and in turn influences how Oculate sets local stock levels to ensure no interruptions once demand builds.
Shared Values Driving Ophthalmology Partnerships in South Africa
Gordon believes that cultural alignment is not a “nice‑to‑have”; it’s a prerequisite for sustainable partnerships.
“When you’re looking at a business‑to‑business relationship, it’s very important that you have shared values and a shared ethos. Our ethos is honest, credible, and reliable service. We’ve built a reputation in the country of being an organisation that’s very invested in training and in service, and making sure that we can deliver on what we say we can to our customers.
“The fact that Sterimedix shares that same ethos and really has the end customer’s best interest in mind, that also makes a significant difference.”
This sense of working as one team is reinforced by open communication, mutual respect, and a shared focus on the end customer’s and patient’s needs.
"It’s been very reassuring to know that the stock is always available... customers are very comfortable that the relationship we have with Sterimedix is such that if they need a product, it will be available."
Training, Knowledge Transfer, and Surgeon Support Across South Africa
Sterimedix provides tools that bolster Oculate’s already substantial concentration on training.
“We focus a lot on investment in training… and Sterimedix are very well established there as well. I've been very impressed with resources like the Inside Edge, where our representatives are able to leverage the experience of Sterimedix and their products to transfer the information to customers.”
For Gordon and his team, having this level of support impacts their relationship with their end customers too:
“We feel well trained and well supported to be able to then disseminate the information to our customers and to our ophthalmologists, so that they also feel confident that our product knowledge is at a level to be able to support the product range.”
Lessons for Ophthalmic Distributors
From Gordon’s perspective, the keys to success in specialist distribution are clear:
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Partner on values: Sharing the same base values helps to build mutual trust
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Invest in knowledge: Putting focus on training not only strengthens sales performance, but also builds confidence with your end users, too
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Secure supply: Consistently reliable stock levels cement customer confidence and keep them coming back
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Know your market deeply: Strong networks across subspecialties multiply opportunities
"We can with confidence present this product to our ophthalmologists, knowing they will have a very good experience. It’s the combination of product quality, supply reliability, regulatory support, and shared ethos that makes this relationship stand out."
About Oculate
Oculate is a healthcare company that represents the very latest in innovative ophthalmic products. They believe in harnessing best-in-class online technology to bring surgeons and patients the right product, at the right time. Their years of experience in the healthcare industry fuel their passion to bring a service you can trust completely, safe in the knowledge you’re getting the very best in products and clinical outcomes.
About Sterimedix
Sterimedix has been manufacturing single-use ophthalmic devices since 1989, making a meaningful difference in patient outcomes for over 35 years. Based in the UK town of Redditch, a place with centuries of needle-making heritage, their products are known and used globally. In a purpose-built facility, they combine traditional hand craftsmanship with cutting-edge automation and produce tens of millions of products every year in modern cleanrooms for the highest levels of safety and reliability.