NEWS

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  Horizons Optical expands its educational footprint with first-time presence at SECO 2026

  Horizons Optical marked its first participation at the Southeastern Congress of Optometry (SECO) this year, reinforcing its commitment to professional education and meaningful engagement with Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) across the United States.

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  EssilorLuxottica acquires the Italian company Faro

  EssilorLuxottica announced the acquisition of Faro, an Italian company with over 20 years of expertise in the design, manufacture and distribution of high-precision CNC machinery.

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  Coburn Technologies announces key leadership changes

  Coburn Technologies, a leading global provider of ophthalmic lens processing systems and ophthalmic instruments, has announced several personnel changes within key leadership positions spanning sales, engineering, product strategy, and human resources.

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  Silmo Paris unveils new brand identity for 2026 edition

  From 25 to 28 September 2026, the international optical trade fair Silmo Paris will return to Paris Nord Villepinte, presenting a renewed expression of its brand identity.

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  Rodenstock’s B.I.G. EXACTSensitive wins further awards

  Rodenstock wins further awards. With the prestigious TOP OPTA Award (Czech Republic) and the Belgoptic Award (Belgium), Rodenstock is receiving more recognition for its innovative B.I.G. EXACT Sensitive lens technology

FEATURED ARTICLES

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  IXI glasses: adaptive optics and a new optician‑led distribution model

  Progressive lenses completely reimagined: Finnish start-up IXI is working on electronically controlled glasses that dynamically switch between near, intermediate and far ranges. Together with a large French optician group, preparations are now underway for market entry.

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  Horizons: Brave new virtual world

  VR glasses are not only an exciting gadget for gaming but also serve as a new tool for collecting measurement data and for visualizing complex relationships. This can also be used profitably in ophthalmic optics.

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  Mido 2026: Agile and exciting

  The Mido trade fair reports stable visitor numbers once again for the show at the beginning of 2026. The fair attracted around 42,000 participants and 1,200 exhibitors. The participants came from 160 countries.

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  Laclarée: Fluid-autofocus eyeglasses

  Effectively correcting presbyopia requires a dynamic solution capable of restoring sharp vision at any viewing distance. However, most existing corrective solutions are static. For several years, Laclarée has been developing an adaptive eyeglass solution based on variable-focus lenses controlled by distance sensors.

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  MAFO – The Conference 2026

  130 spectacle lens experts gathered at the 24th MAFO – The Conference in Milan. Here, participants could learn everything about the latest technologies for lens manufacturing and other trends in the field of spectacle lenses and smart technologies.

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  IOT: Ready in three minutes – spectacle lenses from the printer

  The company IOT is currently piloting the first printer for spectacle lenses. Light-form is the name of the manufacturing process that produces lenses additively in just three minutes.

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  MAFO – The Conference 2026: Photo gallery

  Many thanks to all participants and speakers at the 24th MAFO – The Conference. Here you will find all photos from the event. Our special thanks go to our colleague Silke Sage, who captured the day in pictures.

NEWS

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  German optical industry exceeds €5 billion mark

  At the international eyewear trade fair opti 2026, which took place in Munich from January 16 to 18, the German consumer optics industry took stock of the year 2025. According to preliminary calculations, the industry has achieved sales of over €5 billion for the first time, representing low single-digit growth.

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  SpecCheck and Ocuco partner to transform order, live chat and payment processing

  SpecCheck the leading digital ordering and communication platform for the optical industry, has announced a major new integration with Ocuco’s optical lab management system (LMS), Innovations.

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  The Vision Council announced updated standard for eye and face protectors

  The Vision Council announced the revision of the ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices.

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  Walmart and Sam´s Club use Eyebot’s technology for eyeglass prescriptions

  Walmart and Sam’s Club have introduced Eyebot automated vision-testing kiosks, offering eyeglass prescriptions in about 15 minutes, giving customers and members a faster, simpler option for eyeglass prescriptions.

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  Mido 2026 exhibitors list online

  The constantly updated exhibitors list of Mido 2026, the 54th edition of the largest international eyewear event, scheduled from 31 January to 2 February 2026 at Fieramilano Rho, is now online. The show is preparing for an edition with great expectations, with a forecast of around 1,200 exhibitors from 50 countries, in line with last…

• EssilorLuxottica expands its myopia management platform with smart glasses and plano lenses

  EssilorLuxottica announced the evolution of its Essilor Stellest platform at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. In the future, in addition to the latest version of Essilor Stellest 2.0 lenses, plano lenses and smart glasses for myopia management will also be released.

• The Vision Council advocates against expanded tariffs on optical products and manufacturing equipment 

  The Vision Council has submitted formal comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce in response to two ongoing Section 232 national security investigations that could lead to new tariffs on key products used by the optical industry.

• EssilorLuxottica acquires RetinAI

  EssilorLuxottica announces the acquisition of Ikerian AG, a health technology company, operating under the RetinAI brand, specializing in AI and data management in eyecare.

• OWA celebrated global connection event at Silmo

  The Optical Women’s Association (OWA) is proud to announce the successful conclusion of its Global Connection Event at Silmo Paris, “Seeing Beyond: The Power of Women in Optical Innovation”.

• Rodenstock sets benchmarks in international standardisation

  Dr Stephan Trumm, who is responsible for standardisation work in the field of optics and devices at Rodenstock, has been honoured by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) with a special award – the ISO Award of Excellence.

• EssilorLuxottica introduces vision innovation summit SWITCH

  EssilorLuxottica announced he launch of SWITCH: Vision Innovation Summit by EssilorLuxottica, a new industry wide event held before Vision Expo in Orlando and later in Monte-Carlo.