Author: Hanna Diewald

In June, machine manufacturer Schneider Optical Machines hosted its well-known in-house trade show, DigiCON. In addition to showcasing innovations, the machine manufacturer also provided answers to important questions – such as whether Schneider is embracing the blockless trend or how realistic fully autonomous “lights-off” production is for the future.

To this day, people – especially in the Global South – still lack access to even the most basic vision aids, eye exams, and more. One organization working to address this problem is GoodVision. MAFO has spoken with founder Martin Aufmuth about why basic care is still lacking and how this affects education and social participation.

This March, Vision Expo celebrated both its 40th anniversary and its first unified trade show. From now on, Vision Expo will be held every spring, rotating between Orlando, Las Vegas, and New York. MAFO has spoken with Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council, about her impressions of this first unified trade show, key trends, and the future of the show.

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.

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.

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.