RestoringVision’s annual report released

RestoringVision has released its 2022 Annual Report, highlighting its impact and growth as the organization served nearly 3.4 million people living in extreme poverty across the globe in a single year with the vision services and eyeglasses they need to see clearly....

Zeiss announced stable double-digit growth

Zeiss was able to maintain the high level of incoming orders and revenue in the first half of the new fiscal year with solid growth dynamics across all four four segments. The Zeiss Group's stable, double-digit growth continued across all four Zeiss segments in the...

New myopia education platform by Hoya Vision Care

Hoya Vision Care announced the roll out of a new myopia education platform for Ophthalmologists and Optometrists. The advanced learning platform, accessible globally, went live in late April. The goal of the platform is to provide independent continuing education and...

Four-year clinical trial of Esillor´s Stellest lens released

Latest findings released, for the first time, show sustained myopia control efficacy of the lens in children, saving more than one and a quarter dioptres of myopia over four years. Four-year data follows the recent publication of the three-year clinical trial findings...

SIOF 2023 ended with a record number of visitors

Organised by the China Optometric & Optical Association, and co-organised by the Orient International Exhibition Co Ltd of Hong Kong, the 21st China (Shanghai) International Optics Fair, the most sizeable optical trade fair of Asia, ended on a high note with a record...

First ChatGPT enabled smart eyewear

Innovative Eyewear the developer and retailer of smart eyewear under the Lucyd, Nautica, and Eddie Bauer brands, announced that it has launched a new iOS/Android app called Lucyd. The Lucyd app enables a voice interface for ChatGPT on their smart eyewear. The user can...

Social determinants of health are associated with vision loss

A new study from NORC at the University of Chicago, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Diabetes Translation found that Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) across multiple domains were associated with vision loss. The study is...

HCP Cureblindness and SightLife join forces

HCP Cureblindness and SightLife International, leading global eye health nonprofits, announced they have joined forces as one organization to make a greater impact in eye care worldwide. Effective immediately, HCP Cureblindness will acquire the SightLife International...

Change in leadership: Kabashi takes over the management of opti

GHM (Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen) has announced that Cathleen Kabashi will take over the management of opti with immediate effect and until further notice. Kabashi is thus responsible for the future and development of the international trade show for optics and...

Vision Expo East 2023 successfully concluded

Vision Expo East 2023 concluded on Sunday, March 19, following four days of new product discovery,  education sessions, networking events, and business meetings. Held at New York City’s Javits Center from March 16–19, Vision Expo East was the largest gathering of...

Anti-fog coating for Coburn´s velocity lens coater now available

Coburn Technologies announced that Visgard UV Anti-Fog Coating is now available for use in their Velocity Spin Coater platform. Since Coburn’s acquisition by SDC Technologies, their development teams have been hard at work to enable Coburn’s lens coater to dispense...

EssilorLuxottica and ERG sign a long-term agreement

EssilorLuxottica, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of ophthalmic lenses, frames and sunglasses, and ERG, a leading European producer of energy from renewable sources through its subsidiary ERG Power Generation, announced today that they have...

tooz to become AR/VR competence center of the ZEISS Group

ZEISS has acquired the shares of the joint venture tooz technologies, which was founded together with Deutsche Telekom in 2018. ZEISS is thereby responding to the large, growing market potential in the fields of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) glasses....

Coburn: New Digital Marketing & Trade Show Specialist

Coburn Technologies, Inc. is pleased to welcome Michael Kelly to their marketing team as their new Digital Marketing and Trade Show Specialist. In this role, Kelly will develop and implement marketing campaigns and strategies to promote the Coburn Technologies, Inc....

Carolina Gago named Chief Operating Officer at IOT

IOT, a global leader in lens technologies, has appointed Carolina Gago as Chief Operating Officer. This appointment will strengthen the presence and coordination of IOT globally, ensuring that customers everywhere have the best access to all the company’s teams and...

Marco Gadola elected to Bühler Group’s BoD

Marco Gadola was unanimously elected to Bühler Group’s Board of Directors at annual general shareholders’ meeting at February 10th. At the same meeting, Konrad Hummler stepped down from the Board after more than 12 years of service. Marco Gadola (59), a Swiss and...

This was MIDO 2023

MIDO 2023 marks the beginning of a new era for the eyewear show with numbers that confirm its leadership position as it closed its doors 6 February on the 51st edition. The next MIDO will take place Saturday February 3rd to Monday February 5th 2024, at Fiera Milano...

VEE extends submission deadline

The Vision Council and RX, co-organizers of Vision Expo, announced that the deadline for eyewear exhibitors to submit their most innovative frame or lens product for inclusion in the specially curated NOW Pavilion has been extended to Wednesday, February 15....

Horizons Optical continues on a path of upward growth

2022 has ended and it is time to take stock of the results. For Horizons Optical, the Spanish company focused on innovation and technology for the optical industry, this has been a year full of news that confirms the company's positive growth: the opening of a...

New CEO of the Rodenstock Group

The Rodenstock Group, a global leader in eye health innovation and manufacturer of biometric lenses, has appointed Marcus Desimoni as Chief Executive Officer after the current CEO, Anders Hedegaard, announced he will step down at the end of January 2023. From 1st...

Christian Bannert new Head of optoVision

The Rodenstock Group, a global leader in eye health innovation and manufacturer of biometric lenses, today announced that Axel Kellersmann will step down as head of optoVision, a subsidiary of the Rodenstock Group, effective today. Christian Bannert will join the...

That was opti 2023

opti inspired as an industry highlight right at the start of the year and put the ophthalmic optics family in the mood for successful cooperation and order growth in 2023. With an increase in visitors of 19.2% compared to the previous year, opti is in an upbeat spirit...

Ophthalmic optics industry records slight sales growth

Despite numerous crises: Ophthalmic optics industry records slight sales growth. SPECTARIS presents first industry figures for 2022 on the occasion of opti Munich, the leading trade fair for the sector / Sales rise to 4.87 billion euros / International business...

Meta buys Luxexcel

Tech giant Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp) has looked to Europe to accelerate its ambitions from the Metaverse, buying Luxexcel, a company specializing in 3D printing of eyeglass lenses. Luxexcel, which was founded in 2009, started out as a manufacturer of...

MIDO – full of surprises

Starting with “HOW TO?”, a series that addresses the practical everyday activities that occur in optical shops: realistic content on different topics, like style consultation, point of sale renovation, marketing and communication, events as a means of communication,...

OptoTech with new managing director

Since January 1, 2023, Dr. Stefan Seifried together with Jens Schaefer form the new management of OptoTech Optikmaschinen GmbH. With that, Dr. Seifried takes over responsibility for sales and technology at OptoTech. He worked for many years in managerial positions in...

The Vision Council announces new hires

The Vision Council announces a new organizational structure, including new hires in the trade association’s membership, marketing and communications, and market research departments, as well as staff promotions within the membership and government relations teams....

ANFAO general meeting 2022

Several key projects the association is currently working on were presented at the ANFAO [Italian Optical Goods Manufacturers’ Association] annual general meeting, held at the Eyewear Museum of Pieve di Cadore. These include the project for Empowering Optical Women...

Horizons Optical launches new offices

After opening a subsidiary in the USA this summer, Horizons Optical has continued to show signs that confirm that it is a healthy and growing company. This October, Horizons has opened new offices in Sant Cugat del Valles, a municipality close to the city of Barcelona...

Rodenstock to sell its eyewear business to De Rigo

The Rodenstock Group, a global leader in eye health innovation and manufacturer of biometric, ophthalmic lenses, has reached an agreement to sell its eyewear business to De Rigo, a family-owned global market leader in the design, production, and distribution of...

Registration open for Vision Expo East

Conference and Exhibit Hall Registration opens today for Vision Expo East 2023, taking place March 16–19, 2023 in New York City at the Javits Center. The show’s organizers, The Vision Council and RX, are planning a robust Show experience, including a reimagined Show...

Consumer inSights Q3 2022 Report

The Vision Council has released the Consumer inSights Q3 2022 Report. The latest report to be released from The Vision Council’s new inSights Research Program, it includes a summary of an ongoing consumer survey about vision correction, eye exams, eyeglasses, contact...

Certified Sustainable Eyewear Award at MIDO

The CSE (Certified Sustainable Eyewear) Award is a prize established by MIDO, in partnership with ANFAO and Certottica, to honor sustainability in the global eyewear industry. All exhibitors at MIDO 2023 are eligible to participate in this first edition of the award...

SCHNEIDER appoints Francois Breton to manage the Chemical Department

Francois Breton joins SCHNEIDER to manage and further develop the Chemical Department. “We are excited to have Francois on our team. With his excellent knowledge and years of experience in the chemical industry, he is a great asset for our development of new...

The Vision Council releases Focused inSights

The Vision Council has released Focused inSights: Online vs. In-Person Buyers 2022. The report provides information on the differences and similarities between online and in-person eyewear buyers, including demographic data, managed vision care use, eye exams,...

The Vision Council announces release of ANSI Z80.28-2022

As the Secretariat Administrator for Accredited Standards Committee Z80, The Vision Council is pleased to announce the revision and publication of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z80.28-2022: Ophthalmics – Methods For Reporting Optical Aberrations Of...

The ophthalmic spectrum: complete and compact

In just under two months, we will see opti, the international trade show for optics & design, return to its traditional pole position at the start of the year. From 13 to 15 January 2023 the ophthalmic family will meet at the Munich Exhibition Centre to find out about...

Vision Council released Focused inSights 2022

The Vision Council has released Focused inSights 2022: Blue Light Snapshot. The report provides information on consumer awareness of blue light glasses, concern about the effects of blue light, blue light glasses usage, and interest in blue light glasses. “We are...

MIDO eyewear show in Italy

The calendar of events for the forthcoming edition of MIDO, the international eyewear show set to take place February 4th to 6th at Fiera Milano Rho, will soon be available. Countless opportunities for debate, reflection, exchange of ideas and interaction are in the...

Coburn Technologies acquired by SDC Technologies

SDC, the recognized global leader in premium, high-performance specialty coating solutions, has acquired Coburn Technologies, Inc., an established innovator in the production, service and support of award-winning, high quality, precision ophthalmic lens processing...

Quantum Innovations releases high-energy absorbing hardcoat

Quantum Innovations is releasing its newest HEV-absorbing hardcoat technology, Energy Absorbing Technology (E.A.T.) hardcoat, to labs in the U.S., Canada, and South America. Quantum describes its new blue light solution as “an innovative, easy-to-use process that...

MIDO – Milano Eyewear Show 4 – 6 February 2023

MIDO - Milano Eyewear Show is eyewear. For over 50 years, it has represented the essential moment when the entire supply chain meets to exchange ideas, projects, prospects for the future of eyewear and to do business. A product such as eyewear, be it prescription...

Z80 Accredited Standards Committee elects new Vice Chair

The Vision Council and volunteer members have produced and contributed to multiple standards and communications to assist the industry in serving the eyeglass wearing public. ANSI Z80 ASC for Ophthalmic Optics develops and maintains American National Standards within...

Prices will not change for the next opti

Energy, staff, materials. These are challenging times, and the surrounding costs for trade shows are also rising. Bettina Reiter, Exhibition Director of opti (13 to 15 January 2023, Fairground Munich), explains what this means for the international trade show for...

EssilorLuxottica earns 6th spot on 2022 Fortune Change the World List

EssilorLuxottica has been named on the 2022 Fortune Change the World list, taking the 6th spot within this annual prestigious ranking which recognizes companies that have had a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy....

This was SILMO Paris 2022

SILMO Paris 2022 was announced as the recovery edition. The figures are now in, and they surpass all expectations, with a rise in the number of international visitors and an increase in participation by French opticians, confirming that SILMO Paris is back to its...

Optik Weber with new owners

New direction for Optik Weber Brillengläser GmbH The family business Optik Weber in Kamen, which has existed since 1960, has new owners since May of this year. Martin Ulm and Korhan Gazi combine their backgrounds and give the current course new coordinates for the...

Ocuco being named one of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies 2022.

Ocuco has been named as one of Ireland's Best Managed Companies 2022. The company, which demonstrated superior business performance for the fifth year, was recognised with a gala awards ceremony at The Convention Centre, Dublin, on September 29. The awards programme...

The Vision Council opens registration for the Executive Summit

The Vision Council announces that registration is now open for the 2023 Executive Summit, taking place January 9–11, 2023 at a new host site, the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, an iconic Texas Hill Country luxury resort just outside of downtown Austin, Texas. “The...

EssilorLuxottica announces launch of share buyback program

EssilorLuxottica announces the launch of its share buyback program reflecting the Group’s confidence in its value creation and long-term prospects.With a view to implementing this share buyback program, EssilorLuxottica has granted a mandate to an investment services...

Mirjam Rösch is the new Consumer Optics Chairwoman at SPECTARIS

After 17 years, Consumer Optics (ophthalmic and distance optics) at the German industry association SPECTARIS is in new hands: Mirjam Rösch was elected as the new chairperson at the Consumer Optics Industry Day. She succeeds Josef May, who led the association's...

MIDO 2023: Visitors´registration now open

Visitors now can register on the MIDO website https://www.mido.com/en/entry-pass for the forthcoming edition of the most international eyewear show. February 4-6, the world of optics will meet at MIDO 2023, where the best the industry has to offer in terms of trends,...

HOYA Vision Care reveals latest insights

HOYA Vision Care, a leader in optical technology innovation, participated as an official diamond sponsor in the International Myopia Conference (IMC) held 4-7 September 2022 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. During the conference, HOYA hosted a myopia symposium where...

MIDO presents ‘Frames’, the new 2023 campaign

MIDO 2023 gets a fresh, entirely updated look and a new claim, one that embodies the values that have set the show apart for more than 50 years: innovation and tradition, beauty and transformation, international appeal and memorability, wonder and substance. Entitled...

DaTE 2022 closes its doors

With approx. 1,500 industry professionals and buyers attending the Firenze show, 100 companies and 170 Italian and international brands, DaTE has indeed proven itself an essential event for the entire eyewear industry, which in Italy generates more than 4 billion euro...

Vision Expo+ will be offered soon

The Vision Council and RX, co-organizers of Vision Expo, recently announced that Vision Expo+, a complimentary digital extension of the Vision Expo experience, will be offered from Thursday, September 15 to Friday, September 23, 2022. Vision Expo+ will be delivered...

The Vision Council receives award

The Vision Council earned a Power of Associations Silver Award from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) for its successful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. “Fostering a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community is paramount to our...

Rodenstock completes acquisition of Indo Optical

The Rodenstock Group, a global leader in eye health innovation and manufacturer of biometric, ophthalmic lenses, today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of the leading Spanish lenses manufacturer Indo Optical. Rodenstock’s acquisition of Indo is...

EssilorLuxottica releases three-year clinical trial results

EssilorLuxottica yesterday released the much-anticipated three-year clinical trial results of its breakthrough innovation Essilor Stellest lens, for the first time at the International Myopia Conference (IMC) 2022 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The results show that the...

Avant-garde eyewear show DaTE starts September 10

From Saturday, September 10th to Monday, September 12th at the Leopolda di Firenze, 100 companies from around the world, and a total of 170 brands, will exhibit their collections, whose lowest common denominator is creativity. DaTE is also much more ‒ a...

Trade fair parts2clean in Stuttgart, Germany

As a quality criterion and competitive factor, industrial parts and surface cleaning makes an essential contribution to value creation in manufacturing, remanufacturing and recycling. Due to current product and manufacturing trends as well as the need to make parts...

New show floor layout at Vision Expo East 2023

The Vision Council and RX, co-organizers of Vision Expo, today share plans for an exciting and reimagined Show Floor layout that will debut at Vision Expo East 2023, taking place March 16–19 at the Javits Center in New York City. The new layout will feature all of...

Coburn adds Spanish and Chinese translation to website

In the ongoing effort to accommodate international and non-English speaking customers, Coburn Technologies has made coburntechnologies.com available in Spanish and Chinese (Mandarin). Users can now select from English, Spanish and Chinese (Mandarin) using a simple...

Vision Expo West 2022 to debut The Panorama

The organizers of Vision Expo, The Vision Council and RX, today share details on The Panorama, a new Show Floor neighborhood planned for Vision Expo West, taking place September 14-17, 2022 in Las Vegas at the Venetian Expo & Convention Center. The Panorama is...

SIOF will be held in September 2022

In compliance to China State Council’s “Guidance to implement joint prevention and control mechanism on the normalization and containment of the new coronavirus epidemic”, the 21st China (Shanghai) International Optics Fair, scheduled to be held in Shanghai...

New Head of Corporate Human Resources at ZEISS Group

Georg von Erffa will take over the management of Corporate Human Resources of the ZEISS Group. He will succeed Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf, who was appointed Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) on the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG from 1 July 2022. As Head of CHR,...

HOYA enters into joint venture with Jiangsu Sigo Optical

HOYA Vision Care, a leader in optical technology innovation, recently announced that it has entered into a strategic joint venture (JV) with Chinese eyeglass lens manufacturer Jiangsu Sigo Optical’s (JSO) Founder and Chief Executive Officer Liu Jianzhong. The...

Horizons Optical in the US

Horizons Optical, an international R&D company placed in Barcelona, Spain, that is focused on the development and distribution of technology for the optical industry, has settled a subsidiary in the US, Horizons Optical of America (HOA). In 2021, the growth of...

DaTE will take place in September in Italy

Opening in less than two months, the 10th edition of DaTE – Shaping Avantgarde, the eyewear show focused on state-of-the-art eyewear, set to take place from Saturday, September 10 to Monday, September 12 at the Leopolda in Firenze. To date, 90 exhibitors have...

New appointments at Vision Council team

The Vision Council is pleased to share two new appointments to the organization’s Market Research team. Kris Stevens joins The Vision Council as the new Data and Analytics Manager and Dianella Maalem joins as the new Research Manager. Stevens and Maalem will report to...

HOYA Vision Care launches new global campaign

HOYA Vision Care announced the launch of its new global myopia education and marketing campaign ‘Myopia Care for Kids’. The goal of the initiative is to raise awareness about the growing global rise of myopia in children and to provide detailed information about the...

IOT opens center in Minneapolis for Sales, Marketing, Training

Spectacle lens technology company IOT has opened an office in Minneapolis to accommodate its growing presence in the U.S. optical industry. The space will house sales and marketing staff initially, with room for additional employees as needed, the company said in a...

MEI teams up with Shamir for the distribution of EasyFit lens edger

MEI, the global leader of lens edging machines, continues its growth worldwide and announced a new partnership for the distribution of the EasyFit Trend, the block-less compact solution tailored for optical shops and small labs. Shamir Portugal, an official branch of...

ZEISS Ventures portfolio is growing with the investment in Morrow

The ZEISS Ventures portfolio is growing with the investment in Morrow, a high-tech start-up from Belgium, developing autofocal glasses that allow to switch between near vision and distance vision at the touch of a button. Morrow, founded in 2016, is specialized in...

EYOTO opens US HQ in Dallas

UK based optical technology specialist, Eyoto Group, has announced that it will be opening its US corporate headquarters in Dallas in October 2022, with Eyoto CEO Paul Clapton relocating to set up and lead the US operations. The company seeks to tackle problems facing...

ANFAO 2022 annual meeting

The 2022 annual meeting of the Italian optical goods manufacturers association ANFAO was held on June 27 near the northeastern city of Padua. In addition to the presentation of data relating to the first quarter of 2022, the new sustainability certification project...

Leonardo Del Vecchio has passed away

EssilorLuxottica sadly announces today that its chairman Leonardo Del Vecchio has passed away. The company expresses its deepest condolences to the family and to the global employee community for this enormous loss. The Board will meet to determine next steps.        ...

Registration now open for Vision Expo West 2022

Registration opens today for Vision Expo West, taking place September 14–17, 2022 in Las Vegas at the Venetian Expo & Convention Center. The show organizers, The Vision Council and RX, are planning a robust Show experience, including diverse Show Floor neighborhoods,...

Focused inSights 2022: Consumer Choices report is now available

The Vision Council recently released the Focused inSights 2022: Consumer Choices report. The report is the first of the Focused inSights reports—in-depth special interest reports on rotating topics—to be released as part of its new inSights Research Program. The...

EssilorLuxottica started share buyback program

EssilorLuxottica announced launch of share buyback program. With a view to implementing this share buyback program, EssilorLuxottica has granted a mandate to an investment services provider for the purchase of up to 2,500,000 EssilorLuxottica shares, depending on...

opti 2023 set to start two weeks earlier

opti 2023 is to be held from 13 to 15 January. This means that the ophthalmic optics sector will be able to start the new year and lay the foundations for successful business deals at the Fairground Munich two weeks earlier than planned. “We have once again made use...

StopWaste Award goes to Zeiss Innovation Center California

Zeiss received the StopWaste Award for its Innovation Center in Dublin, California. The StopWaste Award recognizes Alameda County organizations for their efforts in upstream waste prevention through reuse, recycling, and composting. Furthermore, the program honors...

The Vision Council appoints Sara Bonizio as new Director of Shows

The Vision Council has appointed Sara Bonizio as the organization’s new Director of Shows. In this position, she will work closely with The Vision Council’s partners at RX, the co-organizer of Vision Expo East and West, to drive opportunities for the growth and...

Changes on the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG announced

  The Zeiss Group continues on a dynamic growth path. In order to continue to successfully align the company's development and, in particular, to accelerate the transformation of the Zeiss Group's digital infrastructure, the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG has...

Rodenstock acquires spanish lens manufacturer Indo Optical

The Rodenstock Group announced an agreement to acquire Indo Optical, one of the leading Spanish manufacturers of corrective lenses. With this acquisition, Rodenstock continues with its strategic ambition to gain market share and further accelerates its regional...

IOT: innovation and knowledge everywhere

IOT recently presented their latest designs and technologies with attendees at Vision Expo East, MIDO, and Expo Optica Brasil. IOT scientists presented new scientific research at ARVO and EAOO congresses. The two years of near isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic...

Mido 2022 meets expectations

The 50th edition of Mido ended on Monday amid enthusiasm and optimism. The appointment for all industry professionals is for next year, February 4-6, 2023, once again at Fiera Milano Rho. Plenty of innovations and a variety of experiences were offered to participants...

Schneider reveals 9th innovation: an automated dome loader

Schneider revealed their newest innovation number 9, the Automated Dome Loader (ADL). With the new machine Schneider automates batch coating for the medium-sized and larger lab, a process that used to be strictly manual. It loads, unloads and flips the lenses if both...

MIDO 2022: The world of eyewear is just around the corner

All set to go at Fiera Milano Rho – MIDO, the leading global eyewear show, returning April 30th to May 2nd. Packed with 650 exhibitors from 45 countries, the event, spread across 5 pavilions, will welcome buyers, opticians, designers and Italian and international...

100% Optical makes welcome return with record visitors

After an enforced break of over two years, 100% Optical made a welcome return to the ExCeL London, with a record-breaking 9,680 attendees flocking to the UK’s biggest optical event. The first chance for colleagues and customers to reconnect after the pandemic, the...

Shamir optical will become shareholder in Blink

Shamir Optical will become a shareholder in Blink, a company that has developed a first-of-its-kind, AI-based, human eye tracking solution. As a new partner, Shamir will provide insight and expertise for sales development, customer service and R&D. “We use our...

Vision Expo East 2022 concludes successful show in New York City

Vision Expo East 2022 concluded on Sunday, April 3. The four-day event, which took place March 31–April 3 at the Javits Center, marked Vision Expo’s first Show in New York City since 2019 and brought enthusiastic members of the vision care industry from the United...

SDC leadership transitions announced

SDC Technologies announced a newly appointed executive leadership transitions. Richard Chang has been appointed as President and CEO of SDC Technologies, Inc. He will focus on continuing SDC Technologies global leadership and growth of the company’s diversified...

Satisloh shifts coating paradigm with new technology

Satisloh announces the launch of its new film lamination technology. It is an alternative to conventional hard and AR coating that is 10 times faster, has significantly lower investment costs, and a footprint of only 5 m² (54 square feet). The new technology and...

Ocuco announces the company’s rebrand

Ocuco, a recognised leader in the optical software market, announced the company’s rebrand to a more contemporary, refined version of its original brand. It is an evolution that reflects the direction of the whole company which is moving from providing solely single...

Satisloh Celebrates 100 years of the “Art of Making Lenses”

Satisloh celebrated its 100-year anniversary. Founded in 1922 in Wetzlar, Germany by Wilhelm Loh, it is a global leader in ophthalmic and precision optics manufacturing machines. The organization has played a key role in bringing innovations and technologies to both...

Vision Expo+, a virtual extension of VEE, will be offered April 1–8

The Vision Council and RX, co-organizers of Vision Expo, announced that Vision Expo+, a complimentary digital extension of the Vision Expo experience, will be offered from Friday April 1 to Friday, April 8, 2022. Vision Expo+ will be delivered through ShopVISION,...

SIOF 2022 postponed

According to the relevant requirements of the national and local government for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, the relevant municipal departments of Suzhou require SIOF2022, originally scheduled to be held at the Suzhou International Expo Center...

Eighth innovation revealed: the enhanced Modulo Control Center

Schneider presents 11 new innovations over 11 months and has now reveiled their eighth innovation. The Control Center, the brilliant mind inside to the Modulo Line, is now extended by three exciting new features. The Control Center now comes with: real-time cost...

SightGlass Vision joint venture begins operation

EssilorLuxottica and CooperCompanies are pleased to announce the finalization of their joint venture agreement for SightGlass Vision. This collaboration of two global vision care leaders accelerates the commercialization of novel spectacle lens technologies to expand...

Kering Eyewear acquires Maui Jim

Kering Eyewear has signed an agreement to acquire the iconic U.S. eyewear brand Maui Jim, Inc. Founded in 1987, Maui Jim is the world’s largest independently owned high-end eyewear brand with a leading position in North America. Maui Jim is an authentic brand that...

Mido 2022: 630 exhibitors arriving from 45 countries

From April 30 to May 2, 630 exhibitors from 45 countries will be at Mido to showcase their collections and products before an audience of Italian and international buyers, opticians, designers and journalists. “After two years of pandemic and in light of the...

Spectaris on the war in Ukraine

In light of the war in Ukraine, the German industry association SPECTARIS is calling on all parties to ensure that neither acts of war nor sanctions do not compromise the safe supply of medical and humanitarian goods wherever they are needed. "The events have deeply...

EssilorLuxottica closes acquisition of Walman Optical

EssilorLuxottica announced yesterday the closing of its acquisition of U.S. based lab network Walman Optical, a leading lab partner to vision care practices around the country. First announced in March 2021, the acquisition will draw on EssilorLuxottica’s focus on...

Alpine and Shamir extend strategic partnership into Esports world

Shamir is delighted to announce a multi-year extension to its partnership with Alpine F1 Team, as its Optical Performance Partner. Shamir will become the optical performance partner of Alpine Esports Team, providing ophthalmic assessments, and improvement of gaming...

Discover the IOT new portfolio of lens designs

IOT offers advanced ophthalmic technology solutions from the initial design and development to the industrial manufacturing process. Their products create added value and offer a boost of innovation for any company or laboratory, regardless of size, announces the...

MEI expands its presence in Asia with a new branch in Japan

MEI announced with great pleasure the opening of a new MEI branch in Japan: "This step comes as part of our continuous efforts to serve our customers at best and make our products and services as widely available as possible." Starting from January 1st, 2022, Mr. Gian...

MIDO 2022 even more open to international mobility

The recent “Covid decree law”, issued by the Italian Government on green certifications and international mobility, confirms the organizers' far-sightedness in choosing to program MIDO 2022 in the spring (April 30 - May 2). Among other things, the decree provides for...

3.8 Million plastic bottles turned into eyeglasses

OKIA's commitment to a better world has reached a new milestone. With the RESHAPE project, the Hong Kong-based company launched the "One Million Bottle Challenge" in 2019 with the aim of recycling 1 million PET plastic bottles into frames. By the end of 2021, the...

Mido 2022 reigstration is open

Visitors to the international eyewear show ‒ buyers, designers, entrepreneurs, opticians, ophthalmologists, journalists and eyewear supply chain professionals ‒ can register now on the MIDO website www.mido.com for the forthcoming edition of the show, to be held April...

Dapper Dan announced as Keynote Speaker for Vision Expo East 2022

The organizers of Vision Expo, The Vision Council and RX, announced that fashion innovator and author Dapper Dan will headline Vision Expo’s EYE2EYE educational series. The series, which launched at Vision Expo East in 2019, features a line-up of modern luminaries,...

EssilorLuxottica announces launch of share buyback program

EssilorLuxottica announces the launch of a share buyback program reflecting the Group’s confidence in its value creation and long-term prospects. With a view to implementing this share buyback program, EssilorLuxottica has granted a mandate to aninvestment services...

The Vision Council concludes virtual Annual Business Meeting

The Vision Council hosted its Annual Business Meeting in a virtual format on Monday January 24. Presented under the banner of “It’s All Connected,” the meeting included a welcome address from Karen Roberts, The Vision Council’s Chair, followed by remarks from Ashley...

More than 240 exhibitors commit to Vision Expo East 2022

The organizers of Vision Expo, The Vision Council and RX,  shared that more than 240 exhibitors have committed to Vision Expo East to-date. Vision Expo East 2022 will take place from March 31–April 3 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. “We are looking forward...

EssilorLuxottica appoints new member to its Board of Directors

During its meeting held yesterday, EssilorLuxottica’s Board of Directors appointed Virginie Mercier Pitre as a new Director. This follows her recent nomination as the new President of Valoptec Association, the independent Association of EssilorLuxottica’s employee...

opti returns to Munich

opti 2023, the international trade show for optics & design, will once again be held in its usual spot at the start of the industry's year, from 27 to 29 January. The 2023 event will also mark the launch of its permanent home in Munich. T urbulent times also offer...

In 2022 MAFO – The Conference becomes MAFO | Talks

The in-person event MAFO – The Conference 2022 has been cancelled, due to the postponement of Mido 2022 to April 30th to May 1st. But stay curious! MAFO – The Conference 2022 will, for one year, become MAFO | Talks, a new series of video presentations and panel...

Okia won the Hong Kong Sustainability Award 2020/2021

Okia Optical was awarded for its green consciousness: the company won the Special Recognition for Outstanding Sustainability Initiative (Environmental Dimension) of the Hong Kong Sustainability Award 2020/21 organized by The Hong Kong Management Association. “This...

Mido 2022 postponed to April 30th – May 2nd

Mido 2022 goes back to the origins, taking place from Saturday 30 April to Monday 2 May in Milano Rho Fiera: the decision to move the show was driven by the will to ensure exhibitors and visitors the best business conditions, even in this global pandemic situation...

Advancing Eyecare announces acquisition of Santinelli International

Advancing Eyecare, North America’s leading provider of ophthalmic instruments and portfolio company of Atlantic Street Capital (ASC), announced today the acquisition of Santinelli International, a respected leader and award-winning provider of optical finishing...

Study: Cataract surgery linked with lessened dementia risk

Cataracts affect most older adults at risk for dementia, and now researchers are finding strong evidence that cataract surgery is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia. The Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study is a long-standing, Seattle-based...

3D-Micromac appoints Hartmut Schubert to Chief Technology Officer

The Management Board of 3D-Micromac has appointed Hartmut Schubert to the position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective immediately. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic management of the company's technology division. After successfully completing...

Sixth innovation unveiled: a fully automated warehouse system

Schneider presents 11 new innovations over 11 months and has now reveiled their sixth innovation. With AWS Modulo One, the Modulo system is extended by a fully automated warehouse system for highly efficient and space saving storage and retrieval. It intelligently...

Registration now open for Vision Expo East 2022 in New York

Registration is now open for Vision Expo East 2022, taking place at the Javits Center in New York City from March 31–April 3, 2022. The show organizers, The Vision Council and RX, are planning an extensive Show experience featuring a new neighborhood, several special...

Two months until Mido

Safety measures are being finalized for Mido, the leading global eyewear trade show, that will take place in-person at Fiera Milano Rho, February 12th to 14th, 2022. Just two months before it opens, the layout has been confirmed and registration is open to visitors....

Delisting of GrandVision on 10 January 2022

EssilorLuxottica S.A. (the “Offeror”) and GrandVision N.V. (“GrandVision”) jointly announce that, considering that the Offeror holds more than 95% of the issued and outstanding shares in GrandVision (the “Shares”), Euronext approved the delisting of the Shares from...

Zeiss achieved record results

The Zeiss Group ended fiscal year 2020/21 (end of reporting period: 30 September 2021) on an excellent note: its revenue rose by 20% to 7.529 billion euros (previous year: 6.297 billion euros). Over 90% of this sum was generated in markets outside Germany. Earnings...

Steven Haifawi named President of HOYA Vision Care, Canada

Ophthalmic lens technology leader Hoya Vision Care announced that Steven Haifawi has been named President, Hoya Vision Care, Canada. In this position, Haifawi will be responsible for providing the vision for growth, short- and long-term company strategy, and...

Launch of the first international Global Circular Economy Chair

ESSEC Business School, L’Oréal, EssilorLuxottica and Bouygues jointly launched the first international chair devoted to the circular economy, the ‘Global Circular Economy Chair’. Dedicated to students of ESSEC’s Master in Management program, the chair’s first class is...

3D-Micromac appoints Marko Gerlach Chief Financial Officer

3D-Micromac, the industry leader in laser micromachining and roll-to-roll laser systems for the semiconductor, photovoltaic (PV), medical device and electronics markets, announces that its management board has appointed Marko Gerlach to the role of chief financial...

Mido to be held February 12 – 14, 2022 in Milan

Despite the unpredictability of our times, the situation in Italy is currently under control and the hosting of trade shows has not been compromised. Mido 2022 is set to open its doors February 12th to 14th at Fiera Milano Rho, as scheduled, announced the organizers....

opti 2022 postponed until May

The international trade show for optics & design, which was planned for 14 to 16 January 2022 at the Fairground Munich in Germany, will not take place at the beginning of the year. Uncontrolled rapidly increasing infection rates in the coronavirus pandemic, and...

J&J to spin off consumer products and focus on pharmaceuticals

Johnson & Johnson plans to spin off its consumer health division to focus on pharmaceuticals and medical devices in the biggest shake-up in the U.S. company's 135-year history. The company said it was aiming to complete the separation in 18 to 24 months at a cost of...

Schneider unveils new industrial cleaner LCU Modulo ONE

Revealed one by one, Schneider presents 11 new innovations over 11 months. On Friday the company uncoverred the fourth innovation: an industrial cleaner with small footprint. LCU Modulo ONE takes industrial cleaning to the next level, offering the same cleaning power...

EssilorLuxottica announced that consolidated revenue including GrandVision (consolidated since July 1, i.e. for the third quarter only) totalled Euro 14,241 million in the first nine months of the year. On a comparable basis, consolidated revenue amounted to Euro...

ShopVISION platform has seen a surge in buyer engagement

The Vision Council and RX, the organizers of Vision Expo announced that ShopVISION, the global digital sourcing platform for the vision care community, has doubled in size following its launch in June 2021 with over 4,600 products and 390 brands available on the...

Color blindness hinders learning in school

EnChroma – creators of glasses for color blindness – released the results of a landmark study that demonstrates the negative effect color blindness has on learning for millions of students. The data strongly indicates that schools are failing to identify color blind...

SILMO Paris 2021 successfully closed

The trade fair SILMO was eagerly awaited and, due to the corona pandemic, could not be organized without a certain amount of tension, but it took place and exceeded the expectations of the organizers: SILMO Paris brought together satisfied professionals who were happy...

Vision Expo West 2021 concludes Show in Las Vegas

Vision Expo West 2021 concluded on Saturday, September 25. The four-day event, which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, from Sept. 22–25 at The Venetian Convention Center & Expo, brought together thousands of members of the industry. Vision Expo West 2021 featured more...

33rd China International Optics Fair held in October

CIOF2021, the 33rd China International Optics Fair, shall continue the legend in making breakthroughs and presenting the latest array of worldwide and Chinese optical products and technologies to quench the thirst of buyers from all over China, the biggest optical...

MEI wins the SILMO d’OR award in Paris with the new EasyFit Trend

MEI, the global leader for lens edging machines, won the SILMO d’OR 2021 in the ‘Material / Equipment’ category with the new EasyFit Trend. In the ceremony, which took place in Paris during the international optical show, MEI received the prize awarded by a jury...

Craving for Mido!

After the first ever MIDO 2021 | Digital Edition, organized in June, the next in-person edition of MIDO 2022, the leading international trade fair in the eyewear sector, is finally set on 12-14 February in the pavilions of Fiera Milano, at Rho Exhibition Center. While...

Luneau Technology and Optovue announce merger

Luneau Technology and Optovue Inc. have announced the signing of a definitive agreement to merge. The newly merged company will continue to serve eyecare professionals as a major player with innovative product lines and a strong focus on its telehealth solution. The...

DaTE closes with a 55% increase in buyers

The 9th edition of DaTE, an event focused on the eyewear of the future, closed Monday at the Stazione Leopolda di Firenze. The organizers reported that almost 1.500 eyewear professionals and select buyers visited the show, exceeding their expectations and emphasizing...

DAC Technologies appoints new president and CEO

DAC Technologies names Will Daniels as their new President and CEO. A 26-year veteran of the optical industry, Will has served in various leadership roles in sales management, operations and joined DAC in August this year from his recent role as head of global...

EssilorLuxottica and Facebook introduce Ray-Ban Stories

Facebook, Inc. and Ray-Ban releases the next generation of smart glasses, Ray-Ban Stories. The highly anticipated collaboration brings forward a new way to seamlessly capture, share and listen through your most authentic moments. The announcement was made today by...

Reimagine: Novel lens surfacing technology from Coburn Technologies

Coburn Technologies, a leading provider of  end-to-end customer solutions to the world’s ophthalmic lens processing industries and eye care professionals, has officially launched the Reimagine Campaign to announce new technology advancements in lens processing. Coburn...

DaTE: The countdown of the 9th edition begins

The countdown has begun for the 9th edition of DaTE, the international exhibition dedicated to avant-garde eyewear, which will open at the Leopolda in Firenze on Saturday September 11 and will continue until Monday September 13. Over 120 exclusive national and...

EssilorLuxottica announces launch of share buyback program

EssilorLuxottica announces the launch of a share buyback program reflecting the Group’s confidence in its value creation and long-term prospects. With a view to implementing this share buyback program, EssilorLuxottica has granted a mandate to an investment services...

Maxwell honors recipients of Opening Your Eyes Scholarship Fund

Last week, on Wednesday, August 25, three-time Grammy winner, and modern soul star, Maxwell, honored three recipients of the Opening Your Eyes: The Vision Council Scholarship Fund at the Times Square EDITION hotel. During the celebratory event, Maxwell, on behalf of...

Opti 2022 – at last a restart with emotions

Since 1 August this year, industries have once again been able to meet for live events at the site of leading international trade fairs in Munich Germany). This further increases anticipation for opti 2022, 14-16 January, because it focuses on what counts: real...

Hoya Vision Care welcomes Warren Modlin as VP, Technical Marketing

Ophthalmic lens technology leader Hoya Vision Care announced that Warren Modlin has joined the company as its Vice President of Technical Marketing. In his role, Modlin leads professional relations and innovation strategies for North America, in addition to...

Schneider introduces the power lab of the next decade

Digital, powerful, cost-efficient, sustainable, high quality. Groundbreaking new technology based on new philosophies and fresh concepts. This is what the Schneider team has been working tirelessly on and now the curtains will be drawn. The German pioneer in freeform...

Ocuco neutralizes carbon emissions

Ocuco Ltd announces the launch of a sustainability program. The first action of this plan is neutralizing the carbon emissions of its global headquarters until 2022. In March 2020, the optical software company joined the GoCarbonNeutral.ie initiative to offset its...

Program for Vision Expo West 2021 available

The organizers of Vision Expo, The Vision Council and RX, announced the schedule of programming and events set to take place at Vision Expo West 2021, taking place at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada from September 22-25, 2021. The Show’s...

Silmo: New video interview online

In a new video Amélie Morel and Eric Lenoir answer the most important questions about the upcoming Silmo. Silmo takes place from 24. - 27. September in Paris, following the motto "Let's enjoy real contact again!"  ...

More than 275 exhibiting companies commit to Vision Expo West 2021

The Vision Council and RX, co-organizers of Vision Expo, announced that more than 275 exhibiting companies have committed to Vision Expo West 2021, taking place September 22–25 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.  To view the list of exhibiting...

Shamir launches Metaform a new lens manufacturing technology

After years of research and co-development with Satisloh, Shamir is proud to present Metaform, its nano structure lens manufacturing technology that offers a new breed of compromise-free superpowered lenses with all the optical, physical features and coating built-in....

Registration is now open for DaTE

More than 120 brands will be on hand for the 9th edition of DaTE, the international trade show featuring avant-garde eyewear, set to take place at the centrally located Leopolda di Firenze, Saturday September 11 to Monday 13. The countdown has begun toward what will...

Registration now open for Vision Expo West 2021

Registration is now open for Vision Expo West 2021, taking place September 22–25 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. With Las Vegas fully reopened, the Show organizers, The Vision Council and RX, are planning a robust Show experience featuring...

40 million Euro investment in Ocuco

Ocuco Ltd, the leading provider of software to the eyecare industry worldwide, has announced today a €40 million refinancing including a €25 million term extension of its facilities with Wells Fargo Capital Finance (Technology Finance Division) and a €10 million...

Mimesys – a lens that adapts to the user

Mimesys, the latest innovation from Horizons Optical, was unveiled at the Mido digital trade show from 5 to 7 June. According to the company, Mimesys, an ecosystem of technologies, is a real revolution, transforming the whole concept of progressive lenses as we know...

Adaptive lens technology exceeded funding goal within hours

DeepOptics, the inventor of a novel adaptive lens technology, unveiled its new product 32°N, the first adaptive focus sunglasses, on Kickstarter, and already exceeded its funding goal within a few hours. The sunglasses enable a number of different reading...

All Schneider edgers come with built-in quality control

One investment, two machines – Schneider developed a proprietary quality inspection system, replacing the need for additional surface inspection units and exceeding the industry standard. Intelligently interlinked with the Modulo system, this integrated LMU lens...

Coburn Technologies announces the new Agility autodeblocker

Developed for large labs seeking speed and efficiency, Agility is the fastest automated deblocking system on the market, capable of deblocking over 200 lenses per hour. “The new Agility Autodeblocker completes our automated post-polishing product offering. When...

MES_360 Lite – Your introduction to Industry 4.0

Increasing transparency and visibility of Satisloh´s equipment performance is one of the key levers to optimizing lens manufacturing production and reducing costs. The new MES-360 Lite which comes pre-installed with every Satisloh Lab 4.0 ready machine, provides daily...

EssilorLuxottica acquires HAL’s 76.72% interest in GrandVision

On July 1, EssilorLuxottica announced that it has completed its acquisition of a 76.72% ownership interest in GrandVision from HAL Optical Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of HAL Holding pursuant to the block trade agreement entered into with HAL on July...

DaTE returns to Florence September 11-13, 2021

DaTE, the international trade show featuring avant-garde eyewear is set to take place Saturday September 11th to Monday 13th. The appointment with Fall-Winter 2021-22 avant-garde eyewear returns to Florence, at the central and strategically located Stazione Leopolda,...

Reed Exhibitions evolved to RX with a refreshed visual identy

Reed Exhibitions announced its evolution to RX, with a refreshed visual identity and updated brand positioning. Building on its flagship events business, the company is leveraging its capabilities in data and technology to create all year-round communities that...

Silmo will open from 24 to 27 September 2021

Last Thursday, the French government announced a plan to progressively release the country’s lock-down measures. This officially confirms what the Silmo organizers have been anticipating: that trade fairs, conferences and exhibitions will be able to open. Beginning on...

MIDO digital edition has closed but B2N platform continues

The doors closed on MIDO 2021 | Digital Edition, the  global eyewear event, in an online version - this year for the first time ever in the history of this trade show. At the same time the date is set for February 12, 2022 to finally gather again in person at MIDO in...

Vision Expo East: Show 2021 in Orlando concluded

Vision Expo East 2021 concluded on Saturday, June 5. The four-day event, which took place for the first time in Orlando, Florida, from June 2–5 at the Orange County Convention Center, marked the first large-scale, in-person trade show for the vision care community...

Satisloh: New leader for the aftermarket business announced

Satisloh has announced the retirement of Werner Kalb and - at the same time - the designation of Luca Cavadini as new leader for the aftermarket business. "It is with mixed feelings that today we announce the retirement of our much-appreciated Werner Kalb. For more...

MIDO 2021 | Digital edition opens tomorrow

MIDO 2021| Digital Edition will open tomorrow, June 5th. Until Monday June 7th , 30 events, 60 guests and over 400 showcase pages that will seize the international business opportunities of the new “immersive” format. To open the event, the official greetings of the...

Three-Day virtual extension of the Vision Expo East 2021 experience

The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, the organizers of Vision Expo, announced Vision Expo+, a free digital extension of the Vision Expo East experience that will be offered from June 3–5 in conjunction with Vision Expo East 2021 through ShopVISION, a new global...

EssilorLuxottica presents its new Board of Directors

During EssilorLuxottica’s annual General Meeting shareholders approved all the names of the proposed directors who now sit on the new Board of Directors of the Company, including: Mr. Leonardo Del Vecchio, Mr. Francesco Milleri, Mr. Paul du Saillant, Mr. Romolo...

Mido presents 2021 digital edition concept

Today, the Mido organizers presented the concept of the digital Mido 2021. It will take place from Saturday 5 to Monday 7 June. The international eyewear event goes on stage with an exceptional edition: a June appointment instead of the usual February dates and a...

Silmo Paris: Let´s enjoy real contact again!

The French government announced a plan to progressively release the country’s lock-down measures. This officially confirms what Silmo has anticipated: that trade fairs, conferences and exhibitions will be able to open. Beginning on June 30th, there will be no maximal...

Vision Expo extends free registration

The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, organizers of Vision Expo, announce that free registration for Vision Expo East 2021, taking place June 2–5 in Orlando, Florida, will be extended indefinitely. The decision to extend the free registration deadline is based on...

Vision Expo East 2021 to host the Career Zone on Saturday, June 5

The organizers of Vision Expo, The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, announced that the Career Zone will return to Vision Expo East 2021 on Saturday, June 5 from 10 am to 5 pm EDT. The hub for students and young professionals will be hosted in The Seen (#TP1251), a...

OptoTech developed FOG Protect coating process

Wearing a face mask, fast temperature changes, doing outside sports, opening the oven or the dishwasher - almost every wearer of spectacle lenses is facing the problem of foggy lenses. To solve this problem, OptoTech developed the new FOG Protect coating process. FOG...

Ocuco’s LMS is awarded best optical lab software for 2021

Ocuco’s Lab Management Software (LMS), has been awarded Best Optical Lab Software for 2021 by HealthCare Insights Magazine, which annually recognizes leading companies in the healthcare sector. Innovations is Ocuco’s flagship optical lab management software. Ocuco...

opti 2022: commercial driving force and platform for the future

The next opti, the international trade show for optics and design in Europe, will be held from 14th to 16th January 2022. Exhibitors can register for the trade show in Munich right away, doing so entirely free of risk but with the prospect of important and valuable...

Essilor will unveil clinical trial results of its Stellest lens

  Essilor will unveil the pivotal two-year clinical trial results of its Stellest lens - its latest spectacle lens solution in the fight against myopia. The much-anticipated two-year results demonstrate that Essilor Stellest lenses slow down myopia progression by 67%...

EssilorLuxottica: Update on the proposed acquisition of GrandVision

EssilorLuxottica confirms that on April 9,2021 the Chilean market regulator FNE (Fiscalía Nacional Económica) cleared the acquisition of GrandVision following the commitment to divest GrandVision’s Chilean operations under the banner Rotter YKrauss.GrandVision’s...

Transitions academy 2021 cancelled

Transitions Optical announced that it is cancelling Transitions Academy 2021, scheduled for June 13 – 16, 2021 in Orlando, Fla. The annual meeting is one of the industry’s well-recognized educational events, bringing together independent eyecare professionals,...

Zeiss opens High-Tech center in North America

Zeiss, the global optics and optoelectronics technology company, has completed construction of its new R&D, production, sales and customer service site in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bringing together hundreds of Zeiss employees and key functions under one roof,...

SIOF 2021 postponed to May

The 20th China (Shanghai) International Optics Fair, scheduled to be held in Shanghai in February, has been relayed to May 6-8, 2021, at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center (SWEECC). The descision was taken in compliance to China State Council’s...

Apax Funds to acquire Rodenstock

Funds advised by Apax (the “Apax Funds”) have announced an agreement to acquire Rodenstock from Compass Partners. Founded in 1877, Rodenstock has been a global leader in prescription lenses for over 140 years. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, Rodenstock employs...

EssilorLuxottica signs agreement to acquire Walman in the U.S.

EssilorLuxottica has entered into an agreement to acquire U.S. based lab network Walman. Walman, which has been a leading partner to vision care practices around the country for more than 100 years, will draw on EssilorLuxottica’s focus on product and service...

MIDO in-person edition moved forward to February 2022

Today the President of MIDO, Giovanni Vitaloni, met online all the stakeholders of the trade show to announce that, at the moment, the situation does not allow MIDO 2021 to go ahead as planned. From 5 to 7 June the event for the world eyewear industry will move...

Registration now open for Vision Expo East

The Vision Council, co-organizer of Vision Expo with Reed Exhibitions, announces that registration for Vision Expo East 2021, taking place June 2–5 in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center, opens today, Monday, March 22 under the banner of ONE Vision...

Vision Expo updates safety guidelines for exhibitors

The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, organizers of Vision Expo, have updated VisionSAFE, the comprehensive set of health and safety guidelines, policies and resources designed to support a safe experience at Vision Expo East 2021, with specific guidelines for...

EssilorLuxottica publishes financial statements for 2020

The Board of Directors of EssilorLuxottica met on March 11, 2021 to approve the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020. These financial statements were audited by the Statutory Auditors whose certification report is in the process of...

Submission of new Drug Application for the treatment of presbyopia

Allergan, an AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) company, announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for investigational AGN-190584 (pilocarpine 1.25%) ophthalmic solution for the treatment of presbyopia. The FDA is expected to act...

The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions announce launch of VisionSAFE

The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, organizers of Vision Expo, announced the launch of VisionSAFE, an initial comprehensive set of health and safety guidelines, policies and resources designed to support a safe experience at Vision Expo East 2021, which is...

German lens maker Rodenstock prepped for sale?

According to the international news agency Reuters the German ophthalmic lens and eyewear maker Rodenstock is being prepared for sale by its private equity owner in a potential 1.5 billion euro ($1.8 billion) deal, two people close to the matter told Reuters. Compass...

PSI celebrates 50 years!

  Practical Systems, Inc. (PSI) is celebrating its 50th anniversary serving the optical industry. Founded by Bill Hernandez in 1971, PSI quickly established itself as a leader of innovative practical systems for labs. Firmly planted in the industry with the AlumaLap,...

100% Optical – trade show postponed, virtual event takes place

The organizers of 100% Optical announced the postponement of the 2021 trade show to January 2022. The 2021 event was scheduled for May 8-10 at ExCeL London, having already been pushed back from January 2021. 100% Optical will now take place from Jan. 29-31, 2022 at...

MIDO: Visitor registration opens

  On 28. January MIDO has opened visitor registration. Buyers, designers, entrepreneurs, opticians, ophthalmologists and professionals in the global eyewear supply chain can register for the forthcoming edition of the show, slated for June 5 - 7, 2021 on the MIDO...

PPG to invest $20 million by 2025 to advance racial equity

PPG and the PPG Foundation today announced a commitment to invest $20 million by 2025 to address systemic racism and advance racial equity in the U.S. by funding educational pathways for Black communities and people of color. The commitment strengthens PPG’s focus on...

The next destination for eyewear shows — Dubai

FourPlus Media has announced VisionPlus EXPO 2021, an international optical trade fair which aims to attract buyers from over 50 countries in their maiden edition. While global eyewear companies are still coming to terms with the ‘new normals’ in their respective...

Vision Expo establishes Alan C. Ritter innovation award

Vision Expo has established the Alan C. Ritter Innovation Award. Inspired by Alan Ritter, a transformational leader in the vision care industry and one of the original founders of The Vision Council who passed away in July 2020, the annual award will bestow $10,000 to...

Changes in the Management Board of 3D-Micromac

3D-Micromac, the leading specialist in laser micromachining and roll-to-roll laser processing systems, is pleased to announce that as part of its successful strategic realignment, a consortium of US investors has acquired a majority stake in the company. The founder...

The Vision Council announces Open Your Eyes Scholarship Program

The Vision Council, through the Better Vision Institute, is pleased to launch the Open Your Eyes Scholarship Program, a  charity designed to support high school students in marginalized communities throughout the United States who have an interest in pursuing a career...

tooz technologies launched smart glasses in China

tooz technologies has developed an optical platform which enables cost-effective, unobtrusive and turnkey smart glass solutions. In December 2020, the German start-up, a spin-off from Zeiss and today a Zeiss-Telekom joint-venture, launched its first smart glasses...

Optical Coating Entrepreneur, Jean Gehrig, dies at 79

Jean Gehrig, founder of SCL International, a cleaning and hard coating machine manufacturer based in France, passed away in November 2020. For all who met Jean, they will remember a gentleman, a professional, a real entrepreneur. He was an electrical engineer who...

IOT launches new personalized lens calculation technology

Digital Ray-Path 2 works in synergy with nature by harnessing the innate power of the human eye to create advanced lens designs. IOT has just launched the Digital Ray-Path 2 technology, an evolution of its predecessor, Digital Ray-Path. This new technology, in...

Schneider Anti Fog: Now available for most AR-coaters

The bad news: Wearing face masks will most likely remain for some time to come. The good news: Glasses will no longer fog up thanks to the Schneider Anti Fog Coating technology. All you need is one single consumable chip! Insert and go: No matter what equipment and...

Coburn Technologies announces new ProCoat hard lens coating

Coburn Technologies, Inc. is pleased to introduce ProCoat, their most robust and feature-rich hard coating for backside lens coaters. ProCoat is the “pro” when it comes to unsurpassed abrasion resistance, adhesion, tintability, clarity and stability. Expertly...

Vision Expo East: Launch of new online continuing education platform

The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, co-owners of Vision Expo, are reimagining the Show’s continuing education offerings with the launch of VisionEd Direct, a new virtual continuing education platform offering on-demand accredited courses, and plans for a new...

Satisloh launches new AR coating to eliminate foggy lenses

Satisloh Fog-Free is the company’s solution to eliminating the annoying issue of foggy eyeglasses. Fog-Free consists of two elements: a new coating process for Satisloh vacuum box coaters and pre-treated consumer microfiber cloths, which activate the anti-fog...

Luxexcel reaches next milestone in volume manufacturing

Luxexcel, the technology provider for 3D printed prescription lenses, reports that its manufacturing platforms in the US and Europe have reached a milestone in its production volume. Luxexcel’s VisionPlatforms™ have printed over 50,000 lenses for customers in the...

New partnership: MEI and B&S

MEI announces a new partnership with the traditional German wholesaler for optical equipment and eyewear B&S (Breitfeld & Schliekert) for the distribution of the dry cut lens edger EZFit in the German market. Breitfeld & Schliekert has successfully been serving the...

Coburn Technologies announces the new Agility Autodeblocker

Coburn Technologies, Inc. is pleased to introduce a new product category to their surfacing line of products with an automatic lens deblocker, the Agility Autodeblocker. Developed for large labs seeking speed and efficiency, Agility is the fastest automated deblocking...

The Vision Council concludes first all-member virtual meeting

The Vision Council hosted the organization’s first All-Member Virtual Meeting yesterday, Thursday, November 12. The meeting brought together more than 300 members of the vision care product and services community for an afternoon of engaging presentations from The...

MEI launches the new 4RacerTBA Swift

MEI launches the new 4RacerTBA Swift. The new lens edger features unparalleled automatic inspection abilities and fast self controlled edging process, with the smallest physical and environmental footprint of the market. With its new control unit and the new lens...

Bruno Fischer will become CEO at Satisloh

After 5 years with Satisloh, first as Head of Region North America and for the last 2 years as President/CEO for the global Satisloh Group, Pete Lothes will take on a new leadership role within Essilor of America as SVP Operations and Supply Chain effective November...

Salem announces rebranding and restructure of the company

Salem Distributing Company, Inc. is excited to announce a major rebrand and divisional restructure. These changes reflect the company’s evolution and desire to serve its customers with a greater focus to better meet the changing needs of the fabrication industry.Salem...

Mitsui Chemicals acquires Cotec

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. announced that group company SDC Technologies, Inc. has acquired Cotec, an established innovator in the development and manufacture of high quality PVD (physical vapor deposition) and MLD (molecular layer deposition) materials for hydrophobic,...

DAC’s Virtual trade show booth

  DAC Technologies launches a new digital experience with a virtual booth where customers can navigate and learn more about DAC's line of surfacing, cleaning and finishing equipment along their consumable lines. Customers can view equipment images rotate 360 degrees,...

Cancellation of opti 2021

  A sad consequence of coronavirus-related developments: opti, the international trade show for optics and design, which was planned to take place from 8th to 10th of January 2021, has been cancelled due to the current volatile developments: This decision was a result...

MIDO postponed to June 5 – 7

MIDO 2021 drops its traditional February dates to schedule a June show. A sensible choice, driven by the aim to ensure exhibitors and visitors an exhibition offering peak international traffic potential and profitable business transactions. The show’s well-known...

Vision Expo East postponed to May 25 – 28

The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, organizers of Vision Expo, today announce that Vision Expo East 2021, originally scheduled to take place from March 18–21, will now take place May 25–28, 2021 (Education: May 25–28; Exhibition: May 26–28) at the Javits Center...

Coburn Technologies introduces the new Acuity Max Soft Polisher

Coburn Technologies is pleased to introduce the latest technology in conventional lens processing that eliminates the need for traditional hard tools. Developed in conjunction with the CTL65 Compact Lens Generator which the company introduced several years ago,...

EssilorLuxottica cooperates with Facebook for smart glasses

EssilorLuxottica and Facebook announced a multi-year collaboration to develop the next generation of smart glasses. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared the news during Facebook Connect, an annual conference held virtually from California. The partnership...

The Vision Council launches diversity, equity and inclusion task force

The Vision Council announced the launch of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force. The task force launch is part of the organization’s larger brand reimagination focused on community-building and industry growth and follows The Vision Council’s recent unveiling...

The Vision Council launches new brand identity and website

The Vision Council has announced the launch of a new brand identity, including a reimagined logo and a new website designed to better serve and accommodate the needs of members and the vision care community at large. The rebrand and website launch represent the...

Changes at Board of Directors of Bühler Group

Stefan Scheiber, CEO of Bühler Group, was elected as a new Member of the Board of Directors of Bühler Holding AG at an extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting on August 28, 2020. The shareholders elected him unanimously as a new member of the Board of Directors of...

New OptoTech furnace series

OptoTech has announced the release of their new OCF furnace series for curing hardcoatings on ophthalmic lenses as well as curing blanks. The 2 available versions (OCF Premium 2 and OCF Premium Plus 3) have individually controlled modules and adjustable feedrate for...

Vision Expo to host virtual career event

Vision Expo has announced plans to host the Virtual Career Zone, a virtual networking event designed to connect young professionals and students with optical companies. Set to take place on Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 11-11:55 a.m. EDT, the virtual event is inspired by...

Satisloh announces on-demand support with assisted reality technology

Satisloh expanded their technical support portfolio with the new Distance Step program, providing labs real-time help and information without a tech visit. “We’re excited about offering Distance Step – especially now with the uncertainty of travel. It gives our...

MAFO – The Conference 2021 confirmed

After the inevitable cancellation of MAFO - The Conference 2020 due to the corona crisis it is now certain: MAFO - The Conference 2021 will take place! The motto for the annual industry meeting ties in with 2020: Smart and Sustainable - reloaded. And the date is also...

Coburn Technologies introduces new express lens edger

Coburn Technologies has released the next generation in their lens edging technology, their fastest edger to-date, the HPE-910 Exxpert Express Lens Edger. The faster edging speed is the result of smart processing and quick mapping, completing a job in 80 seconds....

Safe Business Platform: opti 2021

From September 1st on, trade fairs may take place again in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. The upcoming opti, which will be held in Stuttgart from 8th to 10th of January 2021, will then be the first ophthalmic optics trade show within a year, where the industry can meet...

Silmo 2020 outside the walls

After announcing that the 2020 edition would not be held at Paris Nord Villepinte, from Oct, 2 to 5, Silmo Paris activated its plan B to address the expectation of the optical and eyewear industry and the anticipation of exhibitors and visitors hoping to reunite. This...

Schneider goes contact lenses and IOL

Schneider is entering the market for contact lens and IOL manufacturing technology with two new solutions for single-point diamond turning. The fully featured UPC 100 Vision is designed for the manufacturing of mold inserts with surface roughness values in the 1-2 nm...

Digital use has increased in corona times

A representative study among spectacle wearers shows how much digital use has increased in the times of corona. This also has an impact on our visual dynamics today. Whether video conferencing, e-mail, chat or video streaming: As a result of the corona crisis with...

Silmo 2020 cancelled

Organizers of Silmo 2020 announced today the cancellation of the event which had been scheduled at the Paris Nord Villepinte Centre, Oct, 2 to 5. In its statement, Amelie Morel, chairwoman of the Silmo Association, wrote, "Since the beginning of the worldwide health...

N-Tec Talks in the Rhine Valley

The high-tech congress N-Tec Talks will take place parallel to the fair W3 + Fair Rheintal on September 23 and 24, 2020 in Dornbirn, Austria. The event focuses on prospects, opportunities and ideas for the high-tech industry after the corona crisis. More than 35...

Vision Expo West 2020 cancelled

The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions have announced the decision to cancel Vision Expo West 2020, scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada from September 23–26. Over the past several months, Reed Exhibitions’ Vision Expo team and The Vision Council worked...

W3+ Fair Rhine Valley 2020 firmly scheduled for September

After the gradual easing of the corona regulations in Austria, preparations for the 2nd high-tech trade fair W3+ Fair Rhine Valley are once again picking up full speed. With its event date in September, the fair will be the start of the second half of the business...

Coburn announces new spin coating system

Coburn Technologies is releasing the Velocity LTE Spin Coating System — a semi-automated spin coater that builds on the Velocity coating platform and provides the control and ease of use needed by small to mid-sized labs. It offers the same coating technology of the...

IOT has launched reactivation plan for partners

IOT has launched ‘IOT restart’, a personalized plan for customers to reactivate their operations and “return to normality”. The motto of the program is “more united than ever to achieve new successes”. The company sees teamwork, sharing information, knowledge and best...

The Vision Council honors Alan Ritter

The Vision Council is honoring the life and work of Alan Ritter, one of the founders of the organization who passed away last week. Ritter was one of the original founders of The Vision Council, serving as its first president in 1986, and a pivotal figure in the...

opti looks forward to 2021 edition

In the middle of the corona crisis, opti prepares for 2021. The entire industry is currently facing an immense challenge, and opti is also faced with new conditions due to the corona crisis and the upcoming move to Stuttgart in 2021. According to the organizers, the...

Silmo Paris 2020 is preparing to welcome the industry back

When the theme for the 2020 edition – #FUTURISSilmo – was first conceived, it was impossible to foresee that the current crisis would bring even more meaning to the subject. Now, it is as essential as ever to accompany the optical and eyewear industry to ensure that...

Vision Expo West 2020 is open for registration

Vision Expo West will return to the iconic city of Las Vegas, Nevada on September 23-26, 2020 under the banner of One Vision – One Focus – One Future. The much-anticipated Vision Expo West is where the optical industry will unite and get back to business. The Vision...

Changes of personnel at Buhler Group

Dieter Vögtli, member of the Buhler Executive Board, passed away on Friday, June 5, as a result of a short, serious illness. Dieter Vögtli headed the company's global Service & Sales (SAS) organization. Before that, he was responsible for Buhler's business in Asia....

Schneider offers new CMMS

In order to provide preventive maintenance and remote support in times of the new normal, Schneider has developed a computerized maintenance management system, CMMS. It enables labs to perform maintenance reliably like professionals. The system provides intelligence...

Schneider and Team Henrich & Krall now fully merged

Effective October 1st, 2020, Team Henrich & Krall GmbH (Team H&K), a member of the Schneider Group, will merge into the Schneider GmbH & Co. KG. The full range of products will be continue to be available through Schneider and existing customers will be fully...

Michael Vitale is new Lab Division Liaison

Following the retirement of Steve Sutherlin, the Lab Division Liaison responsibilities are taken on by Michael Vitale, The Vision Council’s Senior Technical Director, Lens Division Liaison, and Lens Processing & Technology Division Liaison. Vitale looks forward to...

Bühler gives first webinar

Bühler Leybold Optics has organized their first live webinar for the ophthalmic market. The webinar with the title "meeting market requirements from fast coating solutions to premium processes” will be held on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. The current ophthalmic market...

SatislohLink: virtual booth

Wanting to stay connected with labs, but at their customers’ convenience, Satisloh has created their new virtual booth, SatislohLink. Responding to canceled trade shows around the world, the company built this new online tool to keep the ophthalmic market informed and...

Shamir announces program to support first responders

Shamir is collaborating with US optical laboratories nationwide, which produce their freeform or digital lenses, and have chosen to participate in the company’s #VisionFIRST initiative.  The program was designed to provide complimentary prescription lens designs for...

IOT webinars for education during confinement

The research and development company in the field of optics says it wants to enliven the weeks of confinement with its own webinars that encourage to strengthen knowledge in a pleasant and productive way. IOT has decided to publish weekly different webinars that seek...

The Vision Council announces the publication of ANSI Z87.1–2020

The Vision Council has announced the revision of the ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 American National Standard for Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices. This standard sets criteria related to the general requirements, testing, permanent marking,...

Bühler appoints Irene Mark-Eisenring as new Chief HR Officer

Irene Mark-Eisenring will take charge of Bühler’s Executive Board function of Chief Human Resources Officer from Dipak Mane effective September 1, 2020. Dipak Mane is stepping out of this function to pursue other important management tasks within the organization,...

Steve Sutherlin to retire from The Vision Council

After five years with The Vision Council, Steve Sutherlin has announced his retirement as Lab Division Liaison. He held the position of President of the Optical Laboratories Association from 2005 to 2006, and was a member of the Association’s Board from 1998 to 2007....

Mido postponed to 2021

The Mido Management Board announced today that the the 50th edition of of the traide fair had to be postponed to 2021. They said the decision was difficult but unavoidable.  “The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in Italy and its swift spread to the rest of the world, along...

Vision Expo Announces Virtual Connections Program

Vision Expo today announces Virtual Connections, a new program designed to encourage and facilitate conversations and virtual meetings for Vision Expo East 2020 exhibitors and attendees who had registered for the event that was postponed as a result of COVID-19....

MEI srl donates 500 thousand euros for the Coronavirus emergency

To face the Coronavirus emergency lens edging machines manufacturer MEI wanted to manifest its solidarity by contributing to the fundraising initiatives launched in the area of its Italian headquarters. Bergamo, Italy is one of the cities most affected by the Covid-19...

Essilor reorganizes itself to speed up its integration with Luxottica

In view of recent world changes, Essilor has decided to speed up its integration with Luxottica in order to build a more resilient, flexible and agile combined organization. To this end, Paul du Saillant, 61, is appointed CEO of Essilor. He succeeds Laurent Vacherot,...

MAFO team: business as usual (almost)

The MAFO editorial and commercial team is there for you as usual to ensure that you continue to be provided with the latest information from the industry. Even under the Covid-19 circumstances there are no restrictions on our work. MAFO - The Conference is also not...

Vitaloni explains the new dates for Mido

Following the evolution of the spreading of the Coronavirus, Mido 2020 was rescheduled for Sunday, 5 to Tuesday, 7 July 2020. Mido’s president, Giovanni Vitaloni, has explained the Board of Directors reasoning behind the new dates in Mido’s online magazine. “It is...

Hilary Halper steps down as co-CFO of EssilorLuxottica

EssilorLuxottica announced today that Hilary Halper has decided to step down as co-CFO of EssilorLuxottica.The Company is in the process of appointing a new co-CFO who will be announced shortly.      

Mido 2020 rescheduled for 5-7 July

The Mido organizers announced the new dates to celebrate the fair’s 50th anniversary, which will now take place from Sunday, July 5 through Tuesday, July 7 2020, dates compatible with any coming provisions made by the competent authority for the health crisis and for...

MAFO – The Conference has been postponed

As was announced on Saturday, February 22, Mido won’t take place as scheduled due to the health crisis in Italy. We therefore have to postpone MAFO – The Conference accordingly. The situation is currently unpredictable. We will keep an eye on the developments and will...

Mido’s 50th edition has been postponed

Today, Saturday February 22, the Board of Directors of Mido met in order to set up and define a strategic response to the CoVID-19 emergency, in relation to the upcoming edition scheduled for February 29 to March 2. Mido’s organizers have announced that the board has...

Mido – digital platform for “Fair East” exhibitors

While the fiftieth edition of Mido will take place regularly, in compliance with the health regulations in force and by putting additional preventative measures in place, the “Fair East” area (pavilion 7), which traditionally hosts the Asian exhibitors, will not be...

A historical mark for the training at Bühler

70 apprentices started their professional training at Bühler in Switzerland in August 2019 - 10 women and 60 men. Together, they have already achieved a milestone for the company in their short professional career. Along with them, more than 8,000 young adults have...

Mido celebrates 50th anniversary

At the first edition of the Mido Eyeware show in 1970, there were 95 exhibitors (67 Italian and 28 from other countries) who displayed their products in 3.000 m2 of exhibit space. In 2019, more than 1.320 exhibitors and their wares occupied 7 pavilions and represented...

Mido to take place as scheduled

Mido has confirmed that the 50th edition of the fair will take place as scheduled, in compliance with current health regulations. The organizers are carefully monitoring the situation surrounding the Coronavirus health warning, paying close attention to all the...

Change of ownership at MAFO

Petros Sioutis, Silke Sage and Efstathios Efthimiadis have taken over MAFO’s former Media Welt publishing house from founder Jörg Spangemacher in August of this year under the new name EYEPRESS Fachmedien GmbH. As former employees of the company, all three have many...

What the world looks like with eye diseases

In collaboration with optometrist Roshni Patel, Lenstore has used images to show how people with various eye diseases and visual impairments perceive everyday situations. More pictures on: www.lenstore.de/vc/durch-andere-augen-sehen                ...

EssilorLuxottica – 2019 International Share Ownership Plan

EssilorLuxottica announced the results of its international share ownership plan (“Boost 2019”) with a subscription rate of over 67% of eligible employees. More than 56,000 employees now hold a financial stake in the company. In November this year, EssilorLuxottica...

Hoya celebrates 40 years in Germany

Hoya has been active in Germany since 1979. For many years, their German headquarters have been situated in Mönchengladbach. On November 23, 2019, a big anniversary party with more than 650 invited guests took place there with a top-class entertainment program with...

WHO publishes report on eye health

2.2 billion people worldwide have to live with visual impairment or blindness, with one billion of those cases being preventable or treatable. This is what the World Health Organization's (WHO) World Health Report (WHO) published for the first time. The most common...

DAC Technologies – New Latin America Sales Manager

DAC Technologies is pleased to welcome Nestor Paz as Latin America Sales Manager. Nestor will be responsible for supporting customers in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining DAC, Nestor worked 15 years in the optical industry, most recently focused on...

A&R changes its ownership

With his retirement in view, the founder and main shareholder of Automation & Robotics (A&R), Christian Closset, created a plan for the future of the company that combines his own wishes and the strategy of the Walloon Regional Investment Company (SRIW), i.e. to...

Jörg Spangemacher honored for his life’s work

The traditional Vision Council Lab Division Hall of Fame Dinner is always a highlight of the Vision Expo West. At the Hall of Fame Dinner – in festive atmosphere with cocktails and a splendid buffet – people are honored for their outstanding contribution to the...

Lothes to expand role to President and CEO at Satisloh

Pete Lothes, who became Satisloh’s worldwide President at the beginning of 2019, has been named the company’s President and CEO effective September 1st. “Satisloh globally over the last eight months has been fast-paced and rewarding. I am excited to take on the CEO...

Coburn Technologies introduces the new Duality AR

Coburn Technologies, a provider of innovative, end-to-end customer solutions to the world's ophthalmic lens processing industries, introduces a new version of the Duality lens processing platform – the Duality AR. “The Duality AR expands the family of Duality,...

A Space Odyssey – farewell words by Jörg Spangemacher

An ophthalmic optician like me is not directly involved in the optical industry. He only needs to know that they make spectacle lenses. However, this all changed for me in 1979 when I attended a seminar in Amsterdam on the question of how to prevent scratches on the...

Satisloh names Luis Cerqueira Head of Region Latin America

Following the move of Christian Jakober to VP of Global Strategic Accounts, Luis Cerqueira takes over as Head of Region Latin America effective September 1, 2019. “Luis’ expertise in directing sales teams, running manufacturing facilities, and managing large...

New sustainable eyewear material

“BD8 – Bio Plastics” is a 100% bio-degradable plastics which can be naturally broken into carbon, water and bio mass. In a world where approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into the oceans every day, “BD8 – Bio Plastics” offers an...

The IOT website now speaks Chinese and Portuguese

IOT continues to update its website to make t he information and knowledge available for all customers to manufacture the best lenses. From now on, all that information is available in two new languages, Portuguese and Chinese, which are added to the English and...

Speed Dating at Vision Expo West

Vision Expo West is pleased to introduce The Next Generation of Retailers - Speed Dating event at this year’s Show. For the first time ever, new and potential business owners will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with some of the industry’s most successful...

Replacing tape: Schneider’s new spin protection technology

Problems with wrinkles, bubbles, detaching, commonly known with tape, are a thing of the past thanks to the SPP Modulo. It replaces tape to optimally protect the lens during the surfacing process utilizing UV-curable liquid protection layers. Evenly distributed across...

opti to get a new home in 2021

Onwards to new horizons: in 2021, 2023 and 2025 opti will be held at the fairground “Messe Stuttgart”. The reason: in these odd years, fairground Munich is only able to give opti exhibitors a narrow window of time in which to construct their stands due to the “BAU”,...

EssilorLuxottica to acquire HAL’s 76.72% interest in GrandVision

EssilorLuxottica S.A. (“EssilorLuxottica”), a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of ophthalmic lenses, frames and sunglasses today announces an agreement with Hal Optical Investments B.V. (“HAL”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of HAL Holding N.V,...

Hall of Fame Inductees 2019

The Vision Council is pleased to announce the Lab Division’s Directors’ Choice Award recipient and the industry veterans who have been selected to be inducted into the Lab Division Hall of Fame for 2019. The Division has named Steve Sutherlin, The Vision Council’s Lab...

Vision Expo West provides diversified education content

New education at Vision Expo West 2019 will offer attendees a wide range of tracks, courses, workshops and competitions featuring the latest in leadership, marketing, patient care and more with real-time planning and interactive demonstrations. With over 300 hours of...

New building extension @ FISA Ultraschall – Kandel – Germany!

In order to improve  services offers and to better meet the customer’s needs, FISA has extended their site in Germany. 150 sqm more for the benefit of their customers: new technical office for the after-sales team, new spare parts store as well as new FIMM Germany...

SCHNEIDERs Modulo Line wins German Innovation Award

On May 28th, 2019, SCHNEIDER was honored w ith the German Innovation Award by the German Design Council for the invention of the Module Line – the first fully automated Industry 4.0 ophthalmic lens production system. Following its nomination, SCHNEIDER was chosen by...

Coburn Technologies launches brand new Consumables E-Commerce Website

Coburn Technologies, Inc. has officially launched a brand new e-commerce website for optical consumables and spare parts: www.ShopCoburn.com. Digital Surfacing, Traditional Surfacing, Finishing, Coatings & Chemicals, Diagnostics and Spare Parts are the primary...

Registration now open for Vision Expo West 2019

Registration is now open to all for Vision Expo West 2019. Returning to the Sands Expo Convention Center in the iconic city of Las Vegas on Sept. 18 - 21, this year’s Show will feature new destinations, education courses, empowering panels and more. “In this ever -...

Contour Fine Tooling appoints new VP of Sales & Marketing

Contour Fine Tooling, a global leader in single-point diamond cutting tool solutions, appointed Bob Cassin as new VP of Sales & Marketing North America and General Manager of its USA subsidiary. Bob Cassin has been appointed per June 17th, 2019 as the new Vice...

Successful Optical Innovation Summit

The Vision Council hosted the second of four events in their new Summit Series. The Optical Innovation Summit—held June 5–6 in Boulder, Colorado—gathered C-level executives and emerging companies in the vision care space to discuss the inevitable changes affecting...

Coburn Technologies’ Velocity Spin Coater wins award

Coburn Techologies, Inc.announced that their Velocity Spin Coater has been named “Best Value Enhancer (Lab)” by the CiO VisionPlus Awards.“We are thrilled and honored to receive this award for our Velocity Coater, especially considering our focus on developing...

The Vision Council introduces new summit series

The Vision Council is proud to introduce their new Summit Series for 2019, facilitated by Bart Foster, strategic advisor to The Vision Council. This series of exclusive events will help feed the growing desire to better the optical industry and individuals’ careers...

EssilorLuxottica and Delfin sign settlement agreement

EssilorLuxottica announced that EssilorLuxottica and Deflin S.à.r.l. agreed upon a settlement agreement to overcome the governance issues and set the basis for a renewed start of profound collaboration between Essilor and Luxottica. The agreement settles any existing...

The Vision Council announces:

President Trump to increase third list of China duties, remaining Chines-origin products threatened with additional tariffs. President Trump tweeted his intent to raise the China 301 duties from 10 percent to 25 percent, currently being assessed on approximately $200...

UN road safety week

Essilor and Groupe Renault pool expertise to better integrate visual specifications to improve drivers’ experience and promote the importance of good vision for road safety. On the occasion of the 5th United Nations Road Safety Week, Essilor and Groupe Renault...

EVOlens improves the user experience through data

IOT presents EVOlens, a system that objectively selects the ideal lens for each patient by considering previous patients’ lens feedback. Based on the satisfaction of previous patients, the system selects the lens that best suits your visual profile by searching among...

Coburn Technologies welcomes Jason Frank

Coburn Technologies, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Frank as their new Sales Manager for the Latin America market.  Jason will replace Pedro Parra, who is currently in the role and will be retiring after more than 38 years with Coburn. Parra will...

A great success: MAFO – The Conference 2019

The 20th ‘MAFO – The Conference’ was held in Milan on February 22, 2019. More than 60 participants gathered at the NH Hotel, just outside the Mido, to enjoy an exciting day with interesting lectures and discussions. Under the motto, “Future Technologies”, 13 speakers...

Luxexcel advances 3D printing technology for ophthalmic lenses

Luxexcel, the pioneer in 3D printed ophthalmic lenses, announces that its proprietary 3D printing technology has advanced from the pilot phase to printing commercial lenses. Over the past 12 months, 5000 lenses have been printed on several VisionPlatforms™ installed...

Coburn Technologies promotes David Kilfoil to marketing manager

Coburn Technologies, Inc. is pleased to announce the promotion of David Kilfoil as the new Marketing Manager for the company. Kilfoil has been with Coburn for more than three years now as the Marketing Specialist, with primary responsibilities including the full...

MEI to debut new solutions at MIDO for lens edging

MEI returns to MIDO again this year, confirming its now-traditional dual presence: once again, the institutional stand, targeting the industrial sector, will be joined by an exhibit space given over entirely to EZFit, the compact edger dedicated to retail users....

Bühler appoints Mark Macus as new CFO effective September 1, 2019

Andreas Herzog (61), who has held the CFO position for 17 years, will retire for age reasons effective September 1, 2019. His successor is Mark Macus (47), who was employed at Bühler before for five years and who currently serves as CFO of the Vitra Group. Andreas...

The Vision Council releases Annual Report

The Vision Council is proud to release its 2018 Annual Report, highlighting the organization’s many accomplishments throughout the year. In 2018, The Vision Council welcomed 54 new member companies and saw the success of the first year of the Optical Retail Division...

Richard Hughes named President Satisloh North America

Following the move of Pete Lothes to President and CTO of Satisloh globally, Richard Hughes takes over as President Satisloh North America, effective January 1. Hughes began his 22 year optical industry career as Director of Sales and Service for ophthalmic...

SIOF 2019 is going to shine again in the Pearl of the Orient

SIOF is pleased to announce that the 19th China (Shanghai) International Optics Fair enjoys a giant leap forward with a bigger number of participants. The annual event is scheduled to take place on 21- 23 February 2019 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition &...

Satisloh: Two optical industry veterans make career moves

After 19 successful years with Satisloh, first at the helm of North America and for the last 4 years as global President and Group CTO, Larry Clarke takes the opportunity to pursue a new leadership role within Essilor of America. Clarke will become...

Countdown to Vision Expo East 2019

Vision Expo East 2019 is gearing up to take over the Javits Center (Education: March 21 – 24; Exhibit Hall: March 22 – 24) with a Show everyone can count on to meet their professional needs. Vision Expo East 2019 will feature the latest in fashion, technology and...

DAC Vision to become DAC Technologies

DAC Vision in Europe will be renamed DAC Technologies for its operations throughout Europe, Africa as well as the Middle East, effective January 2019. DAC Technologies, the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of  supplies, changed its...

Vision Expo Presents “7 Days of Giveaways”

Alexandria, VA – Dec. 4, 2018 – Vision Expo has announced the first-ever “7 Days of Giveaways” holiday contest. In collaboration with various merchandise and exhibiting companies, Vision Expo will reveal a new giveaway item on Instagram for seven days beginning on...

EssilorLuxottica held first combined Shareholders’ Meeting

Charenton-Le-Pont (November 29, 2018 – 8:00 pm) EssilorLuxottica held its first Combined General Meeting today at the Espace Grande Arche at La Défense, chaired by Leonardo Del Vecchio, Executive Chairman, and Hubert Sagnières, Executive Vice-Chairman, of...

Schunk Group acquires stake in OptoTech

Corporate succession is a significant topic of today. The sustainable protection and continuation of business operations for shareholders, customers, suppliers and employees are thus in the foreground. This question also arose for OptoTech as to what should happen in...

Jean-Claude Hache, a man of commitment

Silmo announced news of the death of Professor Jean-Claude Hache with a great deal of sorrow. A doctor of science, neuro-ophthalmologist and professor in ophthalmology, he was the first in France to develop a visual function exploration department at the CHRU of...

SILMO Paris 2018: A trade fair that keeps its promises

The 52nd edition of the International Optical Fair demonstrated its appeal on this rather dynamic global market with a satisfying turnover. Over four days, more than 37,000* professional visitors (56% of international) were able to admire the creativity of the 965...

Vision Expo West 2018 breaks records

Alexandria, VA – October 3, 2018 – Vision Expo West’s 30th anniversary was a sweeping success, with the overall Show experiencing a nearly double digit increase in attendance compared to 2017. Pre-audited results show close to 13,000 eyecare professionals from across...

Luxexcel opens Customer Demonstration Lab in Atlanta, GA.

Luxexcel announced yesterday the opening of the new US-based Customer Demonstration Lab in Alpharetta, GA (greater Atlanta area). The facility will house a full Luxexcel VisionPlatform™ system and supports the Luxexcel customer base. Luxexcel Customer Demonstration...

Luxexcel breaks into the next phase

Luxexcel, the pioneer in 3D printing of ophthalmic lenses, announced today the appointment of Fabio Esposito as Chief Executive Officer to lead the company in its next growth phase. Fabio brings to the company a strong track record of transforming businesses from...

Transforming lives through the gift of vision

WestGroupe is a proud supporter of Optometry Giving Sight. The company offers in Canada a complete frames & lens package with the Superflex collection in partnership with Zeiss lenses. Together they have raised over $20,000 to date. From every package sold, WestGroupe...

DaTE 2018 – The exhibitors

MOSCOT introduced five new frames for Fall 2018 at DaTE with a nod to some of the brand’s most memorable characters from years past. Zack Moscot, 5th Generation, Chief Creative Officer, drew inspiration from the brand’s 103-year old archives, adding intellectual flare...

The Vision Council announces updated Data Communications Standard

Alexandria, VA – The Vision Council’s Lens Processing and Technology (LPT) Division is pleased to announce that the Data Communications Standard Committee—with Robert Shanbaum of Ocuco Inc. as chair—approved version 3.12 of the Data Communication Standard. The Data...