NEWS
Rodenstock Group positions international brands for steady growth
The Rodenstock Group announced that Rodenstock, optovision and Indo Optical are strengthening their collaboration even further to create a more unified and efficient approach to global distribution and to ensure that Rodenstock is well-positioned for continued growth.
flō Optics raises $35 Million – among the investors is also a well-known machine manufacturer
flō Optics, an Israeli technology company that has developed a solution for coatings on optical lenses using digital printing technology, is announcing today that it has raised $35 million in Series A funding.
opti 2025 – a powerful start into the optical year
opti 2025 in Munich once again sent out a strong signal for international ophthalmic optics over the past three days of the trade show.
EssilorLuxottica receives FDA clearance and EU certifications for Nuance Audio
EssilorLuxottica receives FDA clearance and EU certifications for Nuance Audio, making it available to consumers in the U.S. and Europe.
German ophthalmic industry remains stable
The German industry association Spectaris presents current market figures for 2024 at the leading industry trade fair opti Munich: Sales increased by around 1% to 4.96 billion euros despite challenges due to consumer restraint and inflation effects.
ISSUE 01/2025
Overview
Special: Lab Management: Blockless lens surfacing technologies // A radically new way of subjective refraction // Additive manufactured coatings // Spotlight: MAFO – The Conference timetable and more // Live on Site: Visit at Morrow: Addition at the touch of a button // Market Surveys: Cleaning machinery
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FEATURED ARTICLES
Creal: A radically new way of subjective refraction
What does the future of subjective refraction look like? A Swiss start-up has an answer: refraction should be digital, offer almost unlimited display options, and also be independently manageable by the customer. Subjective refraction with the help of light field displays would therefore change the traditional way of doing the subjective refraction with a phoropter or trial frame set tremendously. Even a “refraction automate” in a shopping center is theoretically conceivable in the future.
flo: Additive manufactured coatings
The eyewear industry has long relied on conventional methods for lens production and coating. In terms of coatings, the start-up flō Optics now wants to revolutionize this market. The first market-ready machine will soon be presented. Find out what’s behind the technology.
Morrow: Addition at the touch of a button
A Belgian start-up has a product that many people have long dreamed of: glasses with combined far and near correction, but with the comfort of a unifocal lens. The addition is done electronically and activated via touch of a button. The 3D-printed smart glasses are already on sale in some regions. MAFO visited the company to see the production process and test the smart glasses.
Blockless lens surfacing technologies
In the ophthalmic industry, the process of lens surfacing has been largely dominated by alloy blocking. A blocking alternative is Alloy Replacement Technology (ART) which has been widely adopted in hundreds of lines around the world. Now, however, a new technology is emerging, and the industry faces a significant question: to what extent will the future of lens surfacing be blockless?
A&R: Making the invisible visible
Almost every optical lab in the world has at least one inspection machine from Automation & Robotics (A&R). Every day, 1,500,000 spectacle lenses worldwide are inspected by the manufacturer’s machines and just recently they included one innovative feature more: the automatic cosmetic inspection of lenses.
Cyber security series | Part 2
Protecting your business against cyber-attacks is crucial for success in this technology driven times ‒ and it is important that every single person is aware of that. This article is about knowing the hacker’s strategies and current trends, about algorithms that suggest a false sense of reality and about practical tips to not letting the bad guys win!
ECOO: “Optometry and optics can do much more than it does now”
Overall, the provision of visual aids in Europe seems to be relatively good. But at the same time opticians and optometrists are facing various challenges. MAFO has talked to Gabriëlle Janssen, the new ECOO-President, about these challenges, the competencies of ECPs and the potential of artificial intelligence and screenings.
NEWS
MEI enlarges some of its international locations
The company MEI is undergoing significant expansion across its global locations, reflecting its commitment to growth and innvation. The group currently has 353 employees worldwide distributed across 6 branches
United Opticians Association announces Director of Education
The United Opticians Association (UOA) is excited to formally announce the appointment of Bob Alexander, ABOM, NCLEM as its Director of Education.
Contact lenses in spotlight at opti Munich 2025
Contact lenses in spotlight at opti Munich: How nine renowned contact lens manufacturers will jointly promote the contact lense by putting it in the spotlight with a special concept, they developed together.
Media 10 sells eyewear show 100% Optical to CloserStill
Media 10 announced the sale of 100% Optical to CloserStill Media. The deal is the second time that the privately-owned organiser has divested a large scale trade show, following the acquisition of Design Shanghai by Clarion in 2019.
Silmo Istanbul enters it´s 11th edition
Turkey’s only international optics trade show, Silmo Istanbul, takes place from November 20 to 23 at the Istanbul Expo Center (Halls 5-6-7), showcasing the Turkish optics industry alongside major international brands and Asian manufacturers.
IOT and Optiswiss announce strategic partnership
Optiswiss, an independent lens manufacturer from Basel, formalized its development partnership with Indizen Optical Technologies (IOT), a company specializing in the research and development of lens technologies.
Silmo Paris 2024 offered a rich panorama of emerging trends
At Silmo Paris 2024 the optical industry gathered for four intense days. This year, 32,125 professionals came to discover the new products presented by more than 900 companies.
Vision Expo West 2024 successfully concluded
Vision Expo West 2024, concluded satisfactory at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas from September 18-21, 2024. The event attracted over 10,000 industry professionals from 98 countries.
Zeiss announced change of CEO in 2025
After almost 20 years at Zeiss, the President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG, Dr. Karl Lamprecht, has decided not to extend his contract. Therefore, the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG has decided to appoint Andreas Pecher as the new President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG effective 1 April 2025.
Italien eyewear sector shows an decline in exports
ANFAO released figures on performance of the eyewear sector in the first half of 2024. Italian eyewear ended 2023 on a positive note, driven by exports, despite the fact that overall world goods trade fell back sharply.
EssilorLuxottica and Meta Platforms extend partnership on smart glasses
EssilorLuxottica has announced that it extended its partnership with Meta Platforms by entering into a new long term agreement, under which the parties will collaborate into the next decade to develop multi-generational smart eyewear products.
