Latest News Briefs
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News briefs
Nuance Audio cleared to launch in both the US and the EU
EssilorLuxottica has announced that it has received the FDA clearance for its over-the-counter Nuance Audio glasses and that is has also simultaneously received all the necessary authorizations, including the CE marking under the Medical Devices Regulation, to market the product in the European Union. Essilux has said that it ...
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News briefs
ANFAO and other Italian fashion associations sign new support deal with government
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) signed last week a memorandum of understanding with three Italian industry associations to support the country’s fashion companies in their international expansion by, among other things, enhancing the value of the Made in Italy label and reinforcing the fight against ...
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News briefs
Thélios appoints DACH country manager
Thélios, the eyewear division of LVMH, has appointed Klaus Dietrich as Country Manager for the DACH region. Dietrich joins the company from Climate Partner, a Munich-based carbon-footprint consultancy where he had been working since 2022. Prior to that, he spent over a decade in sales senior management roles in the ...
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News briefs
Another bleak year for the German optical industry but 2025 looks brighter
According to preliminary data presented by Spectaris at the opti show in Munich last weekend, sales by the German manufacturers of ophthalmic optics and consumers inched up by about 1 percent to 4.96 million in 2024. While the growth pace remained in line with 2023, the dynamics reversed as export ...
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News briefs
ZEISS Vision Care launches new coating and sun lens colors at opti
ZEISS Vision Care is expanding its coating portfolio with the launch of ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV, a new lens coating in the premium-tier segment that the company says offers even greater cleanability and improved scratch resistance. The upgraded durability and scratch resistance is enabled by multiple densely packed metal oxide ...
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News briefs
Blue light specialist Eyesafe to enter the eyewear market
Eyesafe, a US-based company that presents itself as “the world leader in blue light management”, has announced that it will launch Eyesafe Eyewear, its own line of blue light glasses. According to the company’s presentation, its product represents a breakthrough in quality and performance compared to any other glasses on ...
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News briefs
Meta Reality Labs losses expected to keep piling up as group pushes for AI glasses
Meta has reported a 13.2 percent year-on-year revenue increase to $2.1 billion for its Reality Labs division, which includes the group’s Metaverse and Wearables categories, in fiscal 2024. The Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses are part of Wearables, but the company is only disclosing revenue information for the Reality Labs unit ...
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News briefs
Mister Spex H2 sales sharply down despite solid increase in prescription eyewear order value
Mister Spex’s full-year preliminary results show that total revenue declined by approximately 3 percent to €216 million, which the group ascribed primarily to its international stores closures and its decision to significantly reduce discounts across the board. In contrast to the first half of the year, when sales in Germany ...
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News briefs
Inspecs FY2024 sales slightly down despite H2 rebound
Announcing preliminary results, Inspecs Group has reported a 5.9 percent year-on-year uptick in H2 revenue to £97.5 million (€116.6m) thanks notably to a strong performance by its Eschenbach Optics division in both the US and Europe. The positive half-year performance fell just short of fully offsetting the sales decline reported ...
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News briefs
Maui Jim expands Red Bull partnership
Maui Jim will supply the whole Oracle Red Bull Racing team – drivers, pit crew and support staff – with its eyewear from the 2025 Formula One season, the companies have announced. The new multi-year agreement expands the collaboration between Kering Eyewear’s sunglass brand and the energy drink company, which ...
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News briefs
CooperVision appoints new president for Americas
CooperVision has announced the appointment of Steven Robbins, a three-decade healthcare veteran, as its President for the Americas region. Robbins joins the contact lens company from The New England Consulting Group, where he served as Managing Partner and was also involved in a consulting position in several CooperVision projects, including ...
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News briefs
Hoya Lens Iberia announces two management changes
Hoya Lens Iberia has announced the promotion of Fran Plaza as its Sales and Key Accounts Director, in addition to the manager’s current role of Country Manager for Seiko Optical Iberia. The company has also appointed Federico Ruiz Gómez, a former sales executive at contact lens makers Menicon and CooperVision, ...
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News briefs
iVision Tech taps former Thélios plant director as COO
iVision Tech, the Italian-based OEM eyewear group, has announced the appointment of Gianluca Davanzo as its new Chief of Operations. Davanzo joins the company from the EURMODA Group, a supplier of metal parts and accessories for the fashion industry where he spent only a few months. Prior to that, the ...
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News briefs
Johnson & Johnson Q4 contact lens sales rise 6.3%
Johnson & Johnson reported contact lens sales of $937 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, up by a reported 6.3 percent compared to the year earlier and 7.4 percent higher at constant-currency rates. Growth was driven by trade inventory dynamics, price actions, the continued strong performance of the Acuvue ...
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News briefs
Modest growth in the US market in FY24, says The Vision Council
According to the latest edition of The Vision Council’s Market inSights report, the US optical industry grew by 2.7 percent over the course of 2024 to a value of $68.3 billion. More than 240 million adults (92% of the population) use some kind of eyewear, according to Alysse Henkel, the ...
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News briefs
High-profile ophthalmologist to chair Ocumetra board
Ocumetra, a supplier of myopia management software and services to eye care professionals (ECPs), has announced the appointment of Arthur Cummings as its board chairman. A cataract and refractive surgeon with over three decades of expertise in clinical practice and research, Cummings has received multiple international awards for his work ...
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News briefs
Mister Spex adds “New Vision” and “New Mission” to business relaunch
After announcing both a new brand positioning and a restructuration plan in August last year, Mister Spex has now communicated its new vision and new mission. “We empower people to see and to be seen” was chosen for the earlier. As for the latter: “Our mission is to become the ...
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News briefs
Vuzix appoints distributor for Asia Pacific
Smart eyewear maker Vuzix has announced the signature of a partnership with Evantek for the distribution of its products in the Asia Pacific market. An initial order of the company’s M400 smart glasses were shipped as part of the agreement. Established in 1995 and based in Singapore, Evantek is a ...
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News briefs
Marchon signs eyewear license with Kendra Scott
Marchon Eyewear has announced the signature of a “long-term” eyewear license agreement with Kendra Scott, a brand of jewelry products and accessories based in Austin, Texas, and known for its design, material innovation and philantropy initiatives. The first collections – sunglasses and eyeglasses – will be available from September 2025 ...
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News briefs
Synsam Group opens Denmark’s largest optical store
Synsam Group is opening a 449-square meter store in central Copenhagen, Denmark, under its Profil Optik banner. The company says the new location is the largest optical store in the country. It will offer over 4,000 frames – branded eyewear and in-house collections – including a large selection of sports ...