All Eyewear Intelligence articles in Volume 27 No.4
View all stories from this issue.
-
News briefs
Alcon tops 175 million IOL units
Alcon has announced that more than 175 million of its intraocular lenses (IOLs) have been implanted globally since it started offering them about thirty years ago. The tally includes over 6 million units of the company’s latest generation of presbyopia-correcting IOLs, notably PanOptix (4 million) and Vivity (2 million). ...
-
News briefs
VSP Vision appoints Chief Medical Officer
VSP Vision has appointed Dr. Michele Andrews as Chief Medical Officer. Reporting to President and CEO Michael Guyette, Dr. Andrews will oversee the company’s strategy across all clinical modalities, align clinical aspects of optometric care and develop programs to deliver and monitor high-quality and accessible eye care for VSP patients, ...
-
News briefs
The German optician association elects a new president
The Zentralverband der Augenoptiker und Optometristen (ZVA), Germany’s association of opticians and optometrists, has unanimously elected Kai Jaeger as its President during its general meeting last weekend. Jaeger, who was a ZVA Vice President in the previous board, is succeeding Christian Müller who becomes Honorary President. Müller has been on ...
-
News briefs
Daegu government launches K-Eyewear policy initiative
The Daegu Metropolitan Government (South Korea) officially launched the K-Eyewear Global Policy Council yesterday, a public-private initiative aimed at supporting the development of the country’s eyewear industry which “has suffered from low-price attacks from latecomers.” The government, however, stressed that the “hallyu” (the global spread of the country’s pop culture) ...
-
News briefs
European software suppliers partner to simplify optical shops order management
OCUCO, EVEX/OPTIC and Neox-IT, three practice management software suppliers respectively based in Ireland, Germany and France, are partnering in the UK to simplify access to suppliers’ catalogs and order processes for opticians in the country. The integration is made through iZyCoreConnect, a platform developed by IZySolutions, NeoX-IT’s parent company. The ...
-
ArticleVeneVision looks to launch new eyewear brands, scouting for opportunities
VeneVision is looking to increase the weight of its own brands in its sales mix as it moves to further expand its offering across the supply chain, Nicola Belli, CEO of the Italian eyewear manufacturer, told Eyewear Intelligence in a recent interview. In-house brands are considered VeneVision’s “strategic asset for ...
-
News briefs
Synsam adds new house brand, plans to double Swedish plant output this year
Only a few weeks after the launch of Isak.V, Synsam Group has announced the creation of Alicia Lind, a new house brand made in its in Swedish factory in Frösön. The new brand’s first collection includes 14 ophthalmic frames retailing at 2,500 Swedish crowns (€234), and six sunglasses (SEK 1,500 ...
-
ArticleSafilo comments FY 2025 solid performance, M&A targets
Confirming preliminary results released at the end of January, Safilo Group announced yesterday that its Q4 revenue declined by 4.6 percent to €225 million. At constant exchange rates, the topline inched up by 0.4 percent, with both North America and Europe growing at a low single-digit margin rate (see table). ...
-
ArticleVuzix books modest revenue recovery as cash reserves dwindle
Smart-glasses and waveguides manufacturer Vuzix has reported a 9 percent rise in full-year revenue to $6.3 million for 2025 – an apparent stabilization after the drop from 2023 to 2024 of $12.1 to $5.7 million. That more-than-halving resulted largely from unrenewed orders (for Vuzix’s M400 smart glasses) from two major ...
-
News briefs
EssilorLuxottica and Dolce&Gabbana renew partnership until 2050
EssilorLuxottica and Dolce&Gabbana have renewed their eyewear license partnership until 2050, an exceptionally long duration for such a deal. As is customary, the collaboration encompasses the development, production and global distribution of prescription frames and sunglasses under the fashion brand name. “We are very proud of this new agreement, which ...
-
News briefs
Specsavers appoints new Canada manager from within
Specsavers Canada has announced the appointment of Jane Hoban as its new managing director, replacing Bill Moir, who will join the retail group’s global team as Chief Customer Officer, a newly created position. Hoban joined Specsavers in 2018, from Unilever, and has held senior management positions at the group’s Australian ...
-
News briefs
Mondottica International launches shape-memory eyewear brand
Mondottica International is launching ReForm Eyewear, a new brand of shape-memory eyewear, across its global distribution network. Originally inspired by the swimming goggle, ReForm Eyewear’s frames are made from a new castor oil-derived flexible polyamide, enabling the glasses to return to their original shape, whatever distortions the frames are submitted ...
-
ArticleJEH maintains top level margins despite 'inbound' business slowdown in Q4
Japanese Eyewear Holdings (JEH) revenue increased by 14.2 percent year-on-year to 5.2 billion Japanese yen (€29m) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026/1, ended Jan. 31. The momentum was driven by Kaneko Optical (+20.0 percent), the group’s main retail banner, while growth was more subdued at 999.9 (4.1 percent). “Inbound” ...
-
ArticleCECOP celebrates 30th anniversary with 7% growth in 2025
Spanish-based optical buying group CECOP celebrated its 30th anniversary on Feb. 28 and March 1 during its annual EXPOCECOP event, where it brought together 170 of its 6,000 members. The company operates in 6 countries with at least 1,000 members in all markets but Italy and Portugal (see table). ...
-
News briefs
Bidco’s offer to acquire Inspecs becomes unconditional
Bidco, the consortium led by British entrepreneurs Luke Johnson and Ian Livingstone, has declared that its offer to acquire Inspecs Group has become unconditional, meaning that all conditions required for the acquisition have been met. Having received valid acceptances for 31.2 million shares out of the 32.4 million that were ...
-
News briefsLINDBERG celebrates 40 years of design with new book
LINDBERG is celebrating its 40th anniversary with “LINDBERG: Visionary by Design,” a 208-page book combining numerous illustrations and texts on the unique approach to design, craftsmanship and technology of the Danish brand. The book was edited by Federica Sala, a curator and design consultant, Caroline Corbetta, an art curator, and ...
-
News briefs
Blue Elephant representative reportedly behind bars in Gentle Monster IP infringement case
The legal dispute between Gentle Monster and Blue Elephant, two Korean eyewear brands, has taken an unusually dramatic turn as “Choi,” the representative of the latter company, was arrested and indicted last week on charges including violation of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, according to The Chosun Daily. As previously ...
-
ArticleNIDEK modernizes refraction with lens-free, open-field system
In daily life, people naturally have an open-field vision environment with their two eyes open, so shouldn’t it be the same when they have their visual acuity checked? The answer to that question lies at the heart of PHANTOM, NIDEK’s new refraction system, with which the company is aiming to ...
-
ArticleLeading electronics ODM and Ray-Ban Meta supplier to form lens JV with Asahi Lite
Goertek Optical, a subsidiary of Goertek, a leading Chinese original design manufacturer and components supplier for smart hardware, is about to form a joint venture with Asahi Lite, as we have just learned. The announcement was made a few weeks ago by Conant Optical, the Chinese-based lens manufacturer that fully ...
-
News briefs
SightGlass Vision reinforces medical and professional affairs team
SightGlass Vision, the EssilorLuxottica and CooperVision joint venture developing myopia management lenses, is reinforcing its medical and professional affairs team with two appointments. David Webley has been appointed Senior Director, Clinical, Medical and Professional Affairs. He has previously held similar roles at Vision Express in the UK and ...
