6/2024
▶ Special: Markets Worldwide
Ten eyewear markets
Advances in optics and ophthalmology
worldwide | Part 1
Interview: “Optometry and optics can do much more than it does now”
▶ Spotlight
MAFO – The Conference program and abstracts
Cyber security: “Don´t let the bad guys win!”
▶ Live on Site
Visit at A&R: Making the invisible visible
VEW: New trends in Las Vegas
Show highlights Silmo Paris 2024
▶ Market Survey
Laser engraving
Introducing the New Multi-FLEX-M, the ultimate manual lens polisher that processes two lenses simultaneously with just one tool. Designed for all lens types and materials, it handles prescriptions up to -18 dpt. Compact and powerful, it polishes up to 50 lenses per hour with an unbeatable tool lifetime of up to 25,000 seconds. Benefit from faster polishing times, reduced tool inventory, and seamless integration with your lab’s infrastructure.
It is generally known today that search results on the world wide web are filtered by algorithms, depending on our preferences. But did you know that up to ONE i n TEN random posts, according to some estimates, may come from foreign governments t rying to influence our opinion? Or that every year, 83% of all companies experience some kind of phishing attack, even if they may never even be aware of this, thanks to the effectiveness of security systems in place?
Vigilance is a core competence at this time in order to keep an eye on the market or to protect your business from criminal activity. Good dialog is another important skill, because it is much harder to manipulate in direct conversation than online. So keep talking, with your employees, customers and even competitors. Organizations such as The Vision Council or the European Council of Optometry and Optics, promoting international cooperation between all interested parties, can be of help here.
Hanna Diewald
Chief editor
Tell us your opinion, ideas and suggestions: hanna.diewald@mafo-optics.com
Part 2 of our cyber security series in this issue focuses on these facts while also drawing attention to how everyone can protect their data. You will not only learn about whaling and smishing (which have little to do with whaling or smiling in real life), but also about how important it is for employees to be vigilant, and how they can − and should − be trained in this.
What the huge cybercrime problem shows is that misleading communication can be a weapon, contributing to the hardening of fronts at many levels: in politics, between countries and in industry. The many flashpoints around the world add to these fears, often rendering constructive dialog impossible.
That is why we should focus all the more on good dialog in our industry. Because there are various challenges here too. The market is changing, and − despite the steadily increasing demand for vision correction aids − some companies are experiencing difficulties. In Germany, there were recently two alarming announcements from internationally active lens manufacturers: Rodenstock announced that they were moving their production from Germany to the Czech Republic, while Zeiss reduces the production of opht halmic lenses in Aalen, Germany, and laying off employees.
Without direct dialog, misunderstandings can occur and these are seldom without consequences. Neither when hackers try to manipulate our opinions, nor in war, nor in the market. So let us keep the lines of communication open, through personal contacts at trade fairs, conferences and more.
And finally, one spoiler on our own behalf: MAFO – The Conference also offers a good opportunity for discussions and the best technical presentations. If you are curious, just turn to page 12 − it is worth it.
Nabil Gharbieh
In October, Zeiss has announced its intention to adjust production volumes for prescription lenses and photochromic lenses at the Aalen site in Germany in line with falling order volumes. The volume reduction also results in job cuts. The company is confronted with the situation that high-quality spectacle lenses are in high demand among consumers but are being purchased less frequently. “With continued global growth, local adjustments are necessary due to regional trends,” says the company's Vision Care division. Although growth in the ophthalmic optics sector continues unabated, it is currently not foreseeable in individual regional markets that order and therefore production volumes will increase again in the medium to long term. This also applies to the European market.
In September 2024, Rodenstock announced the relocation of the production site from Germany to the Klattau site in the Czech Republic. Almost half of the jobs in Germany will be cut. The concentration of the Regen plant on the Engineering Center is part of a major reorganization as part of a comprehensive strategic transformation process. The changes are justified against the background of changing market conditions. The aim is to remain competitive in the long term.
IOT and Optiswiss announce strategic partnership
Optiswiss AG, 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. Through this partnership, IOT and Optiswiss aim to fully leverage
synergies in their collaboration and optimally pool their shared resources. As experts in the latest lens technologies, IOT and Optiswiss laid a significant foundation for joint development projects in early 2024 by collaborating on SMYLE, a special lens designed to slow down the progression of myopia. Moving forward, both companies will work together on f urther innovative technologies, particularly on progressive lenses.
Spectaris supports the European Parliament's calls for a rapid revision of the MDR/IVDR regulations
The European Parliament adopted a groundbreaking resolution on the urgently needed revision of the EU regulations on medical devices (MDR) and in vitro diagnostics (IVDR). Spectaris supports the Parliament's clear signals to the European Commission to implement improvements in a timely manner in order to meet the challenges facing the industry.
The resolution adopted is supported by all major political groups in the Parliament, calls on the European Commission to present delegated and implementing acts by the end of the first quarter of 2025 to address the main obstacles to the implementation of the MDR and IVDR. Among other things, the aim is to ease the burden on medical technology companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have so far suffered greatly from the bureaucratic burden and lengthy certification processes.
Transitions Academy 2025 will be held from February 2 to 5, 2025 at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida. Attendees will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge through expert presentations, inspiring guest speakers, and Transitions product and professional development workshops.
The event is an opportunity for attendees to expand their knowledge with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in the optical industry. Each year, hundreds of industry professionals from across the globe attend this event.
You have news for the ophthalmic industry? Submit your press releases to: hanna.diewald@mafo-optics.com
The spectacle lenses market is projected to witness a significant growth in the year 2024 globally, with a revenue of US$ 60.74 billion
The market is estimated to grow annually by 2.98% (CAGR 2024-2029) on a global scale.
Source: Statista
Made in China, sold on Amazon
Share of items sold on Amazon, by country of origin*
There are 1.1 billion people with visual impairments worldwide. For at least 1 billion people, t he visual impairment could have been prevented or could be treated. Around 90% of people with visual impairments live in the world's p oorest countries.
Source: Woche des Sehens
The main reason for poor vision care is poverty and the associated lack of medical care, including in the field of ophthalmology. Statistically speaking, one o phthalmologist is responsible for 500,000 people
in sub-Saharan Africa and around 11,000 in Germany.
Source: Woche des Sehens
* 1,064 first- and third-party sellers surveyed who have at least one product listed on Amazon; 2024. Source: Jungle Scout via ECDB
SCHNEIDER’S reveals unprecedented deblocking and tape-stripping
Schneider’s new DTS-A Modulo ONE merges two technologies – deblocking and tape stripping – into ONE single machine that offers industrial level yield. The combo, developed in cooperation with Insomec, is cleverly designed and features two deblocking and two tapestripping stations. It follows a unique concept for a streamlined process flow that runs several steps simultaneously. As a result, the combo easily does the work of two DBA Modulo and TSA Modulo pairs – four machines. In a matter of seconds, DTS-A Modulo ONE gently removes the alloy to separate the lenses from the block pieces damage-free, and strips the tape in no time. It relies on proven technology components known for highest process robustness and stability, based on extensive experience in the field. www.schneider-om.com
Vision Expo, organized by co-owners RX and The Vision Council have announced the upcoming launch of its new brand identity, which will officially debut in mid-November, accompanied by a comprehensive resource guide with new brand assets and details to update all relevant marketing materials. The rebrand includes a refreshed logo, enhanced branding, streamlined and simplified event navigation, improved programming and a host of new features. The Vision Expo rebrand is not just a change in appearance but a renewed commitment to the optical industry, reflecting the future of fashion and innovation while reinforcing a commitment to building community, the announcement said. https://east.visionexpo.com/
Innovative Eyewear, the developer of smart eyewear under the Lucyd, Nautica, Eddie Bauer and Reebok brands, received on October 23rd, a notice of allowance for its utility patent application U.S. Patent Application No. 17/104,849, entitled "Wireless Smartglasses with Quick Connect Front Frames". After paying the required issue fee, the Company anticipates that a patent will issue in due course. The patent is directed to smartglasses that pair or connect with other mobile devices and have removable front frames connected with a quickdisconnect hinge, which allows end users to customize their glasses after purchase with a variety of lens types and frontplate styles. Innovative Eyewear has yet to announce a product with this feature. The Company believes that with the success of a separate interchangeable front technology seen in other product lines, modular eyewear represents a new category of products that will also benefit from the addition of Lucyd smart features.
Book 3 delegates for only € 333,per person!
Catch the €Earlybirddiscount: 399,- per person by booking until December31,2024 February 7, 2025 in Milan / one day before MIDO
Highlights automated cosmetic inspection | artificial intelligence | smart glasses | autofocus spectacle lenses | sustainable waste management | and much more
Stay tuned and follow us on LinkedIn or subscribe to our newsletter, to get all the news about MAFO – The Conference. For all questions and suggestions about the conference please write an email to: hanna.diewald@mafo-optics.com www.linkedin.com/showcase/mafo
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Experts are forecasting solid growth for the ophthalmic optics market worldwide. There are many reasons for this. They include, for example, the aging population in highly developed countries, which is accompanied by many progressive lens sales, but also the increasing number of myopic children. According to Statista Market Insights, sales in the global eyewear market are expected to reach around € 135.60 billion in 2024. The market includes frames, spectacle lenses, sunglasses and contact lenses. According to the forecast, an annual sales growth of 3.61% (CAGR 20242029) is expected. However, a detailed look at different countries reveals some serious differences. In terms of growth, but also in terms of per capita sales and the proportion of online sales. Here you can find a brief overview of selected countries from the Statista Market Insights report 2024.
In India, which has recently become the world's most populous country, sales in the ophthalmic optics market are expected to reach around €5.47 billion in 2024. The forecast predicts that the market volume will reach €7.18 billion in 2029, which corresponds to annual sales growth of 5.59% (CAGR 2024-2029). Online sales do not seem to be famous here, as they are expected to generate only 2.1% of total sales in the ophthalmic optics market.
G Sales per capita: €3.80
In 2024, revenue in the eyewear market in South Africa is expected to amount to around €479.60 million. According to the forecast, annual revenue growth of 4.80% (CAGR 2024-2029) will be achieved by 2029, resulting in a market volume of €606.20 million. Online sales are expected to account for 4% of total sales in 2024. The average per capita consumption in the eyewear market is expected to be 0.41 units in 2024.
G Sales per capita: €7,86
O Trends: South Africa is an up-and-coming market for eyewear, characterized by a growing awareness of eye care and fashionable eyewear.
O Trends: India has a growing demand for affordable eyewear, with a focus on stylish frames and prescription lenses.
The market volume for the eyewear market in Algeria is estimated at around €266.90 million in 2024. The market volume is forecast to increase to €373.70 million in 2029, which corresponds to annual sales growth of 6.96% (CAGR 2024-2029).
G Sales per capita: €5,77
O Trends: Algeria is one of the few markets where frames, rather than spectacle lenses, represent the largest market segment, with a market volume of around €86.68 million in value terms in 2024.
In 2024, the revenue of the eyewear market in China is expected to reach €14,18 billion. The market is projected to witness an annual growth rate of 3.09% (CAGR 2024-2029). Eyewear frames make up the biggest segment of the market, with a market volume of €5.7 billion in 2024. China's eyewear market is experiencing a shift towards premium and personalized products, driven by rising disposable income and a desire for individuality.
G Sales per capita: €9.90
O Trends: Frameless glasses and blue light-blocking lenses are currently the most popular optical trends.
In 2024, sales in the eyewear market in Brazil are expected to be around €4.69 billion. According to the forecast, the market volume will increase to €5.33 billion in 2029, which corresponds to annual sales growth of 2.59% (CAGR 2024-2029).
G Sales per capita: €21,57
O Trends: In Brazil, the demand for high-quality spectacles and contact lenses has increased due to the growing awareness of eye health and aesthetics.
In Japan, sales in the eyewear market are estimated at around €6.73 billion in 2024. Contact lenses are particularly important here. Japan is the only country in our comparison where contact lenses are the largest market segment, with a market volume of around €2.50 billion in value terms in 2024.
G Sales per capita: €54,87
O Trends: In Japan, the optical industry is strongly focused on innovative technologies to meet the needs of an aging population.
The Eyewear market in Italy is projected to generate a revenue of €3.07 billion in 2024, and it is expected to grow annually by 1.82% (CAGR 2024-2029). Online purchases are expected to account for 11.6% of total sales in the ophthalmic optics market in Italy in 2024.
G Sales per capita: €52,38
O Trends: Italy's eyewear market is dominated by luxury brands such as Luxottica and Safilo, with a strong emphasis on high-quality craftsmanship and design.
In 2024, the revenue in the eyewear market in the United Kingdom is forecast to reach €5.3 billion. Over the period of 2024 to 2029, the market is projected to grow annually by 2.51% (CAGR). Online sales are expected to account for 23.5% of total sales in the optical market in 2024.
G Sales per capita: €77,99
O Trends: The United Kingdom's eyewear market is experiencing a surge in demand for sustainable and eco-friendly products.
The USA is the largest market for eyewear. In 2024, the market for ophthalmic optics in the USA will generate sales of around €32.65 billion The largest market segment is spectacle lenses, with a market volume of around €12.75 billion in 2024.
G Sales per capita: €95.53
O Trends: Online sales are forecast to account for 26.1% of total sales in the ophthalmic optics market in 2024.
In Australia, the market for eyewear is expected to generate sales of around €2.59 billion in 2024. According to the forecast, the market volume will increase to €3.04 billion in 2029, which corresponds to annual sales growth of 3.26% (CAGR 2024-2029). Average per capita consumption in the ophthalmic optics market is expected to be 1.88 units in 2024.
G Sales per capita: €97.12
O Trends: Sunglasses with polarized lenses are an important trend in eyewear due to the high level of sunlight and the active outdoor lifestyle of the population. ◆
Sponsor
Date: Friday, February 7, 2025 (one day before Mido)
Location: Fiera Milano Rho (Italy) Chairman: Peter Baumbach
Tomas Sluka CREAL
Dr. François Van Lishout & Eduardo Pascual Automation & Robotics and IOT
Dr. Hua Qi Hoya Vision Care
Koji Abe & Miho Uechi Nidek
Joanna Zhang & Xavier Bultez Satisloh
Dr. Bruno Berge & Dr. Jessica Jarosz Laclarée
Light-field technology: blending vision care with smart eyewear
Automated cosmetic inspection: enhancing lens quality control
How to evaluate the optical performance of a spectacle lense with micro lens array
Digitalization and automation of lens tinting processes with an environmentally friendly method
E-ticket system: a digital job ticket that improves production workflow
Advances on presbyopia compensation with autofocus spectacle lenses
Pau Artús Horizons Optical Next generation centering devices. AI is taking over.
André Durow brillenstudio N
Dr. Marcel Mahner Schneider
Jamal El-Hindy Filtertech
Mo Jalie Only digitally available
High-end progressive lensesneither comparable nor comprehensible
The first AI-based on-block power measurement and cosmetic inspection within a holistic system
A smart investment: filtration & waste management
Development of the modern spectacle lens
Panel discussion: The optical lab in a smart world
www.mafo-optics.com
The traditional eyewear industry relies on conventional lenses for both fitting and vision correction, often limiting precision and customer experience. Light-field technology is poised to transform this process into a fully digital solution. During the fitting phase, light-field displays enable more efficient and automated refraction tests, including immersive lens demonstrations in tailored virtual environments, offering a more accurate, personalized, and enjoyable experience. The same technology powers smart eyewear, uniquely delivering natural focus depth and uncompromised prescription correction, seamlessly merging digital and physical worlds. By integrating vision care directly into the eyewear, light-field technology bridges the gap between traditional methods and the future of smart eyewear. This talk will explain how light-field technology works and its practical applications in the eyewear industry.
Automated cosmetic inspection: enhancing lens quality control
To move toward a smart world, we must continue to develop smart labs. Automated cosmetic inspection is a key step in this evolution for the ophthalmic industry. A&R, in collaboration with IOT, has developed an innovative solution that integrates cosmetic inspection with traditional lens quality control, creating a fully comprehensive system.
From theory to practice, we will share insights from our pilot projects, illustrating how this solution improves efficiency and consistency.
Intelligent methods of image analysis and data processing are crucial for enabling precise and automated lens inspection, facilitating the transition to smart manufacturing in optical labs.
Dr. Hua Qi Hoya Vision Care
A novel spectacle lens with micro lens array on its surface has been reported to have comparable efficacy to other pharmacological treatments for myopia control in children. Besides its myopia control efficacy, its optical performance is another important property. The single value of PSF and MTF are not sufficient to assess this lens because they may vary drastically from one position to another on the lens. When turning the head or rotating the eyes, the wearer may feel unexpected flickers that do not appear wearing other spectacle lenses. At each position on lens, two new indices, local light intensity (LLI) and local target shift (LTS) seeing through the position, are defined and calculated. Traditional MTF is examined under the condition that within the pupil there are several micro lenses. The value of MTF of any spatial frequency varies with the azimuth angle. The mean MTF (MMTF) and the maximum difference of MTF (DMTF) among all azimuth angles are used to represent the situation seeing through the position. All these indices, LLI, LTS, MMTF and DMTF are mapped across the lens. These maps represent the optical performance of the novel spectacle lens.
Koji Abe & Miho Uechi Nidek
The dipping method has been used as the standard tinting process of ophthalmic lenses for a long time, and even in today's digitalized era, the analog dipping method has remained without any specific changing.
Nidek proposes a totally different type of tinting method (dry tinting technology) that is controlled digitally and automated. By only using little waste liquid to the dry tinting process, it can contribute to reducing a large amount of waste liquid compared to standard dipping methods, which also leads to environmental protection.
Most lens materials that are commonly used are applicable on this dry tinting technology. The method allows tinting in higher density, including gradient patterns. No special skills are required, and anyone can tint the stable color with minimized color deviation by using the digital ink control application on the computer. In addition to gradients, double colors, triple colors, and rainbow colors can be created easily. The technology is well proven in Nidek´s and other labs around the world for 20 years.
E-ticket system: a digital job ticket that improves production workflow
The paper job ticket is one item that has never evolved in the ophthalmic industry. It has been practical, easy to manipulate and read, and flexible – adapting to any process. Until now, no other technology was really able to replace it while offering a better solution. Satisloh believes that the e-ticket system provides a solution that not only eliminates the paper job tickets, but it is a new way of working and tackling daily tasks –improving ophthalmic lab workflows and processes.
We will present the status of the most recent existing projects and products related to correcting presbyopia with variable lenses. The basic principles of underlying technologies will be discussed, and relative performances will be compared. A particular focus will be made on the fluidic lenses of Laclarée, which can enable a true restauration of natural accommodation, as shown by the results of an exploratory clinical trial and by field tests using personalized adaptive eyeglasses.
Pau Artús Horizons Optical
Centering devices are increasingly common in optical stores since position of wear measurements are important to ensure the optical quality of ordered lenses. They provide improved precision and reliability compared to traditional marker+ruler hand-based methods. Many options are already available in the market that provide fairly good assistance to optometrists. However, some important drawbacks are still present, i.e. most of them require annoying gadgets while others make the patient and optometrist go through a long and uncomfortable process. AI-powered centering devices have the potential to become a game changer in terms of precision, operation speed and, for the first time, an appealing user experience.
André Durow brillenstudio N
progressive lenses - neither comparable nor comprehensible
“High-quality spectacle lenses at affordable prices!” Opticians are confronted with this request every day. But what is affordable? Customers often answer with amounts between 400 and 600 euros for a complete pair of glasses. This is in stark contrast to developments in the industry. Spectacle lenses are becoming increasingly individualized. There are more and more high-end products. Lenses that cost 1200 or 1700 euros per pair are no longer a rarity. Conversely this means that the ophthalmic lens industry is only developing lenses for the top ten thousand. It is like a car manufacturer only offering cars in the luxury segment. So how sensible is it to go further and further in this segment? Do consumers in this high-end segment even notice the difference to the previous lenses? And how can we deal with the fact that the highest quality products end up being sold off by large chains? These challenges lead to the important question whether the industry should take responsibility for making high-quality lenses more affordable, preventing the chains from selling them off and creating transparency for the customer so that comparisons can be made. After all, progressive lenses are neither comparable nor comprehensible for customers.
Dr. Marcel Mahner
Schneider
The first AI-based on-block power measurement and cosmetic inspection within a holistic system
While automated manufacturing systems have become the new standard of modern ophthalmic labs, to-date two important elements have not been fully integrated: on-block power measurement and cosmetic inspection. Schneider has closed the loop of its smart and fully automated future lab, by enabling holistic quality control – more integrated and smarter than ever. Two AI-based innovations make this step forward possible: Firstly, an on-block power measurement system, that allows for in-line power measurement right after surfacing, providing immediate feedback for fastest reaction time and facilitating effective trend monitoring. Secondly, a system that combines final full-map power measurement with AI-based cosmetic inspection. The data is not only collected but directly feeds the system with important and quality defining information, leading to immediate logical actions. This significantly improves the overall lab efficiency, e.g. by saving production time, reducing tool costs and minimizing breakage. The result is a fully automated process and a most comprehensive quality control.
Jamal El-Hindy Filtertech
A smart investment: filtration & waste management
Filtration and waste management are often overlooked and lower on the priority list. Like any manufacturing process, maintaining equipment is key to keeping production running smoothly and uninterrupted. When filtration and waste management are a priority, production is more efficient.
The last 50 years have seen enormous developments in spectacle lenses, in the types available and the method of their manufacture. Via the significant patents, this presentation describes the advantages of aspheric and atoric single vision lenses and how the Minkwitz astigmatism of progressive power lenses has been diminished to enable the progressive lens to become the first choice for the correction of presbyopia. The improvements made possible by the introduction of CNC (freeform) surfacing methods are explained and how the use of aspherical surfaces allows thinner, flatter lens forms to be employed than those made with simple spherical and toroidal surfaces. The influence of corridor length on Minkwitz astigmatism is discussed and how this has been combatted in the modern optimized and personalized progressive power lens.
Panel discussion
Panellists: TBA
The optical lab in a smart world
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. However, in order to stay one step ahead in the future, the manufacturer is also focusing on further strategies: the power of data, an innovative corporate concept and keeping a close eye on the development of smart glasses. During our visit to Belgium MAFO also spoke to the CEO about his big dreams and why the current market situation is not just producing winners. By Hanna Diewald
“At A&R, we have a dream: to leave behind a world in good health, driven by a collective quest in which everyone gives their best”, is the first prominent sentence on the company website. That made us curious. We have planned to visit the machine manufacturer A&R in Verviers (Belgium) at the end of September and already had high expectations of the engineering skills on show there. After all, the Belgians a re experts in process automation in ophthalmic optics. One particular focus is the development of measuring devices for lens inspection. But big dreams? A healthy world? We are curious to see what awaits us.
We arrive at the company premises at 10.00 a.m. and are greeted by Sandra Fonticoli (Sales Director) and Aurélie Moray (Sales & Marketing). We make our way past the offices for the administrative departments to the bright meeting room, where we immediately meet Laurent Provost, the company's CEO.
He is the one who drives the company's big dreams and who is committed to making a difference on the planet ‒ and not just in terms of business figures. He also strives to motivate every employee to give their best. But before we get to the big visions, the CEO first tells us how it all began.
“It is good to pack, but wouldn't it be better to control first?”
41 years ago, in 1983, A&R was founded by two engineers, Christian Closset and Michel Montulet. Initially, the entrepreneurs focused on automation in general and produced products for the food industry, for example.
The pioneers only dared to take the first step in the direction of ophthalmic optics following an inquiry from what is today, Hoya Belgium. The lens manufacturer was looking for a machine to pack stock lenses. “Ok, we can do that”, the founders replied spontaneously, but not without giving a crucial hint: “It’s good to pack, but wouldn't it be better to control first?
To make sure what you pack is what you were expecting?”
This was the birth of A&R's current core market: inspection machines for the ophthalmic lens industry. Today, they come in all sizes, with a wide variety of functions and are so perfectly designed that they can be found in almost every lab in the world.
All expertise united in Belgium
Overall, however, the range of machines includes much more. For example, the company produces automation systems, packaging machines, storage systems, equipment for printing spectacle lenses and systems for laser engraving, and much more.
On the way past the offices, we were able to catch a glimpse of the various departments. All of the machine manufacturer's competencies are united here in Belgium. From research and development, product design, marketing and sales, administrative tasks, programming, to installation and aftercare, and of course the large assembly department ‒ which we will take a closer look at later. The distances here are short, and all skills are united in one place.
The company has around 180 employees worldwide, most of them work in Belgium. But the team also maintains worldwide subsidiaries in Thailand, the US and a tooling workshop in China. For other parts of the world, they work with local agents on site.
But now we are interested in what exactly makes the company concept so unique. CEO Provost is happy to explain this in more detail: “One specificity we have is that parts of the company are owned by the employees”. The employees hold 34% of the company shares. This is because company founder Closset did not want to hand the company over to a financial group. He was convinced that not only his personal work, but that of each individual employee, contributed to the success of the company. The very special mindset in the company should be protected. Closset therefore decided: “Let's go crazy and see whether we can sell the company to the employees to keep the spirit of the plan”.
Provost makes no secret of the fact that this business handover was a major challenge: “But we did it!” he announces with visible pride. And the company founder Closset is still Chairman of the Board today, even though he no longer has an operational role in the company.
A circular organization but still no democracy
But how exactly can such a system work? At first glance, one might think that there are no hierarchies in the company. But it is not quite that simple, Provost explains: “In one way you are right, it's not anymore, a hierarchical organization, with different departments, hierarchical levels and so on. It is more a circular organization, but it is still not a democracy!”
This means that not every shareholder automatically has a say. Many still act as employees, but they receive all the information that board members would also receive. Furthermore, the focus of the company should not be on the CEO, but on the customer. To this end, crossdivisional teams are formed that cover all areas of expertise.
“We say if you need a machine, we need sales people, people from engineering and from production. Then we build groups of people that take care of this task all together. Those people share a common goal, which is to make sure that the customer gets his machine on time with all the according training, installation and more that he or she needs,” explains Provost.
People from all areas also sit at the same table when it comes to longterm plans for corporate strategy, etc. Provost describes the approach as a bottom-up approach rather than a top-down approach. “The aim is to use the strengths of the people who have a lot of contact with different customers or on the market”.
This answers the question of how to keep employees motivated and think outside the box. Company shares and the circular organization should ensure that everyone gives their best and that the focus is always on the customer. This is because employees can participate in decisionmaking within the scope of their abilities and achieve more than if they were only assigned to a closed department.
That still leaves the question of improving the world. But before we delve into this rather philosophical topic, let's take a look at measurable facts one floor below.
The stairs lead down to the factory halls. We arrive at lunchtime of all times and can therefore take our time to look at the machines ‒ and what will one day become machines. First, we go through the design department and the tooling workshop. A&R produces most of its machined components in China, but if things need to be done quickly or for prototypes, CNC machines are also running in Belgium. These areas are followed by the warehouse, where just enough components are kept ensuring that customers can always get replacements quickly.
All the individual parts are assembled in the next hall. For once, you can get a glimpse directly into the machines and see components that are otherwise hidden by the housing.
You can get an idea of the detailed process steps by looking into the MCEVS machine for the controlling and packaging of stock lenses for example. “This type of machines has actually been running reliably for more than 30 years, but they have evolved regularly to meet new
market needs. For example, the cosmetic inspection should be integrated soon,” Fonticoli explains.
The inside of the machine is set up like a carousel with different stations. At each station various aspects of the lens are inspected: diameter, thickness (contactless) and power. The power is measured using the Focovision, a globally recognized instrument, to ensure compliance with ISO/ANSI standards.
There are currently two free stations. One of these is to be equipped with cosmetic inspection in the near future. The other station will include a Dual Spectrometer, where the color will be measured using transmission. The type of AR coating will also be identified based solely on the reflection.
Once all measurements have been completed in these stations, a label is printed and applied on the envelope, and finally the lens is even packaged fully automatically. The envelope is secured thanks to the label.
In the end, it is always about one thing: making the invisible data in the lens visible. In the case of machines for analyzing progressive surfaces, the analysis is even more accurate, so that the distribution of power becomes visible in the form of mountains and valleys, similar to a topographical map.
In step one, a camera is used to find the micro engravings and thereby determining the exact position of the lens. Then the entire lens surface is measured in transmission and reflection. From this, an algorithm calculates a comparison of the actual measured power distribution compared to the theoretical power distribution that the lens should have. The result is the so called “Error Map”.
The automatic cosmetic inspection appears to be the last missing step in the total lens inspection process proposed by A&R. COSME is the
name of the new technology developed by IOT and A&R. Thanks to this collaboration, both companies could combine their specific expertise in the best possible way.
Two prototypes of the ProMapper with integrated cosmetic inspection are already in operation. The well-known and compact table-top inspection device will be equipped with a cosmetic inspection unit as standard i n the future, as well as the NeoMapper and the AutoMapper.
The future of inspection therefore offers an all-round package consisting of automatic positioning, contactless thickness measurement, power measurement, mapping inspection and cosmetic inspection (detection of dust, scratches, polishing residues and much more). The machines, combining all functions can be installed at different locations in production. One challenge at the moment is to define certain standards. Until now, cosmetic control has been carried out entirely by people. It is therefore necessary to replicate their “standards”, some of which are subjective and often based on decades of experience, to a certain extent. “If you want to define the right technology and the right way to tackle those challenges, you need to start with the customer. You need to start from the knowledge they build over time,” explains Fonticoli.
From all these different values, from power mapping to cosmetic inspection, a lot of data can be derived that enables statistical process control and, as a result, preventive maintenance of the production machines. A topic that will become increasingly relevant in the future.
In the meantime, employees are returning from their well-earned break and getting down to work. They are screwing, soldering, measuring and checking again and again. Even our questions, the camera and our curious glances into the machine do not disturb the experienced technicians.
Passing the Research and Development department, we head to the manufacturing of instruments department. Various ProMappers are lined up here. Individual parts for the automatic machines, such as those for thickness measurement, are also produced here.
Finally, we climb the stairs again and catch a bird's eye view of the hustle and bustle in the machine hall before sitting down for lunch and learning more about the market situation and the CEO's dreams.
“The
future is a red ocean, where everyone eats each other”
For over 40 years, the machine manufacturer had virtually no competition in the lens inspection sector ‒ but that is changing now. Not because new companies are conquering the market, but because many traditional machine manufacturers in the ophthalmic optics sector are expanding their business areas. Automatic cosmetic inspection, in particular, is currently an absolute trend among machine suppliers.
Clear roles and responsibilities that have existed for years are becoming increasingly blurred - a situation that, according to Provost, is hardly producing any winners: “In the past it was a blue ocean, because all companies were really good at one specific thing. Now everyone wants to offer the complete set. Which means that they are all getting more and more into a red ocean. But that means they are eating each other! It's a fight with price to gain market,” analyzes the CEO.
However, it is clear to him that A&R will not jump on this trend: “We will not say tomorrow we provide an all-in-one solution, you can buy a lab and we do everything. We don't have the knowledge for that, and we are not willing to go there,” Provost adds with conviction. Instead, the focus here is on other strategies. Apparently, with success, as the company is growing steadily, both in terms of turnover and the number of employees.
According to Fonticoli, success also comes from new ways of thinking and a different focus. After all, the approach of “only” separating good lenses from bad ones is no longer everything.
Instead, many are concerned with process monitoring and the value of the data: “You can do a lot with the data that the inspection machine provides. That's why we're trying to capture the value of the machines as a source of data, which provides a lot of know-how that can help our customers react before they produce bad lenses. That's a huge change compared to a machine that just sorts the good and the bad parts. It's more about the predictive aspect,” explains Fonticoli.
It becomes clearly: data is the new gold. And data also brings us to the philosophical conclusion of the visit and the dream of a better world that Laurent Provost would like to make a reality.
“If I am allowed to dream, I would imagine a place where you can use all the data, from all the machines, from all key players - just put the data on table. That would have a huge impact on the planet. Think about the environmental aspect: all of the lenses that are being thrown away, every day, worldwide. That's a nightmare!”
Assuming that around 5% of lenses are discarded during production due to inadequate quality and taking into account the 1,500,000 lenses that are checked by A&R machines alone every day, this means that over 27,000,000 lenses are thrown away every year. An incredible waste of resources, energy and money.
Theoretically, waste in the lab would be significantly reduced if all the data from the machines were read out and analyzed as a whole. Such a process analysis would be extremely efficient. All problems could be tackled at the root.
If you then look, as Provost does, at the shortage of glasses worldwide, it becomes clear how urgently glasses are actually needed elsewhere:
“There are many people who cannot afford to buy glasses, that they need to get education, to see, to read and for many other things, because they are too expensive. But we throw 5% to 10% away. And even if we buy them: after two months we say, oh ‒ I'd like to have another shape, another design and we don't use it.”
Provost likes to philosophize about what it would be like if all global players joined forces unselfishly. If they shared a vision of a better world in order to solve global problems: eye health and the provision of aids for all people or environmental protection. It is the reason why his colleagues and employees like to call Provost the “dreamer”.
But Provost himself knows best that many things will probably only ever remain a dream: “To have the brain, with all the data, would have so much value. But each of us is trying to protect themselves and the value is not in the machine. The value is in the data ‒ in many businesses”.
Of course, Provost himself also has tangible goals to keep A&R robust and remain at the forefront in the future. Technologies such as smart glasses are an important topic, for example. This is also about what technology is needed to ensure the quality of future products.
“The biggest challenge today is to look beyond what we offer today. To see what the trends are and make sure we have the right technology to support those trends. I think that today we control a lens itself, but tomorrow we need to develop the ability to control a complete product”, concludes the CEO. ◆
The impact of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and emerging trends in digital therapeutics (DTx)
This article examines the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and digital therapeutics (DTx) in ophthalmology and optics. By evaluating advancements across the United States and Canada, Europe and UK, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific including Australia and Africa, it provides an indepth analysis of how these technologies revolutionize diagnostics, treatment, patient outcomes, and the design of lenses adjusted to individual gaze dynamics. Additionally, the role of DTx in enhancing patient engagement and treatment efficacy in eye care is explored. The article series integrates technological advancements and their implications for the global improvement of eye care. Here you will find Part 1 of the article. Part 2 will be published in MAFO issue 01/2025. By David Benet Ferrus
Ophthalmology and optics are experiencing a paradigm shift driven by technological innovations such as new approaches for surgical training, lens design, and patient rehabilitation.
Digital therapeutics (DTx) are clinically validated software solutions designed to treat or manage diseases, often targeting ophthalmic and chronic conditions including specific applications for ophthalmology like those targeting diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, mental health, and neurological disorders. Delivered via digital platforms like smartphones, they offer personalized, evidence-based interventions and are increasingly integrated into traditional healthcare. With growing demand, advancements in AI, and improving regulatory frameworks, the future of DTx points toward broader adoption, enhanced personalization, and the potential to complement or replace traditional treatments, particularly as healthcare continues to shift toward remote and patient-centric care models.
This article explores the global impact of these advancements, highlighting how they are being implemented across different regions and their potential to shape the future of eye care. The global digital therapeutics market is projected to reach approximately $32.52 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.2% from 2024 to 2030[1,2]. This growth is driven by factors such as the increasing adoption of digital health technologies, rising smartphone penetration, and the demand for patient-centric care[1,2,3]. In the map opposite, you can see all the countries and regions analyzed.
Integration of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and digital therapeutics in ophthalmology Europe (EU)
In Europe, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and digital therapeutics (DTx) are being integrated into ophthalmology and optics to enhance diagnostic accuracy, treatment planning, and patient engagement.
AI is extensively utilized for image analysis and disease prediction, facilitating the early detection of conditions such as myopia, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and glaucoma[1]. Additionally, VR enhances training and rehabilitation by providing immersive environments for surgical practice and patient adaptation[2] Notably, recent advancements, such as Google’s DeepMind AI for retinal screening, have demonstrated capabilities that surpass those of human specialists in 2024.
DTx is gaining traction in Europe as a complementary approach to traditional therapies. Recent studies indicate that DTx applications can effectively manage conditions like amblyopia and strabismus through interactive software designed to promote visual acuity improvement[3]. These digital interventions offer personalized therapy plans, thereby increasing patient adherence and engagement. However, challenges remain in the integration of these technologies, including the need for standardized regulations, ensuring data privacy, and addressing the high costs associated with implementation[4]. Finally,
in 2024, the European Medicines Agency is expected to introduce regulatory frameworks aimed at streamlining the approval process for DTx and other digital health technologies.
The Middle East is increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and digital therapeutics (DTx) to advance eye care. AI is enhancing diagnostic precision and facilitating large-scale screening programs, particularly in countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia[5]. VR is being utilized for advanced surgical training and patient education, while DTx applications are emerging as valuable tools for patient engagement and therapy management.
For example, DTx platforms are supporting patients with visual impairments by offering interactive tools designed to improve visual function and help them adapt to daily activities[6]. These digital interventions have the potential to address gaps in care, especially in remote or underserved areas. However, challenges remain, including limited healthcare infrastructure in conflict-affected regions and the need for regulatory frameworks to govern the implementation of DTx[7] Recent advances highlight the emergence of cloud-based telemedicine platforms in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which enhance real-time diagnostics, particularly for underserved populations. Additionally, drone-assisted delivery of ophthalmic medications is being piloted in conflict zones such as Yemen.
In Africa, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and digital therapeutics (DTx) is still in its early stages but shows considerable promise, particularly in addressing the shortage of ophthalmologists and improving access to eye care.
AI tools are facilitating the screening and diagnosis of conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma in areas with limited access to specialists[8].
VR is primarily utilized for training healthcare professionals, providing an innovative approach to skill development in regions where traditional training resources are scarce[9]
Digital interventions have the potential to address gaps in care, especially in remote or underserved areas.
DTx presents a novel strategy for delivering therapeutic interventions in regions with limited healthcare resources. Mobile-based DTx applications are being explored to provide visual training exercises for children with amblyopia, capitalizing on the widespread use of mobile technology in Africa[10]. These applications offer an accessible, low-cost solution for managing visual disorders; however, challenges such as inadequate infrastructure and funding persis[11]
Recent advancements indicate that Google AI's 2023 program for mobile-based cataract screening has demonstrated excellent results in rural Kenya and Nigeria. Furthermore, cross-continental partnerships between African health systems and Asian tech companies are increasingly focused on providing VR-assisted ophthalmic training.
The Asia-Pacific region is at the forefront of integrating artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and digital therapeutics (DTx) in ophthalmology. AI is widely employed for the early detection and treatment planning of conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts[12]
VR enhances training and rehabilitation by providing immersive environments for both practitioners and patients.
DTx is rapidly gaining acceptance in countries like Japan and China, where digital health solutions are increasingly incorporated into standard care practices. Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of DTx applications in managing myopia progression in children through personalized visual exercises and behavior modification programs[13]
Furthermore, DTx platforms are being utilized to provide post-operative care and rehabilitation for patients undergoing cataract surgery, leading to improved recovery outcomes and higher patient satisfaction[14] However, challenges remain, including ensuring data security, integrating DTx into existing healthcare systems, and navigating complex regulatory environments[15].
Notably, in 2024, the launch of AI-driven myopia control lenses in Japan and China, which incorporate gaze-tracking DTx platforms to dynamically adjust lens configurations, represents a significant advancement. Additionally, regulatory reforms by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) in Japan in 2023 have expedited the approval process for AI-driven ophthalmic diagnostics.
In the United States, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and digital therapeutics (DTx) are leading advancements in ophthalmological research and clinical practice. AI-based diagnostic tools, such as IDx-DR for diabetic retinopathy, have received FDA approval, enhancing early detection and treatment planning[16]. VR is utilized for advanced training simulations and patient rehabilitation, contributing to improved surgical outcomes and enhanced quality of life for patients[17].
Significant advancements in DTx have been observed in the U.S., with numerous applications developed to support various aspects of eye care. A notable example is the use of DTx for managing amblyopia in children, where gamified applications have demonstrated effectiveness in improving visual acuity and increasing patient engagement[18]
Additionally, DTx platforms are being integrated into telemedicine services, allowing for remote therapy and monitoring of patients with chronic eye conditions[19].
Despite the potential of these technologies, challenges such as high implementation costs, regulatory hurdles, and ensuring equitable access remain significant obstacles.
Recent developments in the U.S. include the expansion of IDx-DR to encompass IDx-AMD, an FDA-approved tool for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Additionally, a 2023 study published in JAMA Ophthalmology highlighted that VR-assisted cataract surgery simulations reduced the error rate in training by 30%.
In Latin America and Brazil, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and digital therapeutics (DTx) is emerging as a promising solution to address healthcare disparities, particularly in ophthalmology.
AI-driven tools are aiding in the diagnosis of common conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts, thereby enhancing early detection and treatment[20]. While VR is being utilized for training and patient education, its adoption is still in the early stages compared to more developed regions. DTx presents new opportunities for patient care in Latin America and Brazil. Applications focusing on visual therapy for conditions like amblyopia are being developed in collaboration with local universities and international tech companies. These digital interventions offer cost-effective and accessible solutions for patients who may not have regular access to traditional therapies[21]
The potential for growth is significant, especially as DTx becomes more integrated into the healthcare system. However, challenges such as regulatory approval and the need for broader improvements in healthcare infrastructure remain persistent obstacles[22]
Recent developments in Latin America and Brazil highlight the success of VR-enhanced patient rehabilitation programs launched in Chile in 2023, which have shown positive outcomes. Additionally, AI-driven diabetic eye care programs in Brazil have been implemented in collaboration with telemedicine companies and public health agencies.
This article is divided into two parts. Part 1 offered a detailed comparison of how different countries have integrated AI, VR, and digital therapeutics (DTx) into eye healthcare, covering aspects such as in-store sales experiences and lens design. The depth of analysis provides valuable insights i nto the current state of these technologies across various regions.
Part 2, set to be published in MAFO issue 01/2025, promises to expand on this foundation by discussing the general role of AI, VR, and DTx, their growing potential, and the regulatory framework surrounding digital therapeutics. This continuation is anticipated to enrich the reader’s understanding of the evolving landscape of eye care technology. The well-structured and informative article, should make it a significant resource for professionals and stakeholders in the eye care industry. ◆
References: [1] Global Health Intelligence & Grandviewresearch, 2024. [2] EuroHealthNet, 2023. [3] Morris et al., 2024; Wen & Sun, 2024. [4] European Medicines Agency, 2024. [5] Baker McKenzie, 2024. [6] El-Mansour et al., 2024. [7] Ophthalmology Middle East, 2024; Al-Jubair et al., 2023. [8] Sambath et al., 2024. [9] Orbis International, 2024. [10] Kariuki & Otieno, 2024. [11] World Health Organization, 2024. [12] IQVIA Healthcare, 2024. [13] Li et al., 2024; Zhang et al., 2023. [14] Digital Health Asia, 2023. [15] Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology, 2024. [16] Health Systems Observatory, 2024. [17] Smith et al., 2024. [18] Brown & Anderson, 2024; Johnson et al., 2023. [19] American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2024. [20] Costa et al., 2024. [21] Mendes et al., 2024; Souza & Pereira, 2023. [22] Brazilian Journal of Telehealth, 2024
David Benet Ferrus is a C-suite executive serving as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Horizons Optical. He brings a wealth of experience from the pharmaceutical sector, along with a strong management background characterized by his strategic vision and tactical acumen. David is adept at fostering high-performance teams and driving innovation, with a particular focus on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Digital Therapeutics (DTx). As a thought leader, David has contributed extensively to international publications and holds numerous certifications. His academic background includes a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering and Information, and master’s degrees in business administration and marketing management.
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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: for example, the change of professional duties, the large number of the aging population whose care must be ensured, and the use of new technologies. MAFO has talked to Gabriëlle Janssen, the new president of the European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO), about those hot topics, the education and competencies of eyecare professionals and the potential of artificial intelligence and screenings.
By Hanna Diewald
MAFO met the current ECOO President Gabriëlle Janssen one day before the official handover of office, on October 12 in Hamburg, as part of the ECOO's autumn conference. Janssen herself studied optics and optometry and MBA Health in the Netherlands and she has been Chair of the Optometristen Vereniging Nederland (OVN). During her professional career, she has worked both as an optometrist and in project management, and it is this experience that will now guide the organization into the future. ECOO represents the interests of opticians and optometrists in Europe. Their members are national professional associations from 25 countries who together represent more than 200,000 opticians and optometrists.
information about the professions across Europe. We decided that it's a good time to republish it, because the WHO and the World Council of Optometry recently shared new data about eyecare professionals.
How are you looking forward to your official inauguration?
I am very much looking forward to it. I was president of the Dutch association until one year ago and therefore I have had the time to prepare myself to be president for the European Council of Optometry and Optics. I think this kind of association is very important to improve eyecare and especially the working environment for optometrists and opticians.
What would you especially like to achieve as the president of the organization?
A lot of projects are running already and we will continue them, but it is my job to continue it in a proper way – and of course with a fantastic management and the other executives. We established for example the I-Screen project (editor´s note: A system established to detect and profile AMD with the help of AI) and for the next two years, we will develop the new Blue Book, a comprehensive data set which provides invaluable
abriëlleJanssen
ECOO aims to ensure a good quality of vision care and eye health in Europe. In your opinion, how good is the provision of vision aids and medical care in comparison?
We are lucky that we live in Europe, as most people have access to eye care in Europe. If you compare the situation with the less developed countries then we are providing eye care of a high standard, but still, it can always be better. That is why we promote World Sight Day for example, and we have a focus on healthy eye care for children and healthy aging. For children, we try to make sure that parents are aware that their children have to have their eyes tested regularly and that they should not look at digital screens all day.
Where do you see potential for improvement?
In my opinion it´s good to have the highest standards of eyecare in primary eyecare and I think the multidisciplinary approach of looking at people who needs eye care can be better. For example, I'm from the Netherlands. We are now in the Netherlands looking for a way where optometrists will be part of the health care system where the eye examination will be paid by the health insurance, as we know that 25% of the patients can be sent from the ophthalmologist to the optometrists. I think also in many other European countries, this can be done better than what it is now. I think more recognition of our competences is an important part of this big question: how can we ensure that the large group of the ageing population is well cared for and that they continue to see well for the rest of their lives?
ECOO tries to ensure that training standards in Europe are as uniform as possible. For example, through the European Diploma in Optometry and the Qualification in Optics, what advantages does this bring?
The European Diploma in Optometry and the European Qualification in Optics establish a higher standard of eyecare. ECOO wants to promote the highest standards of training and skills consistently across Europe. Another advantage is harmonization, so it's easier for eyecare professionals to travel from one country to another to work. And for the different European countries, it is a chance to evaluate their own standards, and accredited universities and schools can benchmark themselves easier to other countries. We see the success of this all over Europe as educational institutions design their degree programs based on the syllabi of the ECOO qualifications.
Until now only seven universities received the accreditation and only very few students have received the diploma so far. What good is a diploma that hardly anyone wants?
Basically, the European Diploma is set at the highest education level for optometry, and it is divided in several parts. One part of that is the portfolio of clinical experience. This is the most challenging part as it raises the question of how to bring the students to practical experience. This is something that is not established in many universities, especially in those without clinics as part of the usual course − but it is something universities are moving towards. Meaning when they redesign their course program, they take the syllabus of the European diploma into account more and more.
So, we are starting to change the landscape throughout Europe and the education towards harmonization – but not unification, just harmonization. This is the reason why we don´t have that many accredited schools and students yet but we have a lot of interest and a lot in the pipeline.
In Germany, for example, there exists the dual system in which opticians learn their profession at the local optician’s store and the vocational school. How does this system fit into the purely school-based education in other countries?
I'm familiar with that system, as it is similar in the Netherlands. But generally, ECOO is not looking at how the system works in different countries. It's about competencies. It doesn't matter for ECOO, if it's like four days working in a practice and one day going to school or the other way around. In the end, we share the idea that it's important to have the same competencies.
Are you satisfied with the education system in most ECOO countries or is there potential to develop?
I think every country has potential to develop because I think optometry and optics can do much more than it does now. We have a huge number of people getting older and we have developments in technical parts, so the kinds of treatments are expanding. More people can have treatment, for example, for macular degeneration. Therefore, you need also more
eyecare professionals. It is too much work for only the ophthalmologists. In my opinion opticians and optometrists should be part of the whole chain of eyecare. To give eye exams, for prevention, but also to have early diagnosis of eye diseases. So, every country has its challenges.
AI could change the work of ECPs in the future and we can already see the potential of AI around screening. How do you personally feel about these changes?
For me personally, it's quite exciting. I think it's interesting to see this kind of development. As I said we have more people getting older and more treatment opportunities. I guess we can't do it without AI. We can't do it only with human resources. The most important thing is that we implement artificial intelligence without high false positive rates − and sometimes I´m worried about that. Because false positive rates mean the computer says there is something wrong when there is nothing wrong. Then people are waiting for a medical appointment and during this time they are very concerned − and then there is nothing wrong. And there's also extra costs.
I think, most important is that we should implement artificial intelligence devices when it's safe and that the professional can still interpret the results. For this reason, you will still need a professional. And in case your next question is, will eye care be available in the supermarket tomorrow: I can say that I am sure optometrists and opticians are still highly important. We still need our profession because while low complex care can be handled with screening and artificial intelligence, we also have the high complex care. Those serious problems still need to be seen by an optometrist or optician and if the patient needs a treatment, then we send it to an ophthalmologist.
ECOO also deals with the topics of healthy aging, driving and vision, the Medical Device Regulation and sustainability. For which of these topics do you currently see the greatest need to tackle them?
They are all connected. If we look at healthy aging, driving, children and myopia. Often the first eye test is when kids are four. Adults are around 40 when they start having presbyopia. And then when they are even older, they can have cataract, macular degeneration, etc. A person’s whole life is about good vision. We are always there for them to have their eyes checked. For healthy aging, but also when you drive a car and more. All these projects are connected to each other.
Is there anything left, that you want to share?
That's very personal. I'm worried about what's going on in the world as we are closing the borders. It seems like we are afraid of each other and not happy as equals. But we, our profession, are one big family. We work together. We care. And that's a different feeling than what's happening in the world. And maybe it helps remind us that more people want to work to provide solutions so that people can live better lives.
Thank you very much for the interview and your thoughts
If you want to see machines for optical labs, you drive or fly to the Vision Expo West in Las Vegas, where you can find almost all the major machine manufacturers and companies involved one way or another in spectacle lens production. Curtain up for the latest technologies: from automatic cosmetic inspection to hearing glasses By Hanna Diewald
The Vision Expo West, organized by RX Global and The Vision Council, was held from 18 to 21 September 2024 in Las Vegas. According to the organizers, this year more than 10,000 visitors came to the trade fair and there were over 350 exhibitors. This was a slightly less than in 2023, when officially there were some 400 exhibitors on site.
However, this difference was hardly noticeable in the lens processing area. Almost all the usual exhibitors and well-known players were there. Among the major exhibitors were Coburn Technologies, Schneider, Satisloh, MEI Systems, OptoTech, Zeiss, Hoya Vision and many more. The areas of lens designs, lab management software, consumables and more were also catered for by a variety of exhibitors, so that the lab representatives among the visitors were able to get an up-to-date picture about all the latest innovations.
As in the past, the Vision Council also hosted meetings for members, already starting on Wednesday and enabling lively discussions in small expert groups. For example, there was a new expert committee focusing
on “Standardization beyond the Data Communications Standard” to enhance connectivity and especially communication between manufacturing machines and lab management systems (manufacturing execution systems).
For opticians, optometrists and all other ECPs, there was also a wideranging program of lectures covering all aspects of the professions, thus offering an excellent opportunity for further development.
At the exhibition floor this year, there were also other highlights open to all visitors. For example, the Innovation Stage, where a wide variety of presentations and lively discussions took place. As well as a new sports area – the so-called Sun & Sport neighbourhood – where visitors were able to try their hand at pickleball and test sports glasses in action.
It became clear at the Vision Expo West that technology is increasingly finding its way into ever more products. This applies, for example, to screening, where approaches in combination with artificial intelligence are increasingly being discussed to give added support in diagnosis.
Smart glasses are already well known, but additional features are now being incorporated. One example is the new audio glasses by EssilorLuxottica, which can also be used as a replacement for a hearing aid, or at least as a step in this direction. Data management was another important topic which concerns both ECPs as well as production in the lab.
A further machine trend clearly in evidence at Vision Expo West was automatic cosmetic inspection. Several manufacturers now offer inspection machines for this purpose – even if the features still vary considerably.
The trade fair was a home game for the machine manufacturer Coburn Technologies. They were well represented in the middle of the lens processing area, with their many machines constantly attracting visitors. Their new NEXUS digital surfacing system for lens labs was of particular interest, combining both a generator and a polisher. The particular highlight here is its extremely low water consumption, thanks to the cold mist / dry cut technology of the generator. The system offers a 50
percent improvement in productivity along with a new fast tool servo axis, consisting of proprietary voice coil and air-bearing design and a larger cutter which allows for faster material removal.
In addition to other machines for ophthalmic lens production, the manufacturer also presented the most important diagnostic tools for ECPs.
Schneider is one of the manufacturers driving the trend towards automated cosmetic inspection. For example, the CSI Modulo ONE, a machine for automated cosmetic inspection of spectacle lenses which has already been shown at other trade fairs this year, was also on display here. One particular feature is completely new: full-map power measurement. Along with other machines from the Modulo series, visitors were also able to see first-hand the Deboxer DBX Modulo ONE which is able to unpack two boxes in parallel and is capable of handling both blisters and cupless boxes.
The DTS-A Modulo ONE, which combines deblocking and tape stripping in one machine, was on display for the first time. And the
LCU Modulo ONE cleaning unit is equipped with a very special feature: it is the only machine on the market that is available with an optional tray changer.
Inspection expert goes one step further Automation & Robotics (A&R) also presented a new solution for the automatic cosmetic inspection of spectacle lenses at Vision Expo West. The technology was developed in cooperation with IOT. The so-called COSME technology will soon be integrated into many of the manufacturer's other inspection devices to provide a comprehensive range of solutions for inspection. Two prototypes of the ProMapper are currently running with the technology. In addition, the NeoMapper and AutoMapper are also soon to be equipped with the COSME technology.
A machine trend clearly in evidence at VEW was the automated cosmetic inspection.
Cosmetic inspection is also an important topic for machine manufacturer OptoTech. VISTA was first presented at the Mido 2023 and has since been exhibited at many trade fairs, including in Las Vegas.
There were also new developments to do with coating. The redesigned AR coater OAC-90 Veloce offers a number of advantages: for example higher productivity, thanks to a redesigned pumping system and a new chamber layout that facilitates maximum throughput. It enables flexible coating processes, such as tinting, and an optional flip-over system which is particularly relevant for the US market. In addition, the IQ-Star, an intelligent distribution and storage system, as well as the Auto Taper 80 CNC-A could also be seen in action.
This year, the four companies belonging to the EssilorLuxottica Group –Satisloh, DAC Vision, SCL and UltraOptics – were exhibiting on one stand. As well as the machines for fully automatic surface machining –such as the ART Blocker A, the VFT Orbit 2i generator, the Multi FLEX 2 polisher and the ART Deblocker 2 – Satisloh also exhibited the new e-ticket system, which enables completely paperless production. Thanks to electronic ink, the most important information can be displayed individually on the digital job ticket. Special features, such as urgent orders or the search for specific jobs, can
be easily highlighted thanks to flashing LEDs, so that they immediately stand out in the production flow. The system permits updates and inputs from a variety of sources such as LMS, machines and operators.
UltraOptics presented the latest version of their fully automatic spin-coating machine 54R, including significant improvements to throughput, that can run on- or off-the-block and enabling full LMS integration.
In addition to the first block-free generator CoreTBA, machine manufacturer MEI also exhibited EasyBuddy and EasyFit for instance. EasyBuddy can automatically supply the EasyFit Trend edger with jobs, thanks to the integrated cobot. To do this, it loads the lenses from the tray into the EasyScan for pre-inspection. The lenses are then moved to the edger and finally back into the tray.
The edger EasyFit Trend has now been updated to cope with special edges. This means that the edger can now handle special decorative edges automatically.
The MEI system for automatic cosmetic inspection and brush cleaning of spectacle lenses was not on show at Las Vegas for organizational reasons. However this machine can perform brush cleaning of edged lenses as well as subsequent cosmetic checking of the cleaned lenses.
Lens innovations and new audio glasses
Besides the machines there were many more highlights on display to discover: At the IOT stand, visitors also found out that the photochromic Neochrome lenses are now equipped with Camber Technology ‒ Camber is a co-operation between Younger and IOT. Also on display was the new freeform progressive lens Endless Steady EasyFit whose advanced design should ensure excellent visual performance every time. It is specifically engineered to address the challenges of inaccurate fitting and should reduce remakes and boost lab efficiency, even for labs with high turnover or less experienced staff.
Hoya presented the iD MyStyle 3, a progressive lens that uses Binocular Harmonization Technology to ensure the right correction at each point in the lens for instant clear vision and focus.
General Optics promoted their first 1.74 photochromic semi-finished lens. Thanks to a double-casted photochromic layer the lens shows good overall performance, and the tinting is uniform over the surface. EssilorLuxottica promoted Transitions Gen S – the newest technology that should be ultra-responsive to light and offers a wide-ranging color palette and HD vision at record speed. There was also the opportunity to test the latest Ray-Ban | Meta smart glasses at the stand, which enable live streaming, open-ear audio and more.
And another type of smart glasses is now an integral part of the manufacturer's portfolio: Nuance Audio. The group presented a final prototype of their latest hearing glasses which are aimed at the over 1.2 billion people who suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss.
Eschenbach presented a very useful tool for the low vision sector: the first video magnifier specifically designed for a smartphone. This tool can be easily attached to an iPhone and transforms two devices – the video magnifier and the iPhone – into one.
All in all, there was plenty for visitors to see in Las Vegas at the exhibition center as well as in the lively city. And curious professionals do not have to wait long for the next trade fair.
The Vision Expo East 2025 will take place in Orlando, Florida, at the Orange County Convention Center from February 19 to 22, 2025, marking a significant shift from its long-standing New York City location. The next Vision Expo West will take place from September 17 to 20, 2025 in Las Vegas. ◆
From September 20 to 23, the two halls 6 and 7 of the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition center were once again a kettle of color. A comprehensive tour of the world of international ophthalmic optics was on the agenda and the stage was set for Silmo Paris 2024. By Daniel Groß
As a cornerstone in the international trade fair mix of the optical industry, Silmo Paris attracts exhibitors from all over the world. Once again this year, the who's who of the industry came together to store and network. 75,000 m², more than 900 companies, the best late summer weather for the few breaks outside the halls. These were all excellent conditions for four days with a packed program.
One world premiere chases the next
As befits a trade fair like Silmo Paris, companies took the opportunity to present their product highlights. Eschenbach Optik, for example, celebrated a world first with its electronic visual aid “Optaro”. The visual aid extends the range of applications of the iPhone with various additional functions, allowing people with impaired vision to adjust the magnification and choose between 14 contrast-enhancing false color modes. In addition to an iPhone (version 12 or higher), a camera
module and either a corresponding protective cover or the magnetic universal stand are required for use. The user controls the camera module via an app.
There was also something new from frame manufacturer Charmant with the rebranding of its own brand Ad Lib. Designer Nicolas Berne presented the new colors, material mixes and the intention behind the new all-round look for the brand, which has grown up together with its customers and should now be seen as an independent brand.
supporting program
In addition to the exhibitors' stands, visitors were able to discover a wide variety of special areas. From established areas such as Silmo Futurology, where the future of optics could be explored with a look ahead to the years 2025 to 2035, the organizers invited visitors on a journey through the history of eyewear manufacturing. The museums of Oyonnax and Morez had their exhibits on display.
In a competition based on the Summer Olympics of that year (“OPTympics”), opticians were able to demonstrate their skills just as the top athletes had done just two months earlier. Over 800 people took part in the end, according to the organizers. The talents of tomorrow were promoted through the competition for optical design. The third edition, open to design students from all over the world, focused on eyewear accessories that not only correct and protect vision, but also offer new functions and uses.
And last but not least the Silmo d'Or celebrated its 30th anniversary − and the awards ceremony took place in a festive setting on Saturday evening. The nominees were hoping to win in eleven categories and rhere was also a special prize from the jury. The following products and many more were honored:
▶ Technological Innovation: Eyewear OOmade with “OOmade SAV 3D”
▶ Technological Innovation: Eyewear - networked products EssilorLuxottica with “Ray-Ban Meta with AI”
▶ Sport
Out Of with “Acuity”
▶ Vision
Transitions Optical with “Transitions Gen S”
Au-revoir - see you next year
According to official figures, 32,125 trade visitors (+2.6% compared to 2023) traveled to the trade fair this year, of which 52% were international and 48% French participants who did not want to miss out on the innovations and the spectacle surrounding them. The organizer has chosen the days from 26 to 29 September as the date for Silmo Paris 2025. ◆
» Fully integrated options for eyepiece handling and quality inspection
» Broad material range
» Outstanding in-field upgradability: from R&D to volume production
» Small machine footprint
“Don´t
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 focuses on employees, and it will teach them how to be more vigilant. It 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! It is the second part of the cyber security series, based on The Vision Councils Webinar series. By Nabil Gharbieh
The following article gives definitions and statistics; it answers the question: What´s at stake? And we talk about trends in hacking and what every single employee can do to protect the infrastructure.
Definitions
Email phishing: Is the most common form of phishing. This type of attack uses tactics like phony hyperlinks to lure email recipients into sharing their personal information. Attackers often masquerade as a large account provider like Microsoft or Google, or even a coworker.
Malware phishing: Is another prevalent phishing approach. This type of attack involves planting malware disguised as a trustworthy attachment (such as a resume or bank statement) in an email. In some cases, opening a malware attachment can paralyze entire IT systems. Spear phishing: Where most phishing attacks cast a wide net, spear phishing targets specific individuals by exploiting information gathered through research into their jobs and social lives. These attacks are highly customized, making them particularly effective at bypassing basic cybersecurity.
Whaling: When bad actors target a “big fish” like a business executive or celebrity, it is called whaling.
Smishing: A combination of the words “SMS” and “phishing,” smishing involves sending text messages disguised as trustworthy communications from businesses like Amazon or FedEx.
Vishing: In vishing campaigns, attackers in fraudulent call centers attempt to trick people into providing sensitive information over the phone.
The good news first: 84% of US-based organizations have stated that conducting regular security awareness training has helped reduce the rate at which employees fall prey to phishing attacks. Security training and awareness are so important because the cost of a cybersecurity attack can be enormous. Even though the sum depends on the scale and impact of the attack. For small businesses, the average cost of a cyber-attack is around $25,6121 ‒ and we have seen that on the very low end.
And anyone who thinks this will not happen to me should keep the following figures in mind: 8 out 10 of the most exploited software vulnerabilities involved Microsoft products in 2019 but shifts are moving from O.S. to browsers with vulnerabilities in software like WinRar and Google Chrome.
It is also true that approximately 45% of all emails are spam and that targeted attacks are increasing with AI, looking for new people or tired employees or something specific.
And finally: each year 83% of all companies experience a phishing attack. You do not believe that? Then proof the Office 365 login attempt logs.
The unpleasant truth is that 66% of businesses attacked by hackers were not confident they could recover. One challenge is that the service businesses provide, and their extensions can be negatively affected. As mentioned earlier, the financial loss can be enormous and huge financial loss is almost always associated with the loss of jobs. The average cost of IT downtime is approximately $5,600 per minute, translating to over $300,000 per hour.
But also, the reputation damage should not be underestimated. That affects not only the company but also the reputation of single employees. Sometimes it can even have legal consequences. HIPAA for example stands for “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act”. This US law is designed to protect health data. It requires companies that work with such protected data to implement and follow certain physical, network and process-related security measures. And in the end, it is often not just about the company itself, but attacks also affect others in the supply chain. But despite all these hard facts, many organizations still do not know what a ransomware recovery would look like or how they would recover. Therefore, we do not know what else is at stake. That is the reason you need a plan! And a lot of security strategies are group culture initiatives.
Yes, you read that right. Trends are everywhere ‒ even among hackers. Here are the most important ones.
Multi-stage phishing attacks: Attackers are increasingly using multi-stage phishing attacks where an initial phishing email is followed by further interactions to build trust and extract more information over time. Phishing kits and services: The availability of phishing kits and phishingas-a-service (PhaaS) offerings on the dark web makes it easier for less skilled cybercriminals to launch sophisticated phishing campaigns. Exploiting current events: One example of that was the worldwide Crowdstrike incident. Many hackers jumped on taking advantage of people with bluescreened computers.
ChatGPT: FraudGPT uses chatgpt to help non-technical individuals find a way in. If light bulbs are going off in your head about your ex, do not open it. You will get into more trouble by logging in then causing it (-;
Do not underestimate AI
Using AI itself like ChatGPT or the hundreds of specific AI tools out there is a problem as you are recklessly uploading info to ChatGPT. For example if I go in and ask it to edit these trade secrets for me for an email to a CEO and to use a professional tone, it is now part of the world database so someone can go in and do a search for “The Vision Council trade
secrets” or passwords, or mergers, or vulnerabilities, because I wrote a draft for ChatGPT to analyze about a security incident or struggle. Also using AI keyboards for phones and other built-in apps sends your data, again, to less reputable and sometimes nefarious companies. Also be aware of using your google id or apple id or Microsoft ID to be your login. Some sites will let you create a username and password or use your google account to login. Doing so opens your data to that company, and if the company that you need to login to happens to be a foreign country, know you are giving them a ton of information for the convince of logging in. I personally like creating my own login email and passwords and letting my password app choose the password.
Algorithms on social media give you a false sense of reality. If you open a Facebook video, Instagram video or TikTok video and read the comments, and then send the same video to a friend and let them read the comments, the top comments will be different for you than for him or her as those comments are based on algorithms. If I open a video on the latest vaccine for something and I run to the comment section for validation, I will see that the top comments favor vaccinations. If I give it to friends who does not trust vaccinations, and THEY go to the comment section they will find validation by the comments that feed them. This drives us all deeper down the Matrix than we would like. And that can be upsetting because you may look at the comments of a post and say “oh im not worried”, if people read the comments, and they see that no one agrees, their impression might be different.
Estimates say ONE out of TEN random posts could come from a foreign government trying to influence your opinion or make you resent one another. A 2020 study from Carnegie Mellon University found that around 45% of accounts discussing COVID-19 on Twitter, now X, were likely bots, but this includes all bots, not just those from foreign governments. NPR reported that a significant number of anti-vaccine posts were linked to Russian trolls. In my opinion, we have to make sure that we make friends and matches on our own. As your feed on social media will probably mislead us. Why does it matter? Because we fall into patterns of being tricked and letting the bad guys win.
A survey by Google in 2019 found that 65% of people reuse passwords across multiple accounts, significantly increasing the risk of hacking if one account is compromised. The same survey found that 1 in 4 Americans use passwords that are considered weak and easily guessable. This is not just a phrase but extremely relevant to make sure that hackers do not crack your password within seconds.
If you use a password like your dogs name, or city, or company, or something easily attributed to you … 1. I can go to ChaptGPT and ask it to give me every iteration of that word with special characters and capital and lower-case letters.
2. I download a free browser plug-in from the Browser Store that attempts to log in and upload all possible passwords to it.
3. I tell it to use the username FirstName@gmail.com as login and these passwords and try every 1 minute as not to trigger the too many attempts bot.
4. I tell it to email me when you are in. I do this for 10 accounts a day and then refresh my inbox daily and get to work.
Estimates say ONE out of TEN random posts could come from a foreign government trying to influence your opinion or make you resent one another.
If there is one key takeaway from this article, it is the importance of passwords! This is what can happen when you take passwords lightly. The characteristics of strong passwords are that they have a minimum of 15 characters. A passphrase ‒ consisting of many words and terms – is better than a password. Additionally, the passphrase should be unique per account, and it is safer to use a Multi-factor Authentication (MFA).
One example to create strong passphrases:
1. Write down a random common word
2. Add a second, unrelated word
3. Capitalize one or two letters in your password
4. Insert numbers and special characters to break up words and syllables, then add new capitals
5. Make sure the passphrase is at least 15 characters long sweatshirt, sweatshirttree, SweatshirtTree, Sweatshirt#Tr33
What you can do and organizations can do
▶ Avoid Pop-Ups, unknown emails, and links. Never click on unexpected links or download attachments from unknown sources.
▶ Audio jacking: be aware ‒ unauthorized interception or manipulation of audio signals to eavesdrop or inject malicious content. Audio jacking ruins code words because a person could be in your computer capturing a conversation on teams or zoom and can replicate the word using the right voice and with AI it can know when to answer using the code word when asked a question.
▶ Connect to secure Wi-Fi – avoid public Wi-Fi. Instead use your phone as a hotspot or connect to a trusted network or VPN.
▶ Juice jacking – avoid using public charging stations to prevent mobile device compromise.
▶ USB flash drives – only use trusted flash drives. Unknown drives can carry malware.
▶ Verify links – always check if website links look valid before clicking. Hover over links to see the full URL.
▶ Check email headers – ensure the sender’s email address matches the company’s official domain.
▶ Email purpose – never send sensitive information like passwords or personal details via email.
▶ Double-check requests – confirm money transfer requests with alternative communication methods.
▶ Update passwords regularly – change default passwords and update them frequently.
▶ Use password managers, use tools like 1Password
▶ Protect your devices – do not let others use your computer or mobile devices.
▶ Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
▶ Beware of social engineering – be cautious of unsolicited requests for information or urgent actions.
▶ Use the “Email Analysis” tool in Outlook or others
▶ Stay informed on scams – keep up to date with the latest scam tactics and cybersecurity news.
▶ Stay in touch with The Vision Council, look out for emails, link with us if you had or know of an incident to share knowledge, and join us in future efforts to create a team to share security knowledge. ◆
The IT-expert Nabil Gharbieh currently leads The Vision Council´s webinar series about cyber security strategies. As an Information Technology Advisor at Dataprise, Nabil provides quality management services to clients across various industries and sectors. With over 17 years of experience in IT, he has developed expertise in program management, technical account management, customer success, sales, and technology advisory. Nabil is certified in Microsoft Technologies, AI, Health Care IT Security, ITIL, Google Cloud, and Apple/Mac Integration.
Light sensitive lenses with the best optical quality with Camber Technology
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Coated lenses (branding)
Front side engraving
Excimer Laser (wavelength) [nm]
Laser (wavelength) [nm]
Laser
Feeding mode (manual or auto)
Upgradable from manual to auto
(blocked lenses / h.)
(unblocked lenses / h.)
up laser
System integrated back up laser
function option (Excimer & CO2 laser)
Laser power automatic detection
Self orientation of edged lens
Desktop: 530 x 1000 x 930
mm Standalone: 1050 x 1000 x 1520 mm
Desktop approx. 150 kg. Standalone approx. 190 kg
Without dryer: 1180 x 1360 x 1560. With dryer: 1580 x 1360 x 1560
Without dryer approx. 250 kg. With dryer approx. 300 kg
100 - 240, 6, 50/60, single phase 110 or 220, 10, 50/60, single phase
Desktop: 530 x 1000 x 930 mm Standalone: 1050 x 1000 x 1520 mm
Desktop approx. 150 kg. Standalone approx. 190 kg
Without dryer: 1180 x 1360 x 1560. With dryer: 1580 x 1360 x 1560
Without dryer approx. 250 kg. With dryer approx. 300 kg
100 - 240, 6, 50/60, single phase 110 or 220, 10, 50/60, single phase
x 80 80 x 80
(blocked lenses / h.)
(unblocked lenses / h.)
Electricity [VAC, A, Hz, phase]
Marking field (mm x mm)
Laser system safety [class / safety compliance]
System integrated back up laser
Hybrid function option (Excimer & CO2 laser)
Self orientation of edged lens
semivisible mark recognition
or 220, 10, 50/60, single phase
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ON FEBRUARY 8-10, 2025 | Fiera Milano, Rho A NEW EYEWEAR PERSPECTIVE.
Front side engraving
Excimer Laser (wavelength) [nm]
Laser (wavelength) [nm]
Feeding mode (manual or auto) auto auto auto Upgradable from manual to auto
Productivity (blocked lenses / h.)
(unblocked lenses / h.)
Hybrid function option (Excimer & CO2 laser)
Laser power automatic detection
Self orientation of edged lens
Engraving editor
semivisible mark recognition
measuring unit (parameter)
/ 990 (automated) Desktop: 210 / 463 Standalone: 316 / 697 Automated: 400 / 882
lenses
Mineral lenses / / x
Coated lenses (branding)
Contact lenses / / /
Glass molds / / /
Front side engraving / / /
Excimer Laser (wavelength) [nm] / / 193 UV Laser (wavelength) [nm] / /
CO2 Laser
Feeding mode (manual or auto) manual or auto auto
Upgradable from manual to auto / / /
(blocked lenses / h.)
Productivity (unblocked lenses / h.) / / /
Dimensions (w x d x h) / [ mm / inches] approx. 340 x 870 x 600 / 13 x 35 x 24 approx. 900 x 1320 x 1715 / 36 x 52 x 68 approx. 1275 x 1450 x 1800 / 51 x 57 x 71
Weight [kg / lbs] approx 125 / 276 approx. 420 /926 approx. 600 / 1323
Electricity [VAC, A, Hz, phase] 200-400 VAC, 1,4 A, 50/60 Hz, three phases 200-400 VAC, 2,9 A, 50/60 Hz, three phases
Marking field (mm x mm)
Dot size [µm]
Accuracy [µm] +/- 30
Laser system safety [class / safety compliance] 1/CE, CDRH
Pulse time
Process gas
Refurbishing period
VAC, 2,2
Back up laser / / /
System integrated back up laser / / /
Hybrid function option (Excimer & CO2 laser) / / /
Laser power automatic detection x x x
Self orientation of edged lens / / /
Engraving editor x x x
FF semivisible mark recognition / / /
Integrated measuring unit (parameter) / / /
Z-focus calculation x x x
Z-focus measurement x x x
Host connection OMA/VCA/RX
Legend: Yes = x, No = /, Optional = o
Petra Lindner
Phone: +41 (0) 41766 16 16 Email: info@satisloh.com satisloh.com
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Ernst Abbe was a German physicist, mathematician, entrepreneur, scientist and a pioneer in social responsibility. With his numerous inventions and his fundamental research into the theory of imaging optical systems, Abbe opened all doors to research and industry. By Mareike Alber
rnst Abbe was born and raised in Eisenach in 1840 as the ordinary son of a working-class family. His extraordinary talent was already evident at an early age, which his teachers and parents encouraged so that he received an unusually good education. This enabled Abbe to study philosophy, mathematics and physics at the universities of Jena and Göttingen from 1857 to 1861. Abbe completed his habilitation in 1863 and was appointed associate professor in 1870.
From 1866, Abbe worked as a scientific employee in microscope technology at Carl Zeiss. There, Abbe developed the “Theory of Imaging in the Microscope”, which made him the founder of scientific optics. Ernst Abbe thus enabled Carl Zeiss to make significant technological progress in 1872. The technological lead brought the team international recognition from natural scientists and doctors. Ernst Abbe's work paid off, as Carl Zeiss made his dedicated employee a partner and appointed him as his successor. In 1888, Abbe succeeded Carl Zeiss after his death.
From the very beginning of his career at Zeiss, Abbe researched the microscope and contributed to its progress, e.g. by inventing the condenser. Among other things, he invented the focometer, refractometer and spectrometer and the Abbe number, which made it possible to characterize the properties of glass more precisely. The Abbe number describes the scattering of light of different wavelengths as a function of the refractive index. It also describes the dispersion of the lens and thus draws conclusions about the image quality. Abbe also modified the roof prism developed by Giovanni Battista Amici, he developed the Abbe comparator, described the Abbe sine condition as well as the Abbe invariant and more.
The Carl Zeiss company developed a number of new optical lens types over the years. As Abbe did not want to hinder general scientific progress, he allowed the general use of the products by not applying for a patent. Later, patents for photographic lenses and binoculars began to be taken out due to the high competitive pressure. The production of microscope lenses went extremely well, and the Zeiss factory grew along with new employees. However, it turned out that special
optical glass could optimize production. In 1884, Ernst Abbe, Otto Schott, Carl Zeiss and his son Roderich founded the Schott & Genossen glass technology laboratory in Jena. Otto Schott developed a process for melting small quantities of glass and combining different melts to create a new type of glass with novel optical properties. Lithium glass was created, followed sometime later by borosilicate glass and a total of over 100 new types of glass. Today, Schott AG is one of the world's leading manufacturers of specialty glass.
In the late 19th century, many companies began to pursue social policies. Abbe, for example, founded the Carl Zeiss Foundation in 1889 with the aim of keeping companies independent of personal ownership interests. For example, employees were given the right to have a say, paid vacation, pension payments and sick pay. Abbe saw these measures as employee rights, not as a benefit like many companies at the time. He expressed his aversion to racism and ensured that no employee at Carl Zeiss was disadvantaged because of their religion, origin or political opinion. In 1889, the foundation even took over the management of Carl Zeiss and, a few years later, Schott. Abbe was thus the pioneer of the social market economy. Abbe retired in 1903 and died in Jena in 1905. His numerous inventions and theories were and continue to be so important that many institutions and facilities were named after him. ◆
Mareike Alber is a trained optician. Her interest in ophthalmic optics led her to study for a bachelor's degree in ophthalmic optics / optical device technology at Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences in 2022. She works at Augenoptik Leue so that she can apply what she has learned directly. As a student representative of the VDCO-Young, she is committed to the future of budding optometrists.
Exact measurements of greenhouse gases thanks to an optical color splitter disperser
The first airworthy and most important optical assembly for the CO2M space mission has now been fully delivered. The European Space Agency's (ESA´s) space mission aims to find out exactly how many CO₂ -greenhouse gas in Earth's atmosphere is caused by human activity. Therefore, two Earth observation satellites start in 2026. The satellites will work in a constellation and carry out high-resolution spectral measurements of atmospheric CO₂ in order to accurately map emissions from cities, countries and large industrial areas. To do this, the satellites will be equipped with infrared spectrometers.
Researchers from Jena have developed and manufactured what is probably the most important optical assembly for the spectrometers on board the satellites: the disperser. “The disperser is the optical component for the spectrometer,” explains Thomas Höing, project manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF. “The disperser consists of two prisms and a grating and acts as a kind of 'color splitter'. This means that it splits the light reflected from Earth very precisely into its spectral colors and thus enables high-precision measurements of the CO₂ content in Earth's atmosphere.”
The upcoming MAFO issue 01/2025, published on January 9, 2025, is about Lab Management. We will dive deep into artificial intelligence trends, cyber security strategies and take a look at blockless generating. Furthermore, you will find out more about the chances of smart technologies: in an interview with CREAL founder Tomas Sluka and in a report about the MAFO visit at the smart glasses company Morrow Optics in Belgium.
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FULL-MAP POWER MEASUREMENT
fully automatically and absolutely dependably, at the highest level. The optical system screens the surface
It detects any common defects such as scratches, pits, center dots, haze, chatter, cutting marks, spiral and
The smart system mimics individual decision making patterns to reflect a labs’ unique quality standard.
All labs have to do is teach the system by feeding it decisions. This way, CSI Modulo ONE understands what kind of defects, in which combination, in what intensity and in which zones, is a go or no go.
Labs can implement the same quality routines everywhere. Apart from this, labs can also opt to apply differing standards depending on the demands of the product or brand produced.
The result: A system that makes decisions just like you would make them – because you taught it.