ZEISS Testing Methods: Setting Even Higher Internal Standards

ZEISS tests eyeglass lenses at three highly specialized locations known as its Group Test Centers (GTC). Globally, only three test labs for eye care have thus far received the highest lab certification level as defined in DIN EN ISO / IEC 17025*. Now, the GTC in Aalen has been recertified in accordance with this standard, once again confirming the impartiality and the outstanding quality of the test methods and environment.

Aalen, Germany | 27 May 2019 | ZEISS Vision Care

ZEISS has been inspecting its own eyeglass lenses at its network of Group Test Centers in Aalen, Germany, Tijuana, Mexico, and Guangzhou, China, since 2010. Thus far, the company has developed 24 of its own test procedures, four of which have already been accredited and 20 validated. The special thing about these sites: external partners are also eager to use the opportunity to have their products tested at ZEISS in the independent test lab. Today, the Group Test Center network already assists more than 20 international customers from Europe, the US and Asia along with its internal partners.

Currently, 36 chemical, thermal and mechanical tests are available. The most important in-house developments include methods like the Bayer test, water barrier test and various exposure tests. The primary driving force behind ZEISS' decision to develop its own methods was the fact that the minimum specifications stipulated in the eye care industry's standards no longer cover all of today's requirements. The standards were originally developed for mineral lenses, but now other specifications apply at ZEISS to the wide of range of plastic lenses currently available.

ZEISS lenses are also subject to the company's own exacting quality requirements, which also go unaddressed in the standards. Inspecting, approving and continually improving new innovations in the eyeglass sector is only possible with the help of test procedures, some of which the company has developed in-house. This way, ZEISS can deliver the high quality that eye care professionals and their patients around the globe have come to expect.

*This standard stipulates general requirements for labs' expertise, methods and impartiality. The certification confirms that labs deliver valid results. Labs certified in line with this standard also work in accordance with the general provisions of ISO 9001, which is often referred to as the "quality management standard."