ZEISS Vision Care
Company Information
Here you will find all the information prepared for your reporting on the history, products and structure of ZEISS Vision Care. The Company Portrayal explains the organization and provides insights into the company's portfolio. The latest innovations show the most recent products we have developed. You can also get a glimpse of the history and learn which pioneers have shaped the eyeglass industry. The milestones provide a visual account of the company's historical development. Are you a journalist and have questions? Then get in touch with us!
Leading the eyeglass industry for more than 110 years
Since 1912 ZEISS has addressed the challenge of providing its customers with an optimal visual experience. Our daily work strongly emphasizes the wishes and needs of our customers because every eye is as individual as a fingerprint and individual demands for better vision require individualized solutions.
The ZEISS Vision Care strategic business unit is allocated to the ZEISS Consumer Markets segment. It develops and produces exceptional technological instruments and offerings for the entire eyeglass value chain. This includes the development, production and distribution of high-quality eyeglass lenses, diagnostic instruments and services. Innovations like ZEISS DriveSafe lenses and the ZEISS SmartLife portfolio, instruments and platforms such as the ZEISS i.Profiler plus, ZEISS VISUFIT 1000, and apps like "My Vision Profile" have received multiple awards for their design, user-friendliness and technological excellence.
Latest Innovations
Awards
Thanks to our innovative lens solutions and optometric instruments that meet the needs of eye care professionals and spectacle wearers, ZEISS regularly receives awards from the professional community, the optical industry, and marketing experts – whether for design and user experience or technologies and sales concepts. Here is a selected overview.
2022
Country |
Award |
|
Dubai |
VisionPlus Awards |
ZEISS wins five VisionPlus Awards for ZEISS Progressive SmartLife Individual (most popular lens progressive), ZEISS ClearView (most popular lens best value), ZEISS PhotoFusion X (most popular lens coating / value), most outstanding booth design and most outstanding brand at VisionPlus Expo 2022. |
2021
Country |
Award |
|
Dubai |
VisionPlus Awards |
ZEISS wins four VisionPlus Awards for ZEISS SmartLife lenses, ZEISS DuraVision AntiVirus Platinum UV coating, ZEISS VISUFIT 1000 platform with virtual try-on, and the best booth design at the 2021 show. |
USA |
CES Innovation Award |
|
USA |
Red Dot Awards |
ZEISS UVClean earns two Red Dot Awards and is recognized for excellence in industrial design and innovative product. |
2020
Country |
Award |
|
Germany |
UX Design Award |
ZEISS VISU360 is honored with the UX Design Award 2020 as one of the best in the field of user and customer experience. |
Italy |
Life Science Excellence Award |
"My Vision Profile" app receives 2020 Life Science Excellence Awards. |
2019
Country |
Award |
|
MENA |
Vision Plus Award |
1) Most popular lens (Best Value) ZEISS Single Vision DriveSafe 2) Most popular lens (Progressive) ZEISS Progressive DriveSafe Individual |
China |
THE EUROPEAN BUSINESS IN CHINA AWARD |
Innovation & Intelligence Award for ZEISS |
China |
2019 Guangzhou International Brand Festival |
Annual Influential Brand Award |
USA |
Walmart Supplier Award |
Walmart Health Supplier Award |
Germany |
German Design Award |
Winner for ZEISS EYEWEAR Architekt Kollektion |
Poland |
Optical Fair Award |
Product of the Year for ZEISS UVProtect |
France |
Silmo D’Or |
Product of the Year for ZEISS UVProtect |
Great Britain |
AOP Product of the Year |
|
Portugal |
Inovação Premiada Por Consumidores |
Product of the Year for ZEISS UVProtect |
Germany |
German Design Award |
Special Mention for My Vision Profile |
2018
Country |
Award |
|
France |
Heavent Awards B2B |
2017 ZEISS Vision Care Customer Event "Future of Optics" |
2017
Country |
Award |
|
Germany |
Red Dot Award |
|
Germany |
Red Dot Award |
ZEISS i.Com mobile |
China |
TOP Mobile Marketing Innovative Brand Award |
Digital Marketing |
USA |
Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Award |
Gold Award for "Creating an Extended Enterprise Learning Program" |
2016
Country |
Award |
|
Great Britain |
Optician Award "Lens Product of the Year" |
|
China |
TOP Mobile Marketing Innovative Brand Award |
2015
Country |
Award |
|
Germany |
iF Design Award |
|
Germany |
Red Dot Award |
|
Germany |
PR Award (together with Salesforce) |
ZEISS DriveSafe stunt event and digital campaign |
Germany |
WorldMediaFestival 2015 |
eLearning animations |
Germany |
eLearning Award |
"Sales Adventure" |
USA |
Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Award |
Silver Award "Creating an Extended Enterprise Learning Program" |
2013
Country |
Award |
|
UAE |
Retail ME Awards ZEISS / Rivoli EyeZone |
Most Admired Store Design of the Year |
Germany |
Best Architects Award |
Winner for Store Design |
2012
Country |
Award |
|
Germany |
iF Communication Award |
ZEISS Vision Center |
Germany |
Staircase of the Year Germany |
ZEISS Vision Center |
2011
Country |
Award |
|
Germany |
Red Dot Award |
ZEISS i.Terminal 2 |
Germany |
Red Dot Award |
ZEISS i.Profiler |
2010
Country |
Award |
|
Germany |
Red Dot Award |
ZEISS Vision Center (twice!) |
Pioneers of Ophthalmic Optics
Milestones in the Company History
2017 - 2022

2022
With ZEISS PhotoFusion X, ZEISS launches the next generation of photochromic lenses. Compared to the previous generation of ZEISS photochromic lenses, the revolutionary design darkens up to 60% faster and fades back to clear up to 80% faster while providing a new level of integrated blue light and UV protection.

ZEISS ClearView single vision lenses represent a milestone in optics and aesthetics of stock lenses. In a lens that is 16% thinner and 49% flatter than conventional standard single vision lenses, they offer outstanding visual acuity.

2021
With ZEISS BlueGuard, a new generation of blue light blocking lenses is introduced to the market addressing the current technology and media use. The blue light blocking properties are incorporated into the lens material itself. As a result, ZEISS BlueGuard Lenses provide excellent lens clarity and block up to 40 percent of potentially harmful and irritating blue light.

2019
Introduction of ZEISS SmartLife – a complete premium portfolio of eyeglass lenses for all consumers no matter their age. The ZEISS SmartLife lens design factors in our modern connected and on-the-move lifestyle, dynamic visual behavior, individual visual needs, and age.

2018
Thanks to UVProtect, ZEISS is the world’s first manufacturer to offer sunglass-level UV protection up to 400 nm for all clear plastic lenses.

ZEISS VISUFIT 1000 is a new platform for determination of 3D centration data in just a few clicks. Its 9 cameras and 45 points mean a 180-degree facial avatar can be generated for the wearer.

2017
Global launch of the ZEISS EnergizeMe lenses for contact lens wearers.
"My Vision Profile" by ZEISS – the app for consumers offers an initial test for visual requirements and is a great way to get to know the ZEISS Vision Analysis at the optician’s – its design was honored with the Red Dot Award.
Launch of ZEISS VISUSTORE, an easy, simple and fast digital ordering platform.
2010 - 2015

2015
ZEISS progressive lenses are refreshed in four categories – perfectly adapted to the eyes and the digital world, to frames and switches to new frames, to a wearer’s facial anatomy and adjustment to their personal lifestyle.

ZEISS offers i.Com mobile, a new, tablet-based system for controlling measuring instruments, centrally collecting data and personal consultations – the system was honored with the Red Dot Award.

ZEISS has expanded its ZEISS DuraVision coating portfolio to include ZEISS DuraVision Silver and ZEISS DuraVision BlueProtect.

Global launch of the ZEISS DriveSafe lenses; designed to maximize safety and comfort for glasses wearers while driving and offer maximum safety and comfort even when worn all day long.

2013
ZEISS Vision Care operates around the globe with a new brand image focused sharply on the power of the ZEISS brand; the emphasis is on the special and fascinating moments that customers experience with ZEISS products.

2012
With PhotoFusion®, ZEISS introduces the fastest self-tinting lenses on the market.
With technology for determining the maximum intermediate distance (M.I.D.) developed by the company, a ZEISS lens can be adapted with millimeter accuracy to the visual distance required by each individual user.
DuraVision Platinum is ZEISS’s hardest coating yet.

2011
The first ZEISS Experience Vision Center opens in Berlin with the aim of offering a brand-new shopping experience in the 21st century. All the relevant aspects of the customer experience are taken into account: shop fitting, marketing material, sales area, instruments for vision analysis, refraction and centration, as well as cutting-edge ZEISS lens solutions – all with an innovative design.

2010
Restructuring of the company financing: Carl Zeiss AG takes over 100 percent of the voting rights in Carl Zeiss Vision, which is integrated as ZEISS Vision Care into the Carl Zeiss Group.
MyoVision™ from ZEISS is an eyeglass lens specially developed for Asian children. Thanks to Peripheral Vision Management Technology™, this lens significantly reduces the progression of myopia and, consequently, the risk of severely limited vision later on. About half of all children between the ages of 11 and 13 living in cities and urban areas of Asia suffer from myopia – and the trend is accelerating.
2000 - 2009

2009
ZEISS Experience is presented as a modular retail concept with three key elements: ZEISS analysis, marketing and consulting tools as well as a special shop design.


with i.Scription
without i.Scription
2007
Through wavefront measurement, i.Scription® allows the wearer's individual eye profile to be factored into the lens calculation. This technology considerably improves the correction of visual defects, particularly for night vision.

2006
Introduction of Gradal Individual® FrameFit®, the first progressive lens that adapts to all frames.
2005
Merger of the ZEISS Vision Care division and the US eyeglass lens manufacturer SOLA International.
2000
ZEISS presents its first individualized progressive lens in the form of Gradal Individual®. In addition to offering a customized Rx, personal parameters of the wearer are now factored into the calculation of the progressive surface.
1987 - 1995

1995
Acquisition of American Optical (founded in 1869) by SOLA International.
1991
World's first mid-index plastic eyeglass lens: Clarlet SL by ZEISS. Today, a refractive index of up to 1.74 allows lenses that are up to 40 percent thinner and therefore lighter than traditional indices.
1987
First plastic lens from ZEISS under the brand name Clarlet Gradal HS.
1959 - 1983

1970
Umbramatic lenses launched; Carl Zeiss caters to the segment of self-tinting lenses for the first time. The first progressive lenses are introduced to the market; Gradal 1.
1983
Successful breakthrough into the progressive lens sector with Gradal HS. Gradal enables the same visual conditions for the two eyes regardless of the direction of view.

1959
First anti-reflective coating, with a patent awarded to Carl Zeiss in 1935.
From 1960
Introduction of plastic lenses, also by Scientific Optical Laboratories of Australia (SOLA), which was merged with the Carl Zeiss Vision Care to form Carl Zeiss Vision in 2005.
1912 - 1945

1945
Division of Carl Zeiss in Jena (East Germany) and Carl Zeiss in Oberkochen (West Germany). Re-establishment of ophthalmology in Oberkochen.
1932
Introduction of PERIVIST frames which enable an anatomically optimal, secure position of the lenses in front of the eyes and a customized fitting.
1924
Launch of the sun protection lens UMBRAL; the first optical sunglass lens to feature a uniform tint and defined transmittance.

1914
Production of bifocal lenses begins.

1. April 1912
ZEISS launches Punktal, the market’s first precision eyeglass lens, as well as the first-ever slit lamp.
ZEISS Development Head Moritz von Rohr and Swedish ophthalmologist Allvar Gullstrand received the Nobel Prize (Medicine) for their work on the eye’s physiology.
Status: April 2023
Get in Touch with Us

Joachim Kuss
Head of Communications: General topics and Sustainability
Mail: joachim .kuss @zeiss .com
Phone: +49 (0) 151 42112288

Julia Baier
International PR: Instruments, Tools and Digitalization
Mail: julia .baier @zeiss .com
Phone: +49 (0) 7361 591 400

Sarah Kopp
International PR: Eyeglass Lenses, Coatings and Materials
Mail: sarah .kopp @zeiss .com
Phone: +49 (0) 7361 591 1248