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.

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.

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.

Awards

2024

ADC Award in category "Brand Partnership Music" (Germany)
Jung von Matt and ZEISS Vision Care are honored with the Bronze Award from the Art Directors Club Germany in the category "Brand Partnership Music" for "Nobody Sees Music Like You."

„Deutscher Preis für Wirtschaftskommunikation“ (Germany)
ZEISS Vision Care wins in the Event Communication category for the "ZEISS Vision Convention ≫FOR YOU≪ 2023" event.

Best of Business (Germany)
Bronze for the ZEISS Vision Convention 2023 in the category of Events and Trade Fairs.

Red Dot Award (Germany)
Marchon Eyewear and Zeiss win a Red Dot Award for Design Concept 2024 in the category of Ready For Market – Watches, Jewellery and Eyewear for the VisionClip, a Zeiss frame designed by Marchon Eyewear, for its groundbreaking design.

Gold seal from the GHG Protocol (Brazil)
ZEISS Vision Brazil receives the GHG Protocol Gold Seal in GHG Management.

Best Employers Manufacturing & Industry 2024 (Germany)
Recognition for employee-oriented corporate culture: Following certification as a Great Place to Work®, the ZEISS Vision Care in Germany receives the award "Best Employers Manufacturing & Industry 2024".

2023

Vision Plus Awards (Dubai)
ZEISS wins four VisionPlus Awards for ZEISS Progressive SmartLife Individual 3 (most popular lens progressive), ZEISS MyoCare (most popular lens best value), ZEISS Virtual Try-on @Home (best value enhancer retail) and most outstanding stall design at VisionPlus Expo 2023.

ZEISS Progressive SmartLife Individual

2022

VisionPlus Awards (Dubai)
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.

ZEISS VISUFIT 1000

2021

VisionPlus Awards (Dubai)
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.

Red Dot Awards (USA) 
ZEISS UVClean earns two Red Dot Awards and is recognized for excellence in industrial design and innovative product.

CES Innovation Award (USA)
ZEISS UVClean is Named CES Innovation Awards Honoree

ZEISS VISU360

2020

UX Design Award (Germany)
ZEISS VISU360 is honored with the UX Design Award 2020 as one of the best in the field of user and customer experience.

Life Science Excellence Award (Italy)
"My Vision Profile" app receives 2020 Life Science Excellence Awards.

2019

Vision Plus Award (MENA)
1) Most popular lens (Best Value) ZEISS Single Vision DriveSafe
2) Most popular lens (Progressive) ZEISS Progressive DriveSafe Individual

THE EUROPEAN BUSINESS IN CHINA AWARD (China)
Innovation & Intelligence Award for ZEISS

2019 Guangzhou International Brand Festival (China)
Annual Influential Brand Award

Walmart Supplier Award (USA)
Walmart Health Supplier Award

German Design Award (Germany)
Winner for ZEISS EYEWEAR Architekt Kollektion

Optical Fair Award (Poland)
Product of the Year for ZEISS UVProtect

Silmo D’Or (France)
Product of the Year for ZEISS UVProtect

Inovação Premiada Por Consumidores (Portugal) 
Product of the Year for ZEISS UVProtect

German Design Award (Germany)
Special Mention for My Vision Profile

AOP Product of the Year (Great Britain)
Winner for ZEISS UVProtect

2018

Heavent Awards B2B (France)
ZEISS Vision Care Customer Event „Future of Optics“

My Vision Profile

2017

Red Dot Award (Germany)
My Vision Profile

Red Dot Award (Germany)
ZEISS i.Com mobile

TOP Mobile Marketing Innovative Brand Award (China)
Digital Marketing

Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Award (USA)
Gold Award for "Creating an Extended Enterprise Learning Program"

ZEISS DriveSafe

2016

TOP Mobile Marketing Innovative Brand Award (China) 
Marketing campaigns

Optician Award "Lens Product of the Year" (Great Britain)
ZEISS DriveSafe

ZEISS i.Com Mobile

2015

PR Award - together with Salesforce (Germany) 
ZEISS DriveSafe stunt event and digital campaign

WorldMediaFestival 2015 (Germany)
Animations eLearning

eLearning Award (Germany)
„Sales Adventure“

Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Award (USA)
Silver Award “Creating an Extended Enterprise Learning Program”

iF Design Award (Germany)
ZEISS i.Com mobile

Red Dot Award (Germany)
ZEISS i.Com mobile

Retail ME Awards ZEISS

2013

Retail ME Awards ZEISS / Rivoli EyeZone (UAE)
Most Admired Store Design of the Year

Best Architects Award (Germany)
Winner for Store Design

ZEISS Vision Center 2012

2012

iF Communication Award (Germany)
ZEISS Vision Center

Staircase of the Year Germany (Germany)
ZEISS Vision Center

ZEISS i.Profiler

2011

Red Dot Award (Germany)
ZEISS i.Terminal 2

Red Dot Award (Germany)
ZEISS i.Profiler

ZEISS i.Com Mobile

2010

Red Dot Award (Germany)
ZEISS Vision Center

Pioneers of Ophthalmic Optics

  • Portrait Carl Zeiss

    Carl Zeiss (1816-1888)

    In 1846 Carl Zeiss opened a workshop for precision mechanics and optical instruments in Jena. He focused his activities more and more on microscope production and later on eyeglass lenses. Soon he was supplying not only the regional market but also shipping his products around the world.

  • Portrait Ernst Abbe

    Ernst Abbe (1840-1905)

    In 1866 Carl Zeiss recruited physicist Ernst Abbe. He became a partner in the company in 1877. Abbe enabled outstanding technological achievements and played a decisive role in ensuring business success and the continued existence of ZEISS.

  • Portrait Moritz von Rohr

    Moritz von Rohr (1868-1940)

    Moritz von Rohr was Ernst Abbe‘s assistant and head of microscopy R&D at ZEISS before he started to examine the basics of eyeglass lens optics in 1908. In collaboration with later Nobel Prize laureate Allvar Gullstrand he laid the foundations for today's ophthalmology.

  • Portrait Allvar Gullstrand

    Allvar Gullstrand (1862-1930)

    The Swedish ophthalmologist is considered one of the founders of modern ophthalmology. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1911, together with Moritz von Rohr, for their work on the dioptric apparatus of the eye.

  • Portrait Oleksandr Teodorovyč Smakula

    Oleksandr Teodorovyč Smakula (1900-1983)

    Smakula joined ZEISS in 1934. His invention of an anti-reflective coating for optical surfaces was patented in 1935 and first used in military binoculars. In 1959 ZEISS applied it to eyeglass lenses for the first time. Today, AR coating is a basic optical technology.

  • Portrait Estelle Glancy

    Estelle Glancy (1883-1975)

    Dr. Anna Estelle Glancy is known as the first lady of optics. In the first half of the 20th century she was the only female scientist in the field of eyewear lens design. Her design of progressive lenses in the 1920s paved the way for some of the innovative technologies ZEISS works with today.

  • Portrait Hermann Pistor

    Hermann Pistor (1875-1951)

    The Mathematician and physicist is considered one of the founders of professional training in ophthalmic optics and was instrumental in developing the technical and university education for opticians. The College of Ophthalmic Optics, 1917 founded by ZEISS in Jena, was headed by Pistor from 1919.

Milestones in the Company History

  • 2023 – ZEISS VISUCORE 500

    With ZEISS VISUCORE 500 a space-saving, high-precision system is presented that combines objective and subjective refraction. Thanks to its sophisticated technology ZEISS VISUCORE 500 is easy to operate and can deliver precise data in less than five minutes.

    2023 – ZEISS Myopia Management

    ZEISS combines more than ten years of extensive experience with progressive and high myopia in Asia with scientifically based findings to offer effective, specific myopia management solutions. Since April 2023 ZEISS Myopia Management is also available in Europe, including ZEISS MyoCare and ZEISS MyoCare S lenses.

    2022 – ZEISS SmartLife Young & ZEISS SmartLife Individual 3

    ZEISS expands its premium portfolio ZEISS SmartLife due to scientific findings on the visual behavior and visual needs of different age groups. It now includes ZEISS SmartLife Young lenses specially designed to meet the needs of children and teenagers and ZEISS SmartLife Individual 3 with the highest level of personalization available in a ZEISS lens.

    2022 – ZEISS PhotoFusion X

    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.

    2022 – ZEISS ClearView

    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 – ZEISS BlueGuard

    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 – ZEISS SmartLife

    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 – ZEISS UVProtect

    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.

    2018 – ZEISS VISUFIT 1000

    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 – ZEISS EnergizeMe

    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.

  • 2015 – ZEISS progressive lenses

    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.

    2015 – i.Com mobile

    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.

    2015 – ZEISS DuraVision

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

    2015 – ZEISS DriveSafe

    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 – New Brand Image

    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 – ZEISS PhotoFusion®

    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

    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 – Myopia Management for Asian children

    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.

  • 2009 – ZEISS Experience

    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.

    2007 – i.Scription®

    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.

    2000 – 2006

    2006 – ZEISS Gradal Individual® FrameFit®
    Introduction of Gradal Individual® FrameFit®, the first progressive lens that adapts to all frames.

    2005 – ZEISS Vision Care & SOLA International
    Merger of the ZEISS Vision Care division and the US eyeglass lens manufacturer SOLA International.

    2000 – First individualized progressive lens
    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.

    1995 – Acquisition of American Optical

    Acquisition of American Optical (founded in 1869) by SOLA International.

    1991 – ZEISS Clarlet SL

    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 – ZEISS Clarlet Gradal HS

    First plastic lens from ZEISS under the brand name Clarlet Gradal HS.

    1983 – ZEISS Gradal HS

    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, offering considerably better binocular vision than previous progressive lenses.

    1970 – ZEISS Gradal 1

    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.

    From 1960 – Introduction of plastic lenses

    Introduction of plastic lenses, also by Scientific Optical Laboratories of Australia (SOLA), which was merged with Carl Zeiss Vision Care to form Carl Zeiss Vision in 2005.

    1959 – First anti-reflective coating

    First anti-reflective coating, with a patent awarded to Carl Zeiss in 1935.

  • 1945 – Division of Carl Zeiss in Jena and Carl Zeiss in Oberkochen

    Division of Carl Zeiss in Jena (East Germany) and Carl Zeiss in Oberkochen (West Germany). Re-establishment of ophthalmology in Oberkochen.

    1932 – ZEISS PERIVIST frames

    Introduction of PERIVIST frames which enable an anatomically optimal, secure position of the lenses in front of the eyes and a customized fitting.

    1924 – ZEISS UMBRAL lens

    Launch of the sun protection lens UMBRAL; the first optical sunglass lens to feature a uniform tint and defined transmittance.

    1914 – Start of bifocal lenses production

    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.

    1911 – Nobel Prize (Medicine) for Moritz von Rohr and Allvar Gullstrand

    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: August 2024