Lens buying guides

Lens brands and product families

Prescription lens brands compared: ZEISS, Hoya, Essilor, Varilux, Crizal, Shamir, Rodenstock, Nikon and Transitions, plus where to get fitted.

Browse by lens maker or by the progressive, coating and photochromic names on your quote. Each guide brings together product lines, official sources and questions to take to your fitting.

Read the optical lenses guide for comparisons and lens technology

Lens makers

ZEISS Vision Care

ZEISS Vision Care is the eyeglass-lens business of the German optics group ZEISS. The group dates its origins to 1846, when Carl Zeiss opened a workshop for precision mechanics and optical instruments in Jena. Its lens range includes single vision, digital, progressive and driving-focused lenses, plus the DuraVision family of coatings.

Explore ZEISS Vision Care

HOYA Vision Care

HOYA Vision Care is the spectacle-lens business of HOYA Corporation, a Tokyo-based company whose origins date to 1941. The US range includes progressive lenses, Sensity light-adaptive lenses and anti-reflective coatings.

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Essilor

Essilor is a prescription-lens maker within EssilorLuxottica. Its origins date to 1849. Essilor formed through the merger of Essel and Silor in 1972; Essilor and Luxottica combined in 2018. The Essilor US site presents lens brands including Eyezen, Stellest, Crizal, Transitions and Varilux.

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Shamir

Shamir describes itself as an innovator in ophthalmic lens technologies. Essilor bought 50% of Shamir in 2011 (Essilor press release). EssilorLuxottica reports completing its acquisition of Shamir in 2022 (FY2022 results release); trade press describes this as the remaining 50%. Its range includes Autograph Intelligence progressives, which use elements of artificial intelligence, Spectrum progressives, Relax lenses for digital-device work, and Glacier anti-reflective coatings.

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Rodenstock

Rodenstock is a Munich-based German lens maker, founded in 1877. Its range emphasizes biometric lenses calculated from eye measurements, premium coatings and ColorMatic self-tinting lenses.

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KODAK Lens

KODAK Lens is an ophthalmic lens brand. Per Signet Armorlite's 2013 announcement, it had licensed the Kodak name worldwide since 1993 and renewed the license in 2013 for 17 years. Signet Armorlite is a trade name of Essilor Laboratories of America, Inc. (ELOA). The current KODAK Lenses site states that the KODAK name is used under license from Kodak and carries an ELOA copyright. Ask your practice which designs and coatings are available now.

Explore KODAK Lens

Nikon Lenswear

Nikon Lenswear makes spectacle lenses under the Nikon name. Nikon says it entered the ophthalmic industry in 1946. The range includes Z Series progressives and the E-Life Pro indoor lens series.

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Progressive families

Varilux

Varilux is the progressive-lens brand of Essilor. Current US lineup pages cover the X Series, XR Series, Comfort Max and Physio extensee.

Explore Varilux

Coatings

Crizal

Crizal is the family of anti-reflective lens coatings from Essilor, ranging from easy-clean to scratch-focused and blue-violet and UV filtering options.

Explore Crizal

Photochromic

Transitions

Transitions Optical brought plastic photochromic eyeglass lenses to market in the early 1990s. It began as a PPG-Essilor joint venture; PPG sold its stake to Essilor in 2014, making Transitions fully Essilor-owned. Its photochromic options include lenses for everyday wear and driving.

Explore Transitions

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