Ray-Ban I Meta Levels up with Smarter Tech, Market Expansion and Star-Studded Campaign

EssilorLuxottica and Meta Platforms, Inc. is accelerating its global momentum with Meta AI advancements and a bold expansion into three new markets soon: Mexico, India & the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The growth continues to further Ray-Ban Meta’s mission to redefine the future of wearable technology to more consumers worldwide.

To celebrate, Ray-Ban Meta is launching a new global campaign starring real-life couple and cultural icons Barbara Palvin and Dylan Sprouse. The duo brings their signature style and authentic chemistry highlighting a brand new colourway for the Sklyer style, Shiny Chalky Grey with Transitions® Sapphire lenses seamlessly adapt, from clear or slightly tinted indoors to fully dark outdoors. Feel confident in your AI glasses in every light condition.

The launch also highlights exciting advancements in Meta AI, now available in more countries and languages*, making the Ray- Ban Meta experience even more intuitive and globally accessible. With live translation coming to all users this week, and, live AI with video and real-time collaboration capabilities coming soon, users can now interact with Meta AI in more natural and dynamic ways. Along with the ability to send and receive direct messages hands free on Instagram and expanding access to music apps on the glasses beyond the US and Canada.

“The next chapter of Ray-Ban Meta is about more than innovation, it’s about delivering a product that feels effortless, expressive, and accessible,” says Rocco Basilico, Chief Wearables Officer. With upgraded software, additional style and color variations along with an expanded global footprint, we’re bringing the power of intelligent eyewear to more people, in more ways, than ever before.”

Tap into iconic style and advanced technology designed to help you move effortlessly through life. Collaborate with Meta AI on ideas based on what you see. Capture photos and videos from your POV, or listen to music and podcasts, make a call, even send a text on the fly – all without taking out your phone. You can even have a conversation with

someone speaking Spanish, Italian, or French and translate it in real time. From Wayfarer to Skyler, these are statement-making frames with a slim, comfortable fit that are perfect for everyday wear.

META AI Update:

With live translation, you can have a conversation with someone who speaks another language & hear translations in real time between French, Italian, Spanish and English. It’s great for exploring a new country in a deeper way and connecting with new friends. Previously available in Early Access in select countries, our live translation feature is now rolling out broadly to all our markets.
And coming soon the US and Canada, you’ll be able to hold a conversation with Meta AI on your Ray-Ban Meta glasses where our smart assistant can see what you see continuously and converse with you more naturally.
We’re also expanding access to Meta AI on Ray-Ban Meta glasses in even more countries in the EU today, and starting next month, we’ll be rolling out the ability for you to ask Meta AI about the things you’re looking at and get real-time responses to all our supported countries in the EU. This functionality just made its way to our friends across the pond in the UK earlier this month.

Assortment Update:

Ray-Ban Meta Skyler

Ray-Ban_Skyler_Chalky_Gray_Transitions_Gen_S_Sapphire_Transitions

First launched in 2024, continuing to draw on our 60s archive and the Golden Age of air travel, the Skyler shape is inspired by an era of iconic jet-set style. Now introducing the Skyler Shiny Chalky Gray featuring Transitions® Sapphire lenses meant for all day wear. Also expanding our Skyler Shiny Black Clear and G15 lenses to the assortment. The wider front and gentle curves are designed to suit most faces.

The Ray-Ban | Meta collection is available for purchase at Ray-Ban stores, Ray-Ban.com, Meta.com as well as select EssilorLuxottica retail stores including but not limited to: LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Salmoiraghi & Viganò and through the company’s wholesale distribution network in the US, UK, Italy, Ireland, Australia, Canada, France, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Starting at a suggested entry price of $299 (EUR 329, CAD 369, GBP 299, AUD 449) the Ray-Ban Meta collection comes with a classic compact and portable charging case to keep the glasses powered.

Click HERE for the press release.

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May 6, 2025May 6, 2025

ClearVision Optical Celebrates Hall of Fame Honor & More at 2025 Best Companies Awards Gala

ClearVision Optical recently attended the Best Companies to Work for in New York awards gala, where the company was officially inducted into the Best Company Group’s “Hall of Fame” after earning the honor for the 10^th time. At the event, ClearVision also learned it placed #13 out of 21 winners in the medium-sized company category for 2025.

ClearVision Best Companies in New York 2025

“We’re beyond thrilled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after ten years of being named a Best Company to Work for in New York,” said Jennifer Trakhtenberg, chief people officer and co-chief operating officer at ClearVision. “This milestone means the world to us because it reflects the heart of who we are—a family-owned company that puts people first, embraces change, and builds culture with intention. We’re so proud of the way our team shows up every day with purpose, creativity, and care. This year’s recognition is extra special and is evidence of our CVO magic in action.”

Now in its 18^th year, the Best Companies to Work for in New York program recognizes exceptional workplaces across the state. A total of 73 companies were honored this year from among hundreds of submissions. Only a dozen similarly sized companies have received the award 10 or more times, making ClearVision’s Hall of Fame milestone especially meaningful.

The Best Companies program evaluates organizations through an in-depth two-part assessment which examines unique workplace policies, inclusive practices, supportive benefits, and key talent statistics.

Click HERE for the press release.

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May 6, 2025May 6, 2025

The Vision Council Kicks off 2025 National Sunglasses Day Campaign

The Vision Council Foundation announces the launch of the 2025 National Sunglasses Day campaign, leading up to the annual celebration on June 27. With fresh resources, exclusive events, and new opportunities for public engagement, this year’s initiative reinforces the importance of wearing UV-protective eyewear for long-term eye health.

Founded by The Vision Council more than a decade ago, National Sunglasses Day has evolved into the Foundation’s flagship consumer education campaign. The effort highlights how consistent sunglass use can help prevent serious eye conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration, all while showcasing the style and versatility of modern eyewear.

“As we gear up for National Sunglasses Day, we’re proud to lead the charge in educating consumers about the critical role sunglasses play in eye health,” said Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council and The Vision Council Foundation. “It’s an opportunity to spark conversations, share resources, and shine a light on a simple yet impactful health practice that provides critical protection, enables people to show off their personal style, and perform their best in their favorite sports and activities.”

National Sunglasses Day Media & Influencer Event in New York City

The Vision Council Foundation will host an exclusive, invite-only event in New York City on June 26, bringing together leading members of the media, content creators, and VIP guests to explore the unseen impact of UV light — and celebrate the power of sunglasses as essential protection.

This immersive evening will feature curated brand showcases, interactive try-on experiences, and a live art installation that reveals the invisible effects of UV exposure and highlights the critical role of sunglasses in everyday health and style.

Guests will also hear from leading experts who will illustrate how UV light impacts vision, weather, health, and beauty, and why choosing the right eyewear is more important than ever.

Through these experiences, The Vision Council Foundation aims to elevate public understanding of UV protection and officially kick off summer with a celebration of light, vision, and style.

New Promotional Toolkit Now Available

To encourage participation from organizations and individuals across the country, the Foundation has released a free digital toolkit designed to make National Sunglasses Day celebrations easy and impactful. The toolkit includes:

Sample press release and email copy
Customizable social media graphics and templates
Web banners, GIFs, and stickers
UV safety fact sheets
Printable posters and signage
Talking points and FAQs

Toolkit materials can be downloaded from thevisioncouncilfoundation.org and are also available for print via The Vision Council’s Vistaprint ProShop at a discounted rate.

Get Involved – Celebrate, Educate, Share

The Vision Council Foundation invites eyecare professionals, retailers, educators, and the public to help amplify this year’s message. Participation can include:

Downloading the toolkit and sharing materials within your network
Hosting a National Sunglasses Day event or offering retail promotions
Sharing your #SunglassSelfie or #NationalSunglassesDay post on social media and tagging @TheVisionCouncil
Partnering with The Vision Council Foundation to support ongoing education initiatives via special events. Contact Abigail Crosby, Partnership and Business Development Manager, at acrosby@thevisioncouncil.org for more information.

Through National Sunglasses Day, The Vision Council Foundation aims to inspire better UV safety habits and encourage year-round sunglass use to protect vision and promote eye health.

Click HERE for the press release.

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May 6, 2025May 6, 2025

Eye Health Matters: 97% of Canadians Say It’s Key to Wellbeing, But Education Lags

The ability to see impacts everything we do, and according to a recent national survey by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS), the vast majority (97%) of Canadians consider eye health a crucial part of their overall well-being. Yet, only half feel they know what contributes to the health of their eyes. As National Vision Health Month kicks off, COS emphasizes the importance of continued education to raise awareness, promote regular eye exams, and improve access to quality vision care for all Canadians.

Canadians Now Recognize Eye Health as a Top Priority, but Knowledge Gaps Exist

While most Canadians (83%) say they prioritize their vision health, half feel familiar with treatment options for serious eye problems (53%) or eye diseases such as cataracts (52%) for example, a leading cause of blindness. Among those aged 55 and older, 68% say they’re knowledgeable about the symptoms and early signs of the condition, compared to 41% of younger Canadians aged 18 to 34, even though cataracts can occur at any age.

“While Canadians overwhelmingly recognize the importance of eye health, many remain unaware of the eye diseases they may be at risk for and the symptoms to watch for,” said Dr. Mona Dagher, president of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. “These survey findings reinforce the need for better public education so people can take proactive steps, including regular eye exams, to protect their vision.”

Additional insights:

Canadians support innovations in eye care, and 92% agree that access to the latest advancements is essential. Three-quarters (75%) feel they have access to these innovations, but only 52% feel comfortable with AI-assisted diagnostics.
Concerns about screen time’s effects on children’s eye health remain high, with 82% of Canadians expressing worry, on par with 2024.
38% say extreme weather negatively impacted their eye health in the past year, indicating environmental factors are also an increasing concern.
While 56% of Canadians correctly identify ophthalmologists as medical doctors with specialized surgical training, 17% are unaware of what they do, and 28% misidentify their role.

Advocacy and Policy Action Needed

Despite growing awareness in general, 56% of Canadians feel that eye health does not receive the same level of attention as other health priorities in the healthcare system. This perception highlights the need for greater advocacy and policy action to ensure that eye health is addressed at the national level.

“There’s a clear call to action,” said Dr. Nina Ahuja, chair of the Council on Advocacy for COS. “The passage of Bill C-284, the National Eye Care Strategy Act, is an important step forward. These findings reinforce our commitment to advancing vision health and ensuring access to optimal eye care for all Canadians.”

To learn more about the role of an ophthalmologist, major eye diseases and to get information on overall eye health, visit seethepossibilities.ca.

Click HERE for the press release.

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May 6, 2025May 6, 2025

ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV – ZEISS’ New Gold Standard in Lens Coatings

With ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV, ZEISS extends its lens coating portfolio to the premium-tier segment to offer even greater cleanability, durability and clarity. The coating also features an aesthetically pleasing subtle golden reflex hue for a luxurious look. For eye care professionals, this means new upselling opportunities – and further ways to confidently address consumers’ wishes for individualization.

Performance meets aesthetics: ZEISS launches new golden anti-reflective coating

A coating designed for improved clear and hassle-free vision
ZEISS CleanGuard: Integration of new three-times faster[1] cleaning technology
Excellent durability and scratch resistance
Enhanced lens clarity by day and by night, and decreased lens yellowness
A touch of sophistication: Golden coating elevates individual looks

A coating designed for improved clear and hassle-free vision

In a worldwide study[2], ZEISS Vision Care asked participants: What is your number one priority when wearing eyeglasses? What most respondents put first: maintaining clear vision at all times. Despite this response, almost every lens wearer knows how quickly lenses can smudge or become dirty over the course of a day – and lenses eventually become irreversibly scratched and damaged. Now, with ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV, ZEISS explicitly addresses consumers’ needs with a new coating that better protects lenses from all kinds of external factors that compromise clear vision: water drops, grease, dust and dirt. At ZEISS Vision, we are dedicated to enhancing the daily experiences of lens wearers. Our DuraVision® Gold UV coating is meticulously engineered to minimize reflections in the blue light spectrum, resulting in reduced lens yellowness and exceptional clarity, particularly in low-light conditions,” says Bryan Rossi, President of Carl Zeiss Vision Care Canada.

ZEISS CleanGuard: Integration of new three-times faster cleaning technology

With ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV, ZEISS also introduces a new technology with superior oil and water repellence: ZEISS CleanGuard. Compared to previous coatings from ZEISS, ZEISS CleanGuard makes lenses up to three times faster to clean. So, keeping lenses clean and restoring clear vision quickly becomes easier. The science behind this is a new molecular formula on the lens surface that significantly increases contact angles of water drops and oil-like substances. Additionally, a patented anti-static layer repels dust and dirt. The benefit: smears and smudges on the lenses can be removed much faster and easier – an improvement that 90% of consumers have also noticed and appreciated.[3]

Excellent durability and scratch resistance

ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV lenses also come with upgraded durability as they are designed to stay scratch-free for longer. Multiple densely packed metal oxide layers combined with an extra hard coat ensure high-level scratch resistance, giving ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV a notable score of 16[4] for the Bayer industry standard test for scratch resistance (while a Bayer ratio above 10 is considered to be very high).

Enhanced lens clarity by day and by night, and decreased lens yellowness

Opting for lenses with golden residual reflectance means opting for excellent lens clarity. Imagine going for an evening stroll or enjoying a drink in a bar with subdued lighting: In such and other low-light conditions, eye sensitivity shifts towards shorter wavelengths into the blue light spectrum – and for the human eye, seeing clearly gets harder. Now, in such circumstances, consumers choosing ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV may perceive noticeably enhanced vision performance. The reason for this is that compared to lenses with blueish or greenish coatings (like ZEISS DuraVision Platinum UV or ZEISS DuraVision Chrome UV), ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV shows less reflectance in the specific light spectrum between 380-500 nanometers.[5] So, by reducing reflections on the lens surface, ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV offers higher transmission and hence clearer vision – especially when it gets dark. Additionally, ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV shows up to six times lower blue light reflections.[6] As a consequence, lenses appear less yellow and much clearer in see-through. The up to 90% lower yellowness compared to blueish ZEISS DuraVision coatings[7] becomes explicitly visible in modern artificial LED lighting when looking at a white wall or bright monitor screens.

A touch of sophistication: Golden coating reflection elevates individual looks

When consumers look for timeless, sophisticated eyewear, they often opt for classic gold. With ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV, ZEISS extends this fascination for gold to lenses. Aesthetically, this new lens coating beautifully complements golden metallic frames, and it also pairs well with brown frames and various skin complexions.[8] And, for all those who think that an outfit is not complete without sunglasses, ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV, with its golden residual reflectance, is also available on a variety of sun lens tints as well as on polarized lenses. With the newly launched ZEISS tints for prescription lenses, Burgundy, Midnight Blue, Dusk Grey and Copper Brown, style-savvy consumers will be able to mix, match and create their own upgraded sunglasses looks.

Benefits at a glance

As the premium-tier addition to the ZEISS coating portfolio, ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV offers exceptionally clear and hassle-free vision together with better cleanability and upgraded scratch resistance.
Integrating ZEISS CleanGuard – a new technology that significantly improves oil and water repellence and thus makes lenses stronger against smudge as well as easier and faster to clean.
Enhanced lens clarity in low-light conditions, and diminished lens yellowness through the lens.
A coating with golden residual reflectance that complements sophisticated and luxurious looks.
Empowering eye care professionals with new sales opportunities – for clear or tinted as well as polarized and photochromic prescription lenses.

In addition to the launch of ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV, ZEISS Canada is excited to introduce four new vibrant tint colours — Dusk Grey, Burgundy, Copper, and Midnight Blue — perfect for the summer season and offering eye care professionals even more stylish options for their patients.

But the innovation doesn’t stop there. ZEISS is also launching PhotoFusion® X Burgundy, expanding its photochromic offering with a bold and on-trend hue.

And the most exciting news? ZEISS Adaptive Sun lenses are on the horizon — set to launch in June 2025. Stay tuned for even more groundbreaking solutions designed to combine performance, protection, and personalized style.

ZEISS, DuraVision and CleanGuard are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Carl Zeiss AG or a ZEISS Group company.

For more info Click HERE

Click HERE for the press release.

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^[1] Compared to previous coatings from ZEISS

^[2] Vision Care Brand Fundamentals Tracker, March 2024, vision correction users in 18 countries surveyed, n=19,800

^[3] Eyeglass wearer consumer research study 2023 in Germany, n=105

^[4] Average Bayer ratio across 1.5, 1.56, 1.59, 1.6, 1.67 ZEISS lenses

^[5] Luminous reflectance of lens surface in mesopic light conditions with adaptation coefficients m=0,5 or lower according to CIE ISO ISO/CIE 23539:2023(E). Mesopic surface reflectance was calculated from the theoretical spectral distribution of ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV applied to ZEISS 1.6 UVProtect lenses

[6] Blue light reflectance characterizes the intensity of reflections over the blue light wavelength range between 380 and 500nm as defined in ISO 8980-3:2013(E)

^[7]Spectral distribution of the lens transmittance and reflectance are measured on plano lenses with 2mm center thickness at ZEISS Global Testing Centers in accordance with ISO 8980-3

^[8] 7 out of 10 respondents agree with ZEISS DuraVision Gold UV “is in excellent harmony with my facial skin tone”, “complements the golden frame exceptionally well” and “complements the brownish frame exceptionally well”, according to eyeglass wearer consumer research study 2024 in Italy, China and USA, n=300