At every stage of lens design evolution, HOYA has made its presence felt, leaving an indelible mark. As the company celebrates its 50th year in Australia, managing director Craig Chick hints at what’s still to come.
Since HOYA Lens Australia opened its doors in Surry Hills, Sydney, in 1974, it has played a pivotal role in shaping the industry. Now, five decades later, it has no intentions of changing course.
A modern-day lens product is composed of three key aspects: the design, the coating, and the material. HOYA Lens Australia managing director Mr Craig Chick says the company has driven innovation on all these fronts. “Historically, we have been at the forefront at each of these technologies.”
With the industry standing on the brink of a new era in lens technology, he says the company has been riding the ebbs and flows of a market in constant flux, while foreseeing industry needs to catalyse a technological evolution.
Throughout its half-a-century history, the strength of the company, according to Chick, is defined by its relationship with optometrists, and its responsiveness to industry demands.
For example, HOYA was among the first to put power on to the front and the back surface of the lens with its freeform technology. And a significant breakthrough occurring in the late 1980s was the introduction of high-index glass lenses such as the Hoya THI -2, 1.80. This provided thinner and lighter options for high prescriptions – at this time, with a high prescription, there was a trade-off between thickness and weight.
With coating technologies, Chick says the company’s contributions have been “revolutionary”. This includes high quartz coating – the first multicoat on plastic lenses – and double-sided hard coating which was said to have significantly improved lens durability.
And in the new millennium, Chick says HOYA’s Diamond Meiryo coating “set a new standard with its extreme durability, and longer lasting clarity”.
The company has consistently stayed ahead in lens technology through incremental advances, vigilance, and proactive innovation.
“We’re always looking at how we can improve lens designs,” Chick says.
Reflective of the company’s ability to stay ahead of the curve, and one of the most significant advancements HOYA has introduced in recent years, is the MiYOSMART lens launched in Australia and New Zealand in 2020. Many of the major lens companies have since launched their own myopia spectacle lenses.
“This revolutionary product was the first of its kind outside the Asia-Pacific region and has made a substantial impact on myopia management globally,” Chick says.
Chick highlights the importance of the MiYOSMART lens in the ongoing battle against myopia as the product is at the forefront of the fight. The lens has been shown to slow myopia progression by 60% in children aged eight to 13. It’s now backed by a six-year, long-term follow-up study showing that its myopia control effect is sustained over time for children wearing the lens, with an average cumulative myopia progression less than 1.00D and axial elongation of 0.6 mm over six years in children that wore MiYOSMART for the duration of the study.
HOYA has also confirmed that patients who stop wearing the MiYOSMART show no rebound effects.
“We’re very proud of this product, and with the clinical trials and the clinical results it has delivered,” Chick says. “In fact, I would argue with that design and the technology that’s gone into it has created a completely new segment.”
For HOYA, the key to staying ahead of the curve is adhering to its core values of collaboration, appreciation, respect, excellence, and social responsibility. Chick says these have been maintained through a clear commitment from the top down.
“It starts from me and our corporate CEO and travels all throughout our employee structure. It’s something we discuss regularly. We have certain people within our organisation who are champions for certain aspects of those collaborations,” he says.
“The values are something that we live by. You have to be really careful with this, because they’re easy to say, but they’re not always easy to do.”
National impact
Beyond setting new market trends, Chick says HOYA’s robust presence in the country was pivotal in advancing lens design and strengthening its relationship with optometrists.
He says infrastructure in each corner of the country gives the company a ‘local presence’.
“Apart from opening our doors in 1974, the next biggest thing was the evolution in 1994 of constructing our own laboratory. The setup of our infrastructure, with an office in every state and a customer service team in every state, was a significant thing,” Chick says.
“Our service levels are well regarded, and the fact that we have fitting and mounting in each state creates that local point.”
Uniquely, Australia was one of the first locations outside of Japan to open a HOYA lab.
“When HOYA made that decision to start to expand, the Australian market was well received. And even in 1974, it was quite a mature, and good value market,” he says. “As the first non-Asian country with a HOYA lab, this was a step forward.”
Today, the Australian market remains an important part of HOYA’s global business, with highly trained and well-regarded optometrists.
“The fact that they can prescribe ophthalmic lenses, contact lenses, and therapeutic drugs is unique. And products are sold on the benefits, not as a commodity,” Chick says.
Looking to the future
Regarding the future of lens design, HOYA expects to make as big an impact as it has historically such as setting an environmental precedence through its One Vision program.
The program is defined by three essential pillars: environmental sustainability, community outreach, and ensuring a happy, healthy, and thriving workplace.
One of the program’s key environmental goals is to achieve carbon neutrality in operations within the next 10 years and to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2040.
The company has made strides toward this goal, as evidenced by the recent installation of a 2.7 MWh solar system at its major factory in Bangkok and exploration of ways to upcycle manufacturing waste into other products and implement more sustainable packaging.
For example, HOYA’s Sydney lab switched to dry-cutting machines, which eliminates water usage in lens manufacturing.
“Lenses are an interesting product because they are predominantly plastic, even though the resins may vary,” Chick says.
On the technological front, HOYA says there is potential to integrate data collected from its measurement devices with lens manufacture, for product optimisation and precision.
“Our measurement device – visuReal MasterAI – uses AI technology for precise frame fitting. The next stage is then the incorporation of that data into the manufacturing of the lens, and taking into account certain measurements that currently really aren’t being used,” Chick says. “We expect 2025 to be an exciting year, as we introduce things we haven’t done before.”
Above all, Chick says HOYA’s enduring success can be attributed to its team.
“The company boasts a wealth of experience and a strong organisational culture. This stability has been instrumental in maintaining HOYA’s high standards and continuous innovation,” he says.
“Looking ahead, HOYA remains committed to innovation and excellence, poised for another 50 years of success in the optical industry.”
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