EssilorLuxottica Establishes a Strong Presence in Med-Tech
Since the dawn of its journey, EssilorLuxottica has led the transformation and modernization of industry, solidifying its place among the world’s leading innovators. Today, the Group continues to advance its vision through the med-tech innovation, aiming to meet the needs of patients and drive growth across new segments and categories as it reinvents itself as a top-tier technology player, beyond its origins as a leader in the vision space.
To make this vision a reality, EssilorLuxottica has bolstered its position in the med-tech dimension through strategic acquisitions and partnerships, as well as key innovations in vision health technologies and wearables at the intersection of sight and sound.
Joining the world’s leading innovators to showcase key advancements
In 2024, EssilorLuxottica proudly took its place among the foremost innovators at the world’s most prestigious innovation events, presenting Nuance Audio — an integrated technology that bridges vision and hearing, designed for the 1.25 billion people experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss. Presented for the first time this year at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with an exclusive prototype, Nuance blends sound engineering and world-class smart eyewear design for a stylish, high-tech solution engineered to transform lives. The product will first launch in the U.S., followed by Europe and gradually in other leading markets across the world. Nuance Audio is already generating buzz while promising to be a game-changer in the realm of hearing aid technology.
Strategic acquisitions
As part of its move to strengthen its presence in the med-tech space, particularly in clinical ophthalmology, the Group expanded its portfolio and made the following strategic acquisitions.
In July 2024, EssilorLuxottica announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Heidelberg Engineering. Based in Germany, Heidelberg Engineering pioneers high-end imaging and data technologies to optimize diagnostic and digital surgical solutions, support learning that advances research and empower eye care professionals who want to improve the holistic health of patients. With strong reputation as the ground truth in image quality, extensive know-how with over 60 patent families and over 2500 scientific publications to its name, since 1990 Heidelberg Engineering has collaborated with scientists, clinicians and industry to develop innovations to foster fast, confident diagnostic decision making and accurate monitoring of disease for early diagnosis and treatment at the right time. Since the implementation of SPECTRALIS on the ISS in 2015, Heidelberg Engineering has also supported groundbreaking research monitoring the long-term effects on vision in microgravity, a priority for NASA’s future flight to Mars. This acquisition further reinforces EssilorLuxottica’s ability to offer a comprehensive range of solutions, from routine optometry and refractive care to ophthalmic diagnostics and surgical guidance that aid in disease detection and chronic condition management, enhancing its ability to serve professionals and patients worldwide, while delivering transformative vision care solutions.
In December 2024, the Group entered into an agreement for the acquisition of Espansione Group, a med-tech Italy-based company specialized in the design and manufacturing of non-invasive medical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of dry-eye, ocular surface and retinal diseases, protected by international patents. The acquisition of Espansione, a med-tech pioneer delivering the highest medical standards in over 40 countries, will support EssilorLuxottica’s strategy in elevating industry standards as well as improving the quality of patient care.
New partnerships to support research projects
Living up to its responsibility as an industry leader and innovator, the Group created key partnerships to build new categories from the ground up as well as to create synergies with prominent stakeholders. Key highlights include EssilorLuxottica’s participation into the Software République open innovation ecosystem, as partner of U1st Vision, a one-of-a-kind health pop-up concept aimed at providing the best healthcare services to communities, anywhere and anytime.
EssilorLuxottica will also bring its med-tech expertise and advanced vision care technologies into the PREMYOM research project (Prise en charge et Ralentissement de l’Épidémie de MYopie par l’Optique Médicale, or Medical Optics-Based Solutions to Slow Down the Myopia Epidemic). Supported by the French General Secretariat for Investment as part of the France 2030 investment plan, PREMYOM is a multidisciplinary consortium of six partners led by EssilorLuxottica. The five-year initiative focuses on advancing personalized approaches to managing myopia and developing personalized ophthalmic solutions. It will leverage clinical trials, in-depth research on myopia pathophysiology and predictive models on myopia progression as well as connected eyewear, digital twin technologies, complex optical structures lens technologies and optometry instruments, all underpinned by AI-driven methodologies.
EssilorLuxottica’s med-tech journey, which is well underway and will continue to be an open, collaborative and inclusive one where its products and services will be accessible to all industry players, has undergone great advancements this year thanks to the Group’s commitment and efforts to further innovate and meet patient needs with new cutting-edge solutions.
