Lens designers at the leading edge

UltraVision CLPL has been honoured with the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the scheme's 'Innovation' category.

The Leighton Buzzard business, which employs 60 people, was built by two former school friends - J Keith Lomas (group CEO) and John Clamp (group chief operating officer) - into what is claimed to be the largest independent manufacturer and supplier of contact lenses in the UK.

UltraVision has been bestowed with the award specifically for its SAM and UltraWave technologies. The patented technologies are used in contact lenses which are claimed to provide levels of vision not experienced before.

The complex shapes of the lens optics to remove aberrations for wearers are defined using advanced mathematics, and the UltraWave disposable lens benefits from Wave Front Technology which is otherwise used in laser eye surgery.

Lomas said: 'It's amazing how much people spend on high definition televisions, mobile phones and monitors without even considering their own vision. We need to encourage people to realise the greater benefits of improving their own vision first.'

Technology has helped the company's sales grow five-fold over the last few years. In addition to creating local jobs, the technology has been licensed to a number of mainstream contact lens companies in Europe and Asia for worldwide sales.

Lomas told Optician: 'We are delighted to receive this award which is further recognition of our success in commercialising our innovations in what is a very competitive industry.

'Our competitors in this field are mainly US-based multi-billion dollar global organisations. The real challenge, which we are succeeding in, is completing commercial licensing deals in a David and Goliath arena by turning our competitors into our partners and licensees.'