Spanish ophthalmic technology company IOT says it is the first to 3D print personalized progressive lenses, using a process that forms a complete lens with a single flash of light in a few seconds. The company says lenses made with the method, called Light-Form, are already on sale to consumers.
Unlike layer-by-layer build methods, Light-Form cures the full volume of the lens in one pass. IOT describes the process as stabilized frontal photopolymerization. The forming step takes seconds, and the lens avoids the generating and polishing stages associated with conventional surfacing, according to the company.
Finishing remains part of production. Unused resin is recovered to reduce waste, the lens surface is hardened, and the lens is mapped before it is complete. IOT says a new production route for personalized progressive lenses must reproduce the intended optical design precisely, rather than only producing a lens with the right general form. The company argues that Light-Form combines the design freedom of digital manufacturing with the optical precision needed for prescription lenses at commercial quality.
Resource and production claims
IOT reports that, compared with conventional lens production, its process uses no water during manufacturing, requires 90% less energy and generates 76% less waste. Those figures cover the manufacturing stage only, the company says.
José Alonso, co-founder and CINO of IOT, said in a statement that Light-Form shows how scientific research can change ophthalmic lens production. He added that combining optical precision with a new manufacturing method could help optical partners develop personalized products, test new lens architectures and run more flexible operations.
A different production model
IOT frames the technology as a way to reorganize lens production rather than simply speed up one step. Larger installations could use multiple print heads to raise output while occupying limited floor space. Looking further ahead, the company envisions compact machines in optical stores, placing production near customers and reducing the need to hold stock.
Carolina Gago, COO of IOT, said the value lies in rethinking the production workflow. Resin recovery and lower water and energy needs affect how resources are used, she said, while compact equipment could support production closer to consumers. The company says it is working to turn these capabilities into practical manufacturing options.
For optical laboratories, this could mean organizing capacity around local demand instead of depending solely on centralized surfacing equipment. For wearers, IOT says the long-term benefit would be faster access to lenses made for them. Optical partners would still play the central role in vision correction and customer service, according to the company.
Beyond spectacles
IOT is also exploring printing prescription optics directly onto waveguides and flat substrates used in smart glasses and augmented reality headsets, an approach that could make those devices thinner and lighter. The company suggests custom optical shapes might eventually be useful in virtual reality as well.
The company is not the first to pursue digital manufacturing for eyewear. Luxexcel built prescription lenses layer by layer using material jetting and could print single-vision, freeform and multifocal progressive designs; it also embedded waveguides in prescription lenses, and Meta later acquired the company. More recently, a University of Waterloo team developed a system that 3D prints custom contact lenses in about 20 minutes, raising the prospect of measuring, designing and dispensing a lens in a single clinic visit. The work received a Gold Medal at the Shanghai International Exhibition of Inventions in June 2026.
Together, the examples point to additive manufacturing gaining a role in optical production. IOT says its personalized progressive lenses are already reaching consumers, while its broader production and smart-glasses concepts remain development directions.