IOT, a Spanish ophthalmic technology company, says it has become the first to 3D print personalized progressive lenses. Its Light-Form Technology forms a complete lens from a single flash of light in a few seconds, and IOT says lenses made this way are already on sale to consumers. The process does not build a lens layer by layer, and it skips the generating and polishing steps used in conventional surfacing.
The company presents the method as a resource-efficient alternative to traditional lens production. According to IOT, Light-Form uses no water in manufacturing, requires 90% less energy and produces 76% less waste than conventional methods. IOT says those figures cover the manufacturing stage only, a boundary that matters when comparing production routes.
A single exposure, then finishing
Light-Form is based on stabilized frontal photopolymerization. Instead of shaping a lens gradually from a blank, the process cures the entire volume of the lens in one pass. IOT says this forming stage takes seconds. Finishing still follows: unused resin is recovered to limit waste, the lens surface is hardened, and the lens is mapped.
IOT argues that a new production method for personalized progressive lenses must reproduce the intended optical design precisely, not merely create a recognizable shape. The company says Light-Form combines the design freedom of digital manufacturing with those optical requirements, allowing additive manufacturing to produce prescription lenses at commercial optical quality. IOT also says the approach could open more options for future lens architectures and individualized solutions.
“Light-Form demonstrates how scientific research can change the way ophthalmic lenses are made,” said José Alonso, co-founder and CINO of IOT. He added that pairing optical precision with a new production method could help optical partners create personalized products, test new lens architectures and operate more flexible manufacturing.
Rethinking the production chain
IOT frames Light-Form as a way to redesign lens production, not just a faster forming step. Larger installations could use several printing heads to raise output without consuming much floor space. Further ahead, the company envisions compact machines making custom lenses inside optical stores, placing production closer to the customer and reducing the need to hold stock.
“The value lies in rethinking the production workflow,” said Carolina Gago, COO of IOT. She said resin recovery and lower water and energy requirements address resource use, while compact equipment could support production closer to consumers. Gago added that IOT is working to translate these capabilities into practical manufacturing options.
For optical laboratories, IOT suggests this could mean organizing capacity around local demand rather than relying only on centralized surfacing equipment. For wearers, the company says the long-term benefit would be faster access to lenses made for them. IOT says optical partners would still play a central role in vision correction and customer service.
Beyond spectacles
IOT is also exploring applications beyond conventional glasses. One option under development is printing prescription optics directly onto waveguides and flat substrates used in smart glasses and augmented reality headsets, which could make those devices thinner and lighter. The company also suggests custom optical shapes could eventually be useful in virtual reality.
The company is not alone in applying additive manufacturing to vision correction. Luxexcel, an early example in prescription eyewear, built lenses layer by layer in a material jetting process. Conventional prescription lenses tend to require around 30 steps, large inventories and high wastage. Luxexcel’s platform could print single-vision, freeform and multifocal progressive designs, and the company embedded waveguides into prescription lenses for smart glasses. Meta later acquired Luxexcel as part of its AR technology efforts.
More recently, a University of Waterloo team developed a system that 3D prints custom contact lenses in roughly 20 minutes, raising the prospect that a patient could be measured, have a lens designed and leave a clinic wearing it after one visit. The work earned a Gold Medal at the Shanghai International Exhibition of Inventions in June 2026.
These projects show additive manufacturing moving into optical production. IOT says its Light-Form personalized progressive lenses are already reaching consumers.