Company History

Our vision has always been to help preserve yours.

For more than 15 years, Transitions Optical, Inc. has demonstrated a commitment to promoting healthy sight and wellness, and over the course of time, we have helped millions of people like you enjoy better vision today while helping to preserve the preciousness of their sight for a lifetime. As the manufacturer of Transitions® lenses - the eyecare industry's most recommended photochromic lenses worldwide - we understand firsthand how vital it is to take steps to ensure that your eyesight is preserved for today and tomorrow. That's why we continue to advance photochromic technology to deliver the best possible combination of enhanced visual quality and visual comfort, plus convenient protection.

The company was founded in 1990 and now employs over 1,200 dedicated people worldwide and has partnerships with nearly a dozen lens manufacturers. Currently, we are able to offer more than 100 lens options in the latest lens materials and the most popular lens designs.

The milestones that have shaped Transitions Optical's history-from 1990 to the present-include:

1990: Transitions Optical, Inc., a brand new company is introduced to the industry.
1991: The Pinellas Park, Florida production line starts manufacturing the first generation of Transitions lenses.
1992: The second generation of Transitions lenses is launched.
1993-1994: Transitions begins global expansion, adding a sales/marketing office and manufacturing site in Europe. Transitions lenses are made available for more prescriptions.
1995: Sales offices are opened in the Asia/Pacific and South American regions, and a production facility is opened in Australia.
1996: An even faster-acting specialty lens launches, and a sales office is established in Canada. The Transitions Academy - created to keep optical professionals up to date on the latest in eye health and wellness trends - is held is for the first time.
1997-1998: The third generation of Transitions lenses is introduced, and, for the first time, Transitions lenses become available in impact-resistant polycarbonate material.
1998-1999: With continued global expansion, a production plant and sales force in Brazil and a production facility in the Philippines begin operations.
2000: Transitions expands lens availability into even more prescriptions, making it available in virtually every prescription that clear lenses are made in.
2001-2002: The next generation of Transitions lenses is launched, and the first Transitions lenses made from impact-resistant Trivex® material are produced.
2003-2004: Transitions lenses become the first lenses ever to meet the requirements of the American Optometric Association's Seal of Approval for Ultraviolet Absorbers/Blockers.
2005: Transitions launches an even more advanced lens technology, making them as clear as regular clear lenses indoors and as dark as sunglasses outdoors.
2005: Transitions Optical launches the industry's most extensive education campaign ever with "Eye Didn't Know That!" This consumer education program includes a traveling science center exhibit, an educational Web site, www.eyedidntknowthat.ca, and a youth education program.
2006: Transitions Optical opens a manufacturing facility in Thailand.
2008: Transitions Optical releases the most advanced photochromic technology ever, with lenses that now change faster than ever from clear indoors to sunglass-dark outdoors, making changes in light almost imperceptible to most wearers.

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