Sydney, Australia, 24 March 2017: Brien Holden Vision Institute will be collaborating on research and development of new contact lens technologies with SEED Co., Ltd (“SEED”) in Japan to deliver advanced vision correction for ageing people.
There are about 130 million contact lens wearers globally, a relatively small number when compared to the total population needing vision correction (several billions). New technology to provide superior vision correction is critical to meeting the needs of contact lens wearers and to expand the contact lens market.
“Collaborating with Brien Holden Vision Institute demonstrates SEED’s commitment in research and development to meet a wider range of patient needs for contact lens wear”, said Mr Masahiro Urakabe, President and CEO of SEED.
“The corporate mission of SEED is ‘Support your vision’, therefore SEED commits to developing and distributing good quality contact lenses to accommodate the diverse vision correction and lifestyle requirements of patients. The start of this new collaboration is a very exciting opportunity to deliver the next generation of contact lenses”, added Mr Urakabe.
Prof Kovin Naidoo, CEO of Brien Holden Vision Institute, said the opportunity to collaborate with one of Asia’s leading contact lens companies with a fast growing global presence would help take its technology global. “We are thrilled that SEED saw a strong commercial opportunity to exploit our research and development capabilities and deliver what we believe will be superior products to consumers,” he said.
“This continues our strong history of collaborating with contact lens companies to bring world class products to market and impact on peoples’ quality of life. It is an affirmation of the quality research that our team has consistently produced.”
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About SEED
SEED is a TSE listed comprehensive contact lens manufacturer in Japan with 60 years history. SEED produces and delivers a wide range of contact lens products including RGP lenses, soft conventional lenses and a number of disposable contact lenses. Its production capacity of daily disposable contact lens is currently 32.5 million pieces per month in its factory located in Japan.
SEED is keen to expanding internationally in the next decade. Currently SEED has direct subsidiaries and/or Rep offices in: Shanghai, China; Taipei City, Chinese Taipei; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Hanoi, Vietnam; and Singapore. In this year SEED has also established its new European subsidiary near Hamburg in Germany, to conduct regional distribution in Europe, and in Lauvain-la-Neuve in Belgium, to conduct research into new materials in Europe. In other areas such as Hong Kong, Philippines, Mongolia, Indonesia (under application), Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark and Italy, authorized partners manage local distribution.
About Brien Holden Vision Institute
Brien Holden Vision Institute is a non-profit global translational research, education and public health organisation dedicated to improving people’s lives by providing creative and advanced solutions to ensure the provision of excellent vision for everyone, everywhere.
Brien Holden’s mission includes developing new solutions for vision care, especially refractive error and early disease detection, and to eliminate vision impairment and avoidable blindness, thereby raising the quality of life for all people, everywhere and helping to reduce disability and poverty for those in need.
Brien Holden Vision Institute is a social enterprise, investing the revenues from its work into creating scientific solutions and developing and delivering eye care and education programs around the world.
