UltraVision
UltraVision CLPL is a British contact-lens manufacturer specializing in advanced and specialty lenses, including products for irregular corneas.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
UltraVision is the brand associated with UltraVision CLPL, a British contact-lens manufacturer headquartered in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. The business traces its corporate origins to Contact Lens Precision Laboratories, established in Cambridge in 1967. Its activities center on the design, development, manufacture, and international supply of contact lenses, with particular emphasis on technically demanding applications rather than only conventional spherical lenses. The company became UltraVision CLPL following the acquisition of UltraVision by Contact Lens Precision Laboratories in July 2003. J. Keith Lomas, who served as managing director from 1996 to 2017, oversaw that transaction and the subsequent change in group identity. The combined organization developed a portfolio spanning mainstream lens designs and specialized technologies intended to improve optical performance, fit, and visual correction for patients whose needs are not adequately addressed by standard lenses. UltraVision established a research-and-development office in Cambridge in 2007. The facility worked on freeform surface modelling, toric lens design, and wavefront-related technologies, while also supporting products for complex corneal conditions. Its technology portfolio included approaches intended to manage spherical aberration and lenses designed for people affected by keratoconus or corneal trauma. KeraSoft became the best-known example of this specialty focus: it was developed as a lens for irregular corneas and was recognized by the company as a patented product. The brand's technical work received external recognition in the United Kingdom and Europe. In 2001, its Spherical Aberration Management technology received the Award for Innovation in British Optics from the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers. UltraVision also received an EFCLIN Technology Award in the same year. The company's innovation program later received The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation twice: in 2006 for its Spherical Aberration Management and Wavefront technologies, and in April 2010 for KeraSoft. In April 2018, Contact Lens Precision Laboratories was acquired by SEED Co., Ltd., a Japanese contact-lens company. The acquisition placed UltraVision CLPL within SEED's corporate ownership while preserving the relevance of UltraVision's specialist product and technology heritage. Publicly available reference material identifies the company as shipping products around the world, but does not provide a complete current market-by-market breakdown, sales figures, current leadership roster, or a definitive standalone consumer website. UltraVision is therefore best understood as a specialist ophthalmic-device and contact-lens business whose differentiation rests on optical engineering, custom or specialty lens applications, and research-led product development.
History
UltraVision's history is rooted in Contact Lens Precision Laboratories, or CLPL, which was founded in Cambridge in 1967. The original company operated in the contact-lens field and developed capabilities in lens manufacture and optical design. The available historical record does not identify the founding shareholders or a single founder. A major corporate turning point came in July 2003, when Contact Lens Precision Laboratories acquired UltraVision. Following the transaction, the company changed its name to the UltraVision CLPL group. The rebranding linked the established CLPL manufacturing business with the UltraVision identity and created the corporate platform from which the later specialist technology portfolio was promoted. J. Keith Lomas served as managing director from 1996 until 2017 and oversaw the 2003 acquisition. His tenure covered the integration of UltraVision, the development of the group's research capabilities, and the expansion of its specialist contact-lens work. The company opened a research-and-development office in Cambridge in 2007. This office worked on freeform surface modelling, toric lens design, and wavefront technologies. It also developed or supported lens solutions for patients with keratoconus and corneal trauma. UltraVision's technological direction was reflected in its work on Spherical Aberration Management. The technology received the Award for Innovation in British Optics from the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers in 2001, and the company received an EFCLIN Technology Award during the same year. In 2006, Spherical Aberration Management and Wavefront technologies were recognized with The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation. These awards established the company as an innovation-oriented participant in the British and European contact-lens industry. The company's specialty-lens work was particularly associated with KeraSoft, a patented contact lens intended for irregular corneas. The product addressed needs associated with conditions such as keratoconus and corneal trauma, where corneal shape irregularity can make conventional lens fitting difficult. KeraSoft received a second Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation in April 2010. In April 2018, Contact Lens Precision Laboratories was acquired by SEED Co., Ltd. The transaction changed the ownership context of UltraVision CLPL and connected the business to a larger Japanese contact-lens group. Public reference material describes UltraVision CLPL as continuing to ship products internationally. Information about post-acquisition management, current manufacturing locations, financial performance, and detailed product-by-product distribution is not established by the supplied sources.
- 2018
Acquired by SEED Co., Ltd.
[1]Contact Lens Precision Laboratories was acquired by SEED Co., Ltd. in April.
- 2010
KeraSoft receives Queen's Award recognition
[1]KeraSoft, a patented lens for irregular corneas, received The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation in April.
- 2007
Cambridge research-and-development office opened
[1]UltraVision CLPL opened a Cambridge R&D office focused on advanced lens modelling, toric design, wavefront technologies, and specialty applications.
- 2006
Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation
[1]The company's Spherical Aberration Management and Wavefront technologies received The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation.
- 2003
UltraVision acquired and group renamed
[1]Contact Lens Precision Laboratories acquired UltraVision in July and subsequently adopted the UltraVision CLPL group name.
- 2001
Early recognition for optical innovation
[1]Spherical Aberration Management technology received the Award for Innovation in British Optics, and the company also received an EFCLIN Technology Award.
- 1967
Contact Lens Precision Laboratories founded
[1]Contact Lens Precision Laboratories was established in Cambridge, England, forming the corporate foundation of the later UltraVision CLPL group.
Products and positioning
A specialist contact-lens and ophthalmic-technology brand focused on advanced optical design and difficult-to-correct corneal conditions, including irregular corneas, keratoconus, and corneal trauma.
Specialty contact lens
KeraSoft
KeraSoft is a patented contact-lens product developed for irregular corneas. Its intended applications include patients affected by keratoconus and corneal trauma, conditions that can make standard lens designs difficult to fit or optically inadequate. The product was recognized with The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation in 2010.
Optical lens technology
Spherical Aberration Management
Spherical Aberration Management is an UltraVision technology intended to address optical aberrations in contact-lens design. It received British and European industry recognition in 2001 and later formed part of the technology portfolio honored with The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation in 2006.
Optical lens technology
Wavefront technologies
UltraVision's wavefront-related technologies were developed through its research program and were associated with advanced optical modelling and correction. They were recognized alongside Spherical Aberration Management in the company's 2006 Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation.
Brand decisions
2018
Acquisition by SEED Co., Ltd.M&ABackground
Contact Lens Precision Laboratories was acquired in April 2018 as part of the ownership development of the UltraVision CLPL business.
Action taken
SEED Co., Ltd. acquired Contact Lens Precision Laboratories.
Aftermath
UltraVision CLPL became part of SEED's corporate portfolio. The supplied sources do not specify post-acquisition management arrangements or financial terms.
2007
Expansion of research and developmentStrategyBackground
UltraVision sought to advance contact-lens design beyond conventional forms and to address complex fitting and optical requirements.
Action taken
The company opened a research-and-development office in Cambridge working on freeform surface modelling, toric design, wavefront technologies, and specialty lenses.
Aftermath
The R&D activity supported the company's specialist positioning and its development of technologies and products for irregular corneas.
2003
Acquisition of UltraVision and group rebrandingM&ABackground
Contact Lens Precision Laboratories acquired UltraVision in July 2003, combining the existing CLPL business with the UltraVision identity.
Action taken
The company changed its name to the UltraVision CLPL group after completing the acquisition.
Aftermath
The transaction established the corporate identity later used for the group's specialist contact-lens and optical-technology activities.
Recent events
- 2018
Contact Lens Precision Laboratories acquired by SEED Co., Ltd.[1]
M&A
SEED Co., Ltd. acquired Contact Lens Precision Laboratories in April 2018, bringing the UltraVision CLPL business into the ownership of the Japanese contact-lens company.
- 2010
UltraVision receives The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation for KeraSoft[1]
Other
KeraSoft, UltraVision's patented lens for irregular corneas, was recognized with The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation in April 2010.
- 2006
UltraVision receives The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation[1]
Other
The company's Spherical Aberration Management and Wavefront technologies received The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation.
- 2001
UltraVision technologies receive British and European innovation awards[1]
Other
UltraVision's Spherical Aberration Management technology received the Award for Innovation in British Optics, while the company also received an EFCLIN Technology Award.
Sources1 sources
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