A ski-trip problem led New Albany’s StickTite Lenses to develop instant stick-on reading lenses that convert sunglasses, goggles, and other eyewear into bifocals. Co-founders Tom Curley and Mike Tripplet worked with a Battelle material scientist to create a patented polymer that is thin, flexible, reusable, and able to adhere to glass and plastic—even underwater. The lenses are designed in Ohio and manufactured in China.
ChemistrieChemistrie designs and manufactures patented magnetic clip-on lenses that transform prescription eyeglasses into specialized vision solutions. The company produces custom-fit clips for sun, reading, blue light, migraine relief, and other applications, serving consumers and eye care professionals.PITTSBURGH, PA
Smith OpticsBorn from orthodontist Dr. Bob Smith’s kitchen-table experiments, Smith Optics makes performance eyewear, snow goggles, and helmets for outdoor sports. Smith’s first anti-fog, double-lens ski goggle led to a 1966 patent, and the company now cites more than 50 utility patents across six decades of problem-solving design.COLUMBUS, OH
FGX International IncFrom its headquarters in Smithfield, Rhode Island, FGX International designs and markets non-prescription reading glasses and sunglasses for consumers around the world. An EssilorLuxottica company, FGX is best known in the United States for its Foster Grant brand and holds a portfolio of more than 50 owned and licensed eyewear brands. Since 2008, it has donated more than 17 million pairs of eyewear through RestoringVision.NEW YORK, NY
Vizors, LLCVizors, LLC makes and sells a thin, semi-flexible sun-blocking attachment for glasses. The attachment is designed to block the space between the forehead and the top of the glasses frame, with a curved fit and two-clip attachment.