Eyecare firm launches gold contact lenses

A South Korean eyecare company has developed Arabic-inspired gold contact lenses for Middle East customers. Containing particles of real gold, the contact lenses were developed by South Korean company InnoVision based in Seoul. The lenses were unveiled at Vision-X Dubai this week among the latest trends and technologies in the optical retail industry. What make the lenses unique are the traditional Arabic-inspired designs that are embedded in them. "We designed this product just for the Middle East market," said Lena Lee, marketing manager at InnoVision. "We met a lot of buyers from here and almost every country has shown interest from Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Kuwait, Iran and Turkey. I was really amazed at how much interest people have shown in our gold lenses," said Lee. She added that the product was very comfortable and could be worn for long periods of time without irritating the eye. "A lot of doctors who came to our booth checked my eyes and they commented that there was no redness or irritation in them." InnoVison also produces a range of diamond fashion lenses, she added without saying how much the lenses would retail for. Also showcasing at the Dubai show were a pair of AED275,000 18-carat reading glasses that also include a sapphire and diamond. CliC eyewear inventor Ron Lando and eyewear designer Hugh Power are behind the glasses and only 300 pairs are available in the world with some on sale in the GCC. "We felt that Vision-X was the right place to launch our CliC Gold magnetic eyewear because of the interest level we have been receiving on our website from the UAE," said Lando. "Very few people, especially designers, have taken a risk in going into the optical jewellery world because it's a category that people haven't tapped into. It's a difficult one and there's not been a market for optical jewellery before," said Power.