The differences are as follows:
Alcon is a brand of contact lenses and ancillary products, and Zeiss is a brand of optical lenses (including optical lenses and other optical products).
One is for products inside the upper and lower eyelids, and one is for products outside the upper and lower eyelids.
With a history of more than one hundred and sixty years, Carl Zeiss (hereinafter referred to as Zeiss) is one of the oldest surviving manufacturers of optical products.
Zeiss has a storied history, founded by Carl Zeiss in 1846, having survived two world wars, being forced to split in two along with Germany, and then formally merging in 1991 with the demolition of the Berlin Wall. After the reorganization, Zeiss became even stronger and is now a global leader in the field of optics.
ZEISS has explored the world of optics extensively, Armstrong's photographs on the moon were taken with ZEISS lenses, dozens of Nobel Prize winners have used ZEISS instruments for research and development, but also covers a number of business areas, such as medical devices and semiconductor production technology. Zeiss lenses are part of its vision care module, which has been strengthened by the acquisition of well-known U.S. lens brands SOLA and AO.
Ernst Abbe, the physicist who invented the Abbe number, was one of the founders of ZEISS, which is why ZEISS has a much tighter control over the Abbe number. With the same refractive index, Zeiss lenses have a higher Abbe number than other brands, providing a clearer visual image and a high degree of wearing comfort.
The Zeiss glass lenses have an amazing 99.8 percent light transmission rate, which can provide a bright and clear visual effect like the naked eye. However, due to the heavy weight and fragility of the glass lenses, they are gradually being left out in the market, and it's hard to find stores supplying these lenses in the mainland.
The Zeiss coating technology is highly regarded, with two main types: Lotus and Diamond Cube. The Lotus film is the industry's most representative anti-fouling layer, with a water droplet effect, as its name suggests, that makes the coated lenses smooth and resistant to staining.
Diamond Cube film is a functional film layer, divided into bright and clear silver film, hard anti-fouling platinum film and anti-blue light film, both functional and still maintain a soft film color, good comfort, but the disadvantage is that it is easy to stain the dust, need to be cleaned frequently, and is not recommended to wear outdoors often.
ZEISS lenses have a high rate of deployment in offline optical stores in the Chinese market, and are generally sold as the highest-grade lens brand in the stores.
The rich variety of products is enough to match the scale of the store, only the single-optical lenses have six series, namely Zen Rui, New 3D BORRY, 3D BORRY, MING RUI, CLEAR RUI and A series, and there are also children's growth music, indoor type, driving type and digital type, etc. Specific lenses are developed for different groups of people and different scenarios, which basically meet the modern people's needs for refractive corrective eyewear.
In single vision lenses, the A series and the new Clear Rui and Ming Rui series are stock lenses produced by mass grinding, respectively with Lotus film, Diamond Cube Silver film and Diamond Cube Platinum film, covering the regular refractive index of 1.5 to 1.74, and the price of one pair ranges from 500 to 4,580 yuan, with the parameters of the stock lenses fixed, and lenses can be made on the spot after the optometry test, which is suitable for low myopia people who have less than 600 degrees of vision, and who are in pursuit of the convenient dispensing process. The price of a pair of stock lenses ranges from $4,580 to $4,580 per pair of regular refractive index.
The 3D Borealis series is the demarcation line of ZEISS lenses, including the new 3D Borealis and Zhenrui series, all of which are customized lenses made according to the specific data of the customer's optometry.
Using a higher level of free-form design than aspheric, with a refractive index of up to 1.74 and the ability to optimize the inner and outer curves of the lenses according to different degrees, a pair of lenses with a starting price of $4,000 is more suitable for people with high counts and high astigmatism.
Unlike most Chinese brands that use coatings to protect against ultraviolet rays, the clear lenses of foreign brands such as Zeiss and TAG Heuer already have UV protection in the base material. The Color Vision series even adds color-changing technology to the clear lenses, which switch between clear and gray with the intensity of UV rays in the environment, making them suitable for those who often go indoors and outdoors and whose eyes are more sensitive to light.
Due to its high pricing in China, Zeiss has long been below Essilor in terms of overall sales. Competition between the two is mainly centered on products below the mid-range price point of 2,500 yuan.
From the cost-effective point of view, it is more cost-effective to choose Essilor at a price of less than $2500. Zeiss's advantage is reflected in the customized lenses above the 3D Borealis series, which are relatively expensive, but are still the preferred choice of customized professional lenses with outstanding performance thanks to the precision technology and unattainable compatibility of stock lenses.