Rodenstock is continuing its long-term push toward biometric lens design, arguing that conventional approaches to progressive lenses are failing to reflect the true diversity of human eyes.
Biometrics has been a strategic focus for the company since 2012, driven by the belief that individual eye shape and size play a critical role in achieving optimal visual performance. According to Rodenstock, understanding a patient’s unique biometric measurements – and incorporating them directly into lens design – allows for a level of visual individualisation that traditional methods cannot deliver.
“From early on, Rodenstock recognised that the size and shape of the eye play a fundamental role in producing a lens truly optimised for the individual,” the company said. “By understanding a patient’s unique biometric measurements and incorporating this data directly into lens design, it is possible to create a tailored visual experience that goes far beyond traditional approaches.”
Limitations of the standard eye model
Conventional progressive lens designs are typically based on a standard reduced eye model that assumes average biometric values. While this model has underpinned lens design for decades, Rodenstock argues it represents only a small fraction of real-world patients.
“In reality, a standard reduced eye model reflects only a small proportion of wearers,” Rodenstock said.
The company points to axial length as a clear example of why biometrics matter. Axial length can vary significantly across different levels of ametropia, yet traditional lens designs assume a single average value.
“Axial length alone shows dramatic variation across different refractive errors,” Rodenstock said. “A standard reduced eye model matches only around 14% of the population based on this parameter.”
When additional biometric factors are considered – including ametropia, spherical corneal power, astigmatic corneal power at both 180° and 45°, and anterior chamber depth – the mismatch becomes even more pronounced.
“When these parameters are compounded, a standard eye model matches only around 2% of the population,” Rodenstock said. “In other words, 98% of progressive lens wearers do not align with the biometry assumed in conventional lens design.”
Rodenstock likens biometric parameters to fingerprints, emphasising that each eye is highly individual rather than average.
Optimising vision through individualisation
By integrating biometric data into lens design, Rodenstock aims to optimise visual performance across all lens design. The company says this approach aims to deliver higher visual quality, larger usable viewing areas, and a lens that adapts to the wearer – rather than requiring the wearer to adapt to the lens.
However, this level of individualisation presents a practical challenge for everyday dispensing, particularly when only a standard prescription is available.
“The question was how this level of individualisation could be made accessible when only a standard prescription is available,” Rodenstock said.
The evolution to B.I.G. Norm
That challenge led to the development of B.I.G. Norm, introduced in 2022 as the next stage in Rodenstock’s biometric strategy.
B.I.G. Norm is designed to incorporate intelligent biometric assumptions into lens production using standard prescription data alone, without requiring additional measurements from the practitioner.
By leveraging artificial intelligence and extensive data sets, Rodenstock says it can accurately predict individual eye characteristics and establish new norms for lens design based on intelligent biometric modelling.
“This technology goes far beyond the traditional standard eye model,” the company said. “It also introduces new design parameters that had previously not been considered.”
B.I.G. Vision for All
Rodenstock describes the use of AI-driven technology and large data sets as a turning point in making biometric lens design more widely accessible.
Through predictive modelling, an approximate biometric eye model can now be generated using only a standard prescription, allowing individual eye characteristics to be estimated without additional clinical input.
“This represents a significant step toward making personalised visual performance accessible to more patients than ever before,” Rodenstock said.
The approach underpins B.I.G. (Biometric Intelligent Glasses) Vision for All, which Rodenstock positions as its commitment to delivering more precise and individualised vision by embedding biometrics into everyday lens design.
“B.I.G. Vision for All is about bringing biometrics into everyday practice,” the company said. “It reflects a commitment to delivering more precise, individualised vision for a much broader group of patients.”