(L to R) Paul Travers, Vuzix, Bruce
Steffey, president of National Vision, Michael Leyva, Moverio Epson, and
Patrick Ho, Rochester Optical, reinforce “The Future of Eyewear” at the grand opening of the Vista, Calif. Eyeglass World dispensary.

VISTA, Calif.—National Vision, Inc. (NVI) one of the largest optical retailers in the U.S. with over 800 retail locations under various brand formats, opened its first San Diego County Eyeglass World location here this week, highlighting a new in-store feature emphasizing eyewear wearable technology via an extensive smart glasses area. National Vision president, Bruce Steffey was on hand to cut the ribbon and usher in guests to the bright new dispensary filled with over 2,500 frames and a special area that features such smart glasses as those by Recon, Vuzix, Moverio Epson and Google.

“We firmly believe wearable smart glasses are the future of eyewear, and one day, all eyeglasses will be smart,” Steffey told VMail. “National Vision will be at the forefront of these exciting new developments.”

According to Steffey, National Vision currently operates 85 Eyeglass World stores, with eight new locations planned just in San Diego County; the next new store opens in Santee in a week. “Our goal is to open 20 to 30 new locations each year; building out a market area and then a state,” explained Steffey.


(L to R) Paul Travers, Vuzix, Bruce Steffey, National Vision, and Tom Fowler, Recon, discuss wearable technology in the new Eyeglass World store.

What is unique about these additional locations is they will all include a section of the dispensary devoted to smart glasses. Each store will be fully “wired” for the state-of-the-art electronics featured in the smart glasses section, tagged as “The Future of Eyewear” in the store design. Staff at these new locations will take part in a proprietary training program covering every aspect of the smart glasses experience including visual requirements, custom fit and device performance, to better interact with the consumer, executives added.

“You don’t find many national retailers that have these glasses available,” said Patrick Ho, president and CEO, Rochester Optical. “We really believe this is the future of eyewear and no one else is doing what we do.” Rochester Optical creates prescription lenses that allow patients who need vision correction to use the smart glasses. While Eyeglass World has an onsite optical lab, prescriptions for smart glasses will be sent to Rochester Optical for processing.


National Vision president, Bruce Steffey, cuts the ribbon at the opening of the first Eyeglass World store in San Diego.

“Making prescription lens solutions readily available at retail for smart glass wearers helps overcome a critical hurdle in the future of eyewear,” said NVI’s Steffey. “We expect this segment to evolve, and as a pioneer, we will measure success not only through sales but also through enhanced service and customer feedback.”

National Vision Inc. is one of the Top 10 Optical Retailers in the U.S., recently ranked number 4, based on calendar year 2014 sales, in Vision Monday’s latest Top 50 report. NVI operates stores across the U.S. under several brands including Eyeglass World, America’s Best, Vision Centers (within certain Walmart locations), Vista Optical (within Fred Meyer), locations on military bases and several e-commerce sites.