Raanan Naftalovich has worked with Shamir for more than 30 years. The longtime CEO of the company’s Shamir Insight subsidiary, he was also appointed president of Shamir North America in 2015. Shamir Insight is a lead subsidiary for Shamir Optical Industry, which is based in Israel and has more than 20 distribution centers around the globe.

“We often say, ‘Technology is in our DNA,’ and we mean it,” says Naftalovich. “With nearly 50 years of experience in the industry, Shamir has decades of R+D under the belt that always yields successful, innovative products. We identify patient needs and design our technologies around building those vision solutions. The 12 technologies in Autograph Intelligence are a great example of that.” Here, he shares the company’s vision and direction with EB.

EB: In response to the pandemic, how has Shamir supported ECPs with groundbreaking products and services?

RN: Within weeks of shutting down most of our operations due to Covid-19, we developed our Vision First program to help health care workers and first responders get complimentary safety and prescription glasses. We wanted to put the patients first and had great help from our participating labs in doing so. In addition to that, we also fast-tracked our new Glacier Anti-Fog coating, which is a permanent lens solution to foggy glasses. It was initially supposed to launch end of year 2020, but we were able to partner with a few great labs and start completing jobs as early as May 2020.

EB: What is the unique lens technology behind Glacier Anti-Fog?

RN: Our Duplex Technology is comprised of our premium AR coating, Glacier Plus, on the front side, and our new Anti-Fog coating on the back side. This is important for several reasons, but the main point being that your lenses are still protected on the front side from the daily wear and tear that often obstruct vision like scratches and dirt, while still maintaining fog-free, crystal-clear vision on the back side.

We’ve all had to experience the frustration of foggy lenses, especially while wearing masks is still so prevalent. It’s even more frustrating when you have to stop what you’re doing, take out a spray or cloth, and constantly wipe your lenses down. With our lens technology, none of that is needed. Glacier Anti-Fog is a permanent fog-free solution. You just put on your glasses and go on with your day, fog free.

EB: Looking ahead, what are Shamir’s additional key initiatives for the future?

RN: We have several exciting products coming down the pipeline, but our main focus right now is helping ECPs and the end consumer adapt. With much of the world evolving to a work-from-home environment and a more-digital-than-ever way of life, our visual health needs are also evolving.

With our products like Relax single-vision lenses and Blue Zero lens treatment, our goal is to educate the end consumer and help ECPs reach their patients, even those who don’t need prescriptions just yet. Shamir has always been customer-centric, and we will continue to have that personal touch with our ECPs in all our initiatives.