world's first ultrasonic contact lens cleaner.
32 years ago in New York City, my father debuted his timeless vision of the future to the eye care industry. My goal was to celebrate the anniversary of his achievement by producing a limited run of his original design.
For 32 days in 2021, Kickstarter backers from across the globe joined together to help recreate his iconic design.
It was a celebration of an innovative and well-designed product. But it was also a celebration of my father’s incredible life story.
Scroll down to see how the Visonic Dome became the world’s first ultrasonic contact lens cleaner and learn the story of the man who made it.
1970s
West Germany
seeing the future.
The early 1970s saw the first soft, hydrogel contact lenses hit the market.
Soft lenses made vision correction more comfortable and easy. But it also raised a new issue:
How do you effectively clean something so delicate?
German contact lens manufacturer Titmus Eurocon tapped young entrepreneur Helmut Weber to solve that problem.
Coming from a career in laboratory equipment sales and marketing, my father decided that ultrasonic cleaning was the ideal way to keep soft contact lenses clean and comfortable.
Without any moving parts, his design was simple, efficient, and effective.
The German response to the design was positive. But to make a real mark on the industry, my father knew his contact lens cleaner had to be sold in America.
1980s
Silicon Valley, California
from silicon valley with love.
The Visonic Dome arrived in California as an idea and a dream. And my father didn’t know a single word of English to describe it.
After two years of hard work and careful networking, he got his big break: an introduction at CooperVision – one of the largest contact lens producers in the world.
With CooperVision support, my father developed his concept into a beautiful product.
The partnership resulted in the world’s smallest ultrasonic cleaner – a perfect union of form and function. Finally, a device to consistently clean all types of contact lenses, with just the push of a button.
But in 1988, CooperVision suddenly got a lot smaller. Shareholders started cashing out. Piece by piece, the massive corporation was split up and sold off.
With corporate leadership at CooperVision shifting, my father took his Visonic Dome and struck it out solo.
1989
new york city, new york
visonic dome world debut.
After nearly a decade of work, my father had accomplished the goal he’d set for himself in Germany. Visonic Dome was the world’s smallest ultrasonic cleaner – and the easiest way to care for your contact lenses.
But without the backing of a massive corporation like CooperVision, dad needed financial support from private investors – and fast.
The first step was to form a new company. He called it Vista Vision. Next, he assembled a crack team of optometrists and sales experts to fill the executive positions. The final step was to get his product out in the public eye.
It was a sink-or-swim moment. Whether or not his Visonic Dome would make it to store shelves depended on the success of this single event.
Investors wanted proof that there was demand for a Visonic Dome. And the manufacturer wanted a substantial order before starting the assembly line. The pressure was on. Vista Vision needed to sell 5,000 units in just 72 hours.
Dad sold like hell. His larger-than-life display was visible from every corner of the convention floor. With 10+ years of industry connections, he and his team convinced the eye care industry that the Visonic Dome was the future of contact lenses.
They sold out their minimum order of 5,000 Visonic Domes in 3 days and got the private funding they needed to begin.
1990s
bay area, california
the all-in-one system.
Vista Vision was renamed AlphaVista and the Visonic Dome was rebranded as LenSoClean, but my dad’s mission remained the same: To provide the best possible way to clean contact lenses and keep eyes healthy.
With FDA clearances and clinical trials underway, Alpha Vista struck a deal with eye care giant Ciba Vision to produce a proprietary multi-purpose solution.
The combination of a new disinfecting solution with ultrasonic cleaning power made the LenSoClean a 10 minute, complete lens care system.
My dad signed deals to get shelf space in retail chains like Walmart and Walgreens. His LenSoClean was featured in thousands of optometrist offices nationwide.
At its peak, AlphaVista employed 100 people, many of them first generation immigrants like my father.
After more than a decade of production, the last LenSoClean rolled off the line in 2002. More than 250,000 had been sold worldwide.
2021
Kickstarter
celebrating 32 years.
To celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the Visonic Dome and my father’s incredible story, my goal is to go back into limited production for one last time.
Because I can only convey his story so well. But I’m sure that when I get his masterpiece into your hands, then you’ll understand.
With your support, Visonic Dome will once again make contact lenses cleaner, safer, and more comfortable than anything else on the market - before or since.
This one-time-only Kickstarter event honors the memory of the Vision Expo trade show that started it all.
Rewards were limited to the first 1,989 backers. 181 were claimed. That leaves 1,808 up for grabs.
Click through to the pre-order page before April 2022 to join us!
