ICU Eyewear
ICU Eyewear is a US-based, privately held designer and DTC retailer of specialty eyewear — including reading glasses, polarized sunglasses, and blue light filtering eyewear — serving 40+ readers, screen users, outdoor/sport consumers, and children through a portfolio of branded collections (SlimVision®, ScreenVision™, Wink®, Studio, Guideline, Fisherman, Typical Gamer) sold online globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1956
- HeadquartersSan Rafael, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What ICU Eyewear does
ICU Eyewear (legal name ICU Eyecare Solutions) is a designer, manufacturer, and direct-to-consumer retailer of specialty eyewear and related accessories, headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut and operating continuously since 1956. The company sells reading glasses (magnifications 1.25 to 3.00), sunglasses including polarized sport styles, blue light filtering eyewear, and children's eyewear through multiple branded collections, with registered trademarks covering SlimVision®, ScreenVision™, Wink®, and the ICU Eyecare Solutions corporate brand. Its proprietary optical features include SlimVision® slim-profile reader technology, proprietary blue light filtering lens technology, and polarized lens technology (notably via the Guideline Eyegear collection), supported by sub-brand extensions such as Studio, Fisherman Eyewear, Typical Gamer (a creator collaboration), Signature Collection, and ECO Kids Sun.
The business is run as an exclusively DTC e-commerce operation on Shopify at icueyewear.com, shipping globally with free shipping on orders over $49, and reaches consumers through organic SEO, email/ VIP programs, blog content, and on-site customer reviews. Pricing is tiered by SKU: budget SlimVision® readers from $11.99, standard readers in the $15.99–$28.95 range, premium collections such as Studio and Signature at $23.95–$44.95, kids sunglasses at $14.99–$17.99, adult sunglasses at $20.99–$32.99, and value multipacks (3-pack at $15.99, 4-pack at $19.99). The customer base spans men and women (primarily 40+ with presbyopia), digital device users seeking blue light protection, outdoor/sport users, and families buying children's eyewear, with horizontal segmentation across use cases rather than enterprise contracts.
The revenue model is unit-based one-time purchases with no disclosed subscription or recurring-revenue component. The company does not publish revenue figures; its most recent material capital event is a $15 million funding round dated September 12, 2023, with investors undisclosed. Leadership consists of founder Patricia Kesten (Founder & President), Christine Roach (CFO), and Phillip Kirk Hobbs (President & COO); management headcount sits in the 51–100 range. ICU Eyewear holds no publicly listed partnerships, named enterprise customers, awards, or certifications in the source data, and its competitive positioning rests on branded sub-portfolio breadth, optical IP, low-overhead DTC distribution, and multi-decade brand equity rather than AI, platform technology, or disclosed channel partnerships.
ICU Eyewear firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ICU Eyewear
- Legal name
- ICU Eyecare Solutions
- Website
- https://icueyewear.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1956
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- ICU Eyewear is a US-based, privately held designer and DTC retailer of specialty eyewear — including reading glasses, polarized sunglasses, and blue light filtering eyewear — serving 40+ readers, screen users, outdoor/sport consumers, and children through a portfolio of branded collections (SlimVision®, ScreenVision™, Wink®, Studio, Guideline, Fisherman, Typical Gamer) sold online globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ICU Eyewear industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Eyewear
- NAICS
- Optical Goods Retailers (45613), Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)
- SIC
- Ophthalmic Goods (3851)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reading Glasses (OTC) (CRAAAKAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sport & Performance Eyewear (CRAAAKAC), Kids & Teen Eyewear (CRAAAKAE), Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses) (HLAKAKAL)
Keywords
Where ICU Eyewear is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Rafael
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
ICU Eyewear business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Eyewear Product Sales: One-time purchase model for reading glasses, sunglasses, and blue light filtering eyewear. Products are sold directly to consumers through the e-commerce platform at various price points ranging from budget-friendly to premium collections.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Budget Reading Glasses - SlimVision® |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Reading Glasses |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium Collections (Studio, Signature) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sunglasses - Kids |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sunglasses - Adults |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Multipack Value Sets |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
ICU Eyewear product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ICU Eyewear designs, manufactures, and sells specialty eyewear including reading glasses, polarized and non-polarized sunglasses, and blue light filtering eyewear for men, women, and children. Products are offered across multiple proprietary sub-brands (SlimVision®, Wink®, ScreenVision™, Studio, Fisherman, Guideline) at price points ranging from under $15 to over $40, sold directly to consumers through its Shopify-powered e-commerce site.
Product overview
ICU Eyewear operates as an e-commerce eyewear retailer offering a diversified product portfolio centered around prescription and non-prescription eyewear. The core offerings include reading glasses for men and women (featuring sub-brands SlimVision® Readers, Wink® Expressions, and Studio), blue light filtering eyewear (ScreenVision™ and Signature Collection), sunglasses including polarized options (Fisherman Eyewear and Guideline Eyegear), reading sunglasses with magnification, and children's sunglasses (ECO Kids Sun). The company also offers value-oriented multi-pack reader bundles and complementary products like White Noise Machines and accessories. The product architecture is organized around lifestyle and use-case specific sub-brands rather than a unified platform, with collections targeting distinct segments including gamers, outdoor enthusiasts, fashion-conscious consumers, and families.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Studio: Reading glasses collection under Studio by ICU Eyewear brand.
- Wink
- ScreenVision
- Fisherman Eyewear
- Guideline Eyegear
- Typical Gamer
- SlimVision
Companies that use ICU Eyewear
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ICU Eyewear technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
ICU Eyewear partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ICU Eyewear competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Warby Parker: Larger DTC eyewear brand selling prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses online and through retail stores. Comparable as a direct-to-consumer eyewear retailer, but operates at much greater scale and across prescription categories ICU does not.
- GlassesUSA.com: Large online eyewear retailer covering prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses. Adjacent incumbent to ICU in online eyewear, but broader category scope including prescription offerings ICU does not provide.
Direct peers
- Zenni Optical: Online-first, value-priced eyewear retailer offering prescription glasses, sunglasses, and blue light filtering eyewear. Highly comparable to ICU on DTC model, price ladder, and blue light product focus.
- EyeBuyDirect: Affordable online eyewear retailer selling prescription and non-prescription glasses and sunglasses. Comparable on DTC channel, low price points, and broad eyewear assortment overlapping with ICU's readers and sunglasses.
- Foster Grant: Heritage brand of reading glasses and sunglasses sold through mass retail and DTC. Closely comparable to ICU on core product (OTC readers) and accessible price tier, though more retail-distributed.
- Peepers by PeeperSpecs: Reading glasses brand focused on fashion-forward designs sold via DTC and wholesale. Comparable to ICU's Wink® and Studio collections targeting style-conscious readers.
- Readers.com: Online-only retailer of reading glasses offering multi-packs and value pricing. Directly comparable to ICU's reading glasses assortment and multipack value bundles.
- Look Optic: Direct-to-consumer reading glasses brand with contemporary designs at accessible prices. Comparable to ICU on DTC-only readers positioning and fashion-led sub-brand approach.
Emerging players
- Gunnar Optiks: Specialist brand in blue light filtering and gaming/computer eyewear. Comparable on ScreenVision™ and Typical Gamer product positioning for digital eye-strain and gaming segments.
- BlueBlockerS: Specialty brand of blue light filtering eyewear and polarized sunglasses sold DTC. Comparable to ICU on blue light category positioning and direct-to-consumer online storefront.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ICU Eyewear social profiles
Digital presenceICU Eyewear financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ICU Eyewear leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
ICU Eyewear funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ICU Eyewear M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ICU Eyewear
What does ICU Eyewear do?
ICU Eyewear designs, manufactures, and sells specialty eyewear including reading glasses, polarized and non-polarized sunglasses, and blue light filtering eyewear for men, women, and children. Products are offered across multiple proprietary sub-brands (SlimVision®, Wink®, ScreenVision™, Studio, Fisherman, Guideline) at price points ranging from under $15 to over $40, sold directly to consumers through its Shopify-powered e-commerce site.
Is ICU Eyewear a public or private company?
ICU Eyewear is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ICU Eyewear founded?
ICU Eyewear was founded in 1956. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is ICU Eyewear based?
ICU Eyewear is headquartered in San Rafael, United States, in the North America region.
How does ICU Eyewear make money?
One revenue line is on record: eyewear Product Sales.
Who are ICU Eyewear's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Warby Parker and GlassesUSA.com. Direct peers are Zenni Optical, EyeBuyDirect, Foster Grant, Peepers by PeeperSpecs, Readers.com and Look Optic. Emerging players are Gunnar Optiks and BlueBlockerS.
Does ICU Eyewear have an API?
No public API is recorded for ICU Eyewear.
What industry is ICU Eyewear in?
ICU Eyewear's product category is Specialty Eyewear. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAAKAG, Reading Glasses (OTC), with a secondary code of CRAAAKAC, Sport & Performance Eyewear. Its NAICS code is 45613 and its SIC code is 3851.