Brien Holden Vision Institute

What Brien Holden Vision Institute does

Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) is a not-for-profit research and development organization incorporated in Australia in 1985 as the Institute for Eye Research and renamed BHVI in 2010. It invents, prototypes, and licenses patented designs for contact lenses, spectacle lenses (including Extended Depth of Focus and myopia control designs using laterally separated optics), and intraocular lenses to market-leading ophthalmic manufacturers. The organization operates two wholly owned subsidiaries, Vision CRC Limited (Australia) and Vision CRC (USA) Inc., which manage intellectual property and technology transfer to industry partners. Patents are granted across more than 14 jurisdictions including the US, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, and the EU.

BHVI's revenue is generated primarily through licensing royalties on its lens design patents, with cumulative R&D reinvestment exceeding AUD 265 million since inception. The organization also operates the free Myopia Calculator — a globally used clinical tool with three calculators (refractive error progression, axial length, myopia onset prediction) accessed by tens of thousands of practitioners monthly — and founded the International Myopia Institute (IMI), which produces consensus white papers and clinical guidelines adopted across the eye care profession. Its go-to-market combines OEM-style IP licensing to enterprise manufacturers with product-led growth via the free Myopia Calculator, supplemented by an annual Myopia Awareness Week campaign in partnership with Review of Myopia Management.

The organization is governed by a Board chaired by Dr Howard Purcell (since October 2023), with CEO Yvette Waddell and Head of Technology Dr Arthur Back leading a 101-250 person scientific and operational team. End customers split between ophthalmic industry partners licensing patented designs and eye care professionals worldwide using BHVI's clinical tools, with the ultimate beneficiary being patients — including children at risk of myopia progression, in a market projected to reach 50% of the global population by 2050.

Name

Brien Holden Vision Institute

Legal name

Brien Holden Vision Institute (ABN 49 081 303 282)

Website

https://bhvi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BHVI is an Australian not-for-profit R&D organization that invents, patents, and licenses innovative contact lens, spectacle lens, and intraocular lens designs to global ophthalmic manufacturers, while providing free clinical tools (Myopia Calculator) and consensus guidelines to eye care professionals worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmic Lens Design and Myopia Research

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Contact Lenses & Care Systems (Soft/RGP/Scleral Lenses; Cleaning/Disinfection Solutions) (HLAHAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Devices (Frames, Lenses, Lens Edging/Finishing Equipment) (HLAHAJAD), Cataract Surgery Systems & IOLs (Phaco Systems, IOLs, Intraoperative Aberrometry, Viscoelastics) (HLAHAJAH), Contact Lens Specialty & Myopia Control (HLAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Ophthalmic lens design
• Myopia management tools
• Contact lens patents
• Intraocular lens design
• Vision science research

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Patent and Design Licensing: BHVI licenses its patented lens designs (contact lenses, spectacle lenses, and intraocular lenses) to market leaders in the ophthalmic industry. This is the primary revenue generation mechanism that funds the organization's R&D activities.
2. R&D Investment from Licensing Revenue: Since its inception three decades ago, BHVI has invested revenues exceeding AUD 265 million into research and development, building a significant intellectual property asset portfolio to ensure long-term viability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Brien Holden Vision Institute invents, prototypes, and licenses innovative ophthalmic lens designs including contact lenses, spectacle lenses, and intraocular lenses (IOLs) that correct refractive errors and slow myopia progression. The organization protects its designs through patents in markets worldwide and licenses them to ophthalmic industry leaders. It also provides free clinical tools such as the Myopia Calculator and supports the International Myopia Institute's evidence-based consensus publications.

Product overview

BHVI is a not-for-profit R&D organization that invents, prototypes, and licenses innovative ophthalmic lens designs. Its product portfolio includes patented contact lens designs, spectacle lens designs (including EDOF and myopia control lenses), and intraocular lens designs—all licensed to ophthalmic industry leaders. BHVI also offers the Myopia Calculator suite (refractive error progression, axial length, and myopia onset predictive calculators), the International Myopia Institute (IMI) with its consensus white papers, and clinical guidelines. The organization exploits its patent portfolio through multi-jurisdictional licensing while supporting the ophthalmic sector with myopia education and evidence-based management tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Myopia Calculator A free online clinical tool designed for eye care practitioners to assess myopia risk and demonstrate the benefits of myopia management interventions over time. Provides refractive error progression, axial length, and myopia onset predictive calculators.
• International Myopia Institute (IMI) A global collaborative initiative dedicated to advancing the understanding and management of myopia through evidence-based consensus, producing White Papers, Clinical Summaries, and educational resources.
• Patented Contact Lens Designs BHVI's patented contact lens designs that address refractive errors including myopia, presbyopia, astigmatism, and hyperopia. Includes EDOF (Extended Depth of Focus) contact lens designs protected by US Patent 11,061,253 B2 and other patents.
• Patented Spectacle Lens Designs BHVI's patented spectacle lens designs for correcting refractive errors and myopia control, including designs featuring laterally separated optics technology.
• Patented Intraocular Lens (IOL) Designs BHVI's patented intraocular lens designs for implantation during cataract surgery and refractive correction, including designs to reduce peripheral pseudophakic dysphotopsia.
• Myopia Clinical Guidelines Evidence-based clinical guidelines covering initial consultation procedures, risk assessment for myopia onset and progression, management strategies, and follow-up protocols. Available in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese.
• IMI Whitepapers Consensus-driven scientific publications covering myopia management, risk factors, interventions, and clinical practice guidance for eye care professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Licensed designs correct refractive errors and slow myopia progression for millions of wearers worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Review of Myopia ManagementcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Strategic partnership for Myopia Awareness Week campaigns. BHVI and Review of Myopia Management have partnered for three consecutive years (as of 2026) to spotlight early detection and intervention for myopia. RMM is a leading online publication for eye care professionals.
• Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Centre (China)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative development partner for the BHVI Myopia Calculator. The partnership combines expertise in eye disease prevention and treatment with BHVI's myopia research capabilities to create a clinically validated risk assessment tool.
• Ulster University (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to the development of the BHVI Myopia Calculator, providing research expertise and validation for the myopia risk prediction modeling.
• Linnaeus University (Sweden)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the international collaboration developing the BHVI Myopia Calculator, contributing research expertise to the myopia management tool.
• International Myopia Institute (IMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBHVI founded the International Myopia Institute following a joint meeting with the World Health Organization. IMI is a global collaborative initiative dedicated to advancing understanding and management of myopia through evidence-based consensus. BHVI continues to actively support IMI.
• University of New South WalescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBHVI is headquartered at UNSW and collaborates with the university's School of Optometry and Vision Science. The partnership supports academic research and provides clinical and educational resources.
• Brien Holden FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated organization providing eye health services to remote, regional and disadvantaged communities in Australia, PNG and Asia (funded by Australian Government and other organisations). BHVI provides direct financial support and in-kind support through staff, premises and administrative assistance.
• Vision CRC LimitedcoreOthersWholly owned subsidiary of BHVI, an Australian company. Part of the BHVI Group corporate structure.
• Vision CRC (USA) InccoreOthersKey service provider and wholly owned subsidiary of BHVI, incorporated in California. Engaged to enhance BHVI's intellectual property portfolio, develop prototypes of innovative lens designs addressing myopia, presbyopia and astigmatism, and transfer technologies to BHVI's industry partners.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI): Asia-Pacific not-for-profit ophthalmic research institute with myopia as a flagship research area. SERI parallels BHVI's R&D-and-licensing posture in the region and is a likely collaborator/competitor for translational myopia programs.
• Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA): Australian not-for-profit ophthalmic research institute with a comparable mission in vision science R&D. CERA shares BHVI's structure and translational research focus, making it the closest analogue in the same geography.
• HOYA Corporation: Japanese specialty manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses (spectacle and contact) and IOLs. HOYA has active myopia management initiatives and competes with BHVI-licensed designs in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Topcon Healthcare: Ophthalmic device company focused on diagnostic imaging, refractive, and surgical equipment. While primarily in adjacent sub-categories, Topcon's myopia management and screening offerings overlap thematically with BHVI's clinical tools.

Broad incumbents

• EssilorLuxottica: Global leader in spectacle lenses and eyewear frames with a major stake in myopia control solutions. Essilor (now EssilorLuxottica) is a relevant counterpart on the spectacle lens side of BHVI's IP portfolio, with former BHVI Chair Dr Howard Purcell having served as SVP there.
• Carl Zeiss Meditec: Medical technology company with a strong ophthalmic devices franchise spanning IOLs, diagnostic equipment, and surgical microscopy. Comparable in IOL patent scope and ophthalmic R&D depth to BHVI's IOL design portfolio.
• Alcon: Global ophthalmic device leader across contact lenses, IOLs, and cataract surgery systems. Alcon is both a potential BHVI licensee and a direct competitor with deep internal R&D and an extensive patent portfolio that overlaps with BHVI's IOL and contact lens design space.
• Bausch + Lomb: Vision care major covering contact lenses, IOLs, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, and consumer eye health. Bausch + Lomb operates across categories where BHVI licenses designs, with comparable scale and global distribution capability.
• Johnson & Johnson Vision: Major global ophthalmic device company spanning contact lenses, IOLs, and surgical equipment. J&J Vision is one of the named market leaders to which BHVI licenses designs, and competes with BHVI-licensed technologies through its own internal R&D.

Direct peers

• CooperVision: Global contact lens manufacturer and BHVI's key commercialization licensee. CooperVision commercialized MiSight and Biofinity Toric — both developed by BHVI's current Head of Technology, Dr Arthur Back — making it the most direct counterpart in turning BHVI's IP into shipped product.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BrienHoldenVisionInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bhvi
• Instagraminstagram.com/brienholdenvision/?hl=en
• Xx.com/brienholden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brien Holden Vision Institute