Multilens

What Multilens does

Multilens AB is a Swedish specialty optical solutions manufacturer headquartered in Mölnlycke, Sweden, founded in 1983 by Lars Hellström to serve people with severe visual impairments whose needs exceed what standard optics can address. The company designs, manufactures, and assembles its entire product portfolio locally in Mölnlycke under ISO 13485:2016 certification and full EU MDR compliance, spanning six product categories: specialty contact lenses (soft sterile and rigid gas-permeable), the Lens Program of spectacle lenses (stock and custom Rx), ML Filter selective light-absorbing filters (including yellow/orange/red contrast and pastel comfort filters plus the ML LLR variant targeting LED glare), ML Binova reading glasses with built-in prism compensation for high-addition binocular vision (powers from +1.0 D to +16.0 D), frames including bio-material castor-oil and bio-acetate ranges, and a low-vision aids line of head-mounted magnification and telescopic systems (ML Aplanat, ML Vidi, ML Focus, ML Combi, ML Combi Short, ML RP, ML Bi2, ML Peli Prism). Notable proprietary technology includes the world's first aplanatic system for low vision and the first plastic-material wavelength-selective filters, both founded on 40 years of accumulated optical know-how; ML Prima+ coating is used on key products to reduce distortion.

The business operates a B2B go-to-market model in which opticians and optometrists across the Nordic region prescribe and dispense Multilens products to end users. Ordering is supported through the store.multilens.com B2B webshop, a phone and email customer-service team, and a dedicated four-person Rx expert department that calculates customized optical solutions for infrequent and complex cases. Pricing is quote-based rather than list-published, with order confirmations specifying delivery times and prices per order; ML Academy content, optometrist training courses, and field visits by specialists like Eva Zschüttig Wigh function as customer-development and education channels. End-user value is functional rather than consumer-marketed — enabling reading, screen viewing, outdoor orientation, and daily-task performance for patients whose vision cannot be corrected by mainstream optics.

Multilens is privately held by the founding family, with the founder's sons continuing to run operations and no external investors, private equity owners, or parent company disclosed. The company employs approximately 80 staff, up from the original founding team of five, with long-tenured specialists such as Anders Larsson (33 years) and Mattias Davidsson (17 years) anchoring core optical and Rx expertise. Distribution is concentrated in Sweden and the broader Nordic/Scandinavian region, with global product reach for core lines and Sweden-only restrictions on Schweizer magnifiers. Revenue mix draws from one-time product sales spanning standardized SKUs and individual custom-made Rx solutions.

Name

Multilens

Legal name

Multilens AB

Website

https://multilens.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Multilens is a privately held Swedish specialty optical solutions manufacturer founded in 1983, serving opticians and optometrists across the Nordic region with ISO 13485-certified precision optics — including specialty contact lenses, ML Binova reading glasses with prism compensation, ML Filter light-absorbing filters, and head-mounted low-vision magnification systems — for end users whose needs exceed standard optics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialized Optical Products

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115), Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers (423460), Optical Goods Retailers (45613), Offices of Optometrists (62132)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Devices (Frames, Lenses, Lens Edging/Finishing Equipment) (HLAHAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Contact Lenses & Care Systems (Soft/RGP/Scleral Lenses; Cleaning/Disinfection Solutions) (HLAHAJAE), Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses) (HLAKAKAL), Reading Glasses (OTC) (CRAAAKAG), Sunglasses (Non-Prescription) (CRAAAKAB)

Keywords

• Special optics solutions
• Low vision aids
• Precision optical products
• Spectacle lens manufacturing
• Specialty contact lenses

Headquarters

HQ city

Mölnlycke

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Optical Products Sales: Sales of contact lenses, spectacle lenses, filters, frames, reading glasses, and low vision aids. Both standard products and custom/individualized solutions.
2. Custom Rx Solutions: Tailor-made individualized optical solutions produced according to customer specifications including pupil distance, prescription, frame choices, and custom parameters.
3. Optical Systems and Assemblies: Complex optical systems including mounting, assembly, and finishing of specialized solutions like ML Vidi, ML Focus, ML Combi, and other telescopic/low vision systems.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Multilens develops, manufactures, and distributes precision optical solutions for special vision needs that normal optics cannot address. Its portfolio spans soft and rigid gas permeable contact lenses, stock and custom Rx spectacle lenses, selective light-absorbing filters, reading glasses with prism compensation (ML Binova, ML Mono), frames (including bio-material variants), and head-mounted low vision optical systems (ML Aplanat, ML Vidi, ML Focus, ML Combi, ML RP, ML Bi2). Products are sold primarily to opticians and optometrists across the Nordic region who fit them for end users with visual impairments, complex prescriptions, or specialty requirements.

Product overview

Multilens is a Swedish optics company specializing in precision optical solutions for people with special vision needs who cannot be helped by normal optics. The product portfolio includes: (1) Contact Lenses and Spectacle Lenses through the Lens Program; (2) ML Filter selective light-absorbing filters for contrast enhancement, glare reduction, and medical applications; (3) Reading Glasses including the ML Binova family (ML Binova Easy, ML Binova Pro, ML Binova RX) with prism compensation and the ML Mono single-eye solution; (4) Low Vision Aids encompassing head-mounted optical systems (ML Aplanat, ML Vidi, ML Focus, ML Combi, ML Combi Short, ML RP, ML Bi2, ML Peli Prism) and magnifiers/binoculars from Schweizer; (5) ML SightOptimizer clip-on reading enhancement spectacles; and (6) Frames including bio-material frames, standard, half, sun, and cover frames. The company operates a webshop for standard products and an RX department for custom optical calculations. Products are developed, manufactured, and assembled locally in Mölnlycke, Sweden.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ML Binova: Reading glasses with high powers from +1.0 D to +16.0 D, featuring prism compensation for comfortable reading.
• ML Filter
• ML Vidi
• ML SightOptimizer
• ML Mono

Products and services

• Contact Lenses Specialty contact lenses — soft (sterile) and rigid gas permeable — designed for patients with special optical needs that standard contact lens ranges cannot address; sold through Multilens to opticians and optometrists.
• Lens Program Spectacle lenses spanning the stock lens range plus fully individualized custom Rx orders produced to customer specifications including pupil distance, prescription, and frame parameters.
• ML Filter Selective plastic light-absorbing filters that precisely control which wavelengths of light are affected, based on 40 years of accumulated filter knowledge; used for contrast enhancement, glare reduction (including LED headlight glare), medical applications, and UV/blue-light protection.
• ML Binova Reading Glasses Prism-compensated reading glasses for relaxed binocular reading at high additions, ranging from +1.0 D to +16.0 D, with Easy and Pro stock configurations plus a fully custom RX variant for high cylinder, anisometropia, or ML Filter integration.
• ML Mono Reading Glasses Reading glasses providing high powers (> +5.0 D) on one side only, for people who rely on a single eye or whose addition is too high for comfortable binocular vision.
• ML SightOptimizer Add-on spectacles worn over regular glasses that provide extra near-vision addition with convergence prisms and ML Prima+ coating for clearer rendering and reduced distortion.
• Frames Eyewear frames offered across standard, half, sun, and cover configurations, including bio-material (castor-oil-derivative and bio-acetate, biodegradable, phthalate-free) variants as well as sport and Filtercover designs.
• Low Vision Optical Systems (ML Aplanat, ML Vidi, ML Focus, ML Combi, ML Combi Short, ML RP, ML Bi2, ML A2, ML Peli Prism) Head-mounted telescopic and prism-based optical systems for people with very poor vision: Aplanatic, Galilean, reverse Galilean, binocular, variable-focus monocular, and prism-based designs assembled in Mölnlycke for tasks such as TV viewing, computer screen reading, indoor orientation, distance viewing (e.g., house numbers), tunnel-vision field expansion, and near-distance low vision work.
• Schweizer Magnifiers Handheld magnifying glasses, pocket magnifiers, Visolett magnifiers and reading bars, and monoculars from the Schweizer brand, distributed by Multilens within Sweden only.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80 employees grown from original family team of 5

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HumanWare: Canadian manufacturer of assistive technologies for the blind and low vision, including head-mounted magnification systems and specialty optical aids. Directly comparable product category to Multilens's ML Vidi and ML Focus line, both serving low-vision patients via specialized optical hardware.
• Eschenbach Optik: German-headquartered specialist in low-vision aids, magnifiers, and specialty optical systems for visually impaired users. Closely comparable to Multilens in product scope (telescopic systems, magnifiers, filters) and channel (B2B to opticians) with European geographic overlap.
• Schweizer Optik: German low-vision magnifier and optics specialist whose products Multilens currently distributes in Sweden. Closely comparable product category (handheld magnifiers, monoculars) and partially overlapping distribution; represents both a partner and direct category competitor.
• Optelec: Dutch low-vision aids specialist offering magnifiers, telescopic systems, and electronic reading devices. Comparable to Multilens in low-vision optical systems and European optician-led distribution.

Emerging players

• Enhanced Vision (a Zoomax company): US-based low-vision aids manufacturer offering electronic and optical magnification devices for the visually impaired. Comparable specialty product category to Multilens's ML Focus and ML Vidi, with focus on electronic devices rather than purely optical systems.

Broad incumbents

• CooperVision: Major global contact lens manufacturer spanning soft, RGP, and specialty lenses. Directly comparable to Multilens's specialty contact lens portfolio, but operates at vastly larger commercial scale across mainstream and specialty segments.
• EssilorLuxottica: Global ophthalmic giant producing spectacle lenses (Varilux), frames, and contact lenses across mass and specialty segments. Overlaps with Multilens on spectacle lenses, contact lenses, and frames, but operates at vastly greater scale and broader product breadth.
• HOYA Corporation: Japanese lens manufacturer with strong European presence producing spectacle lenses, photochromic lenses, and specialty optics. Comparable to Multilens in spectacle lens manufacturing but at much greater scale and international breadth.
• Bausch + Lomb: Global eye-health company producing contact lenses, lens care solutions, and ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. Overlaps with Multilens on contact lenses but at mass-market scale across mainstream vision care categories.
• ZEISS Vision Care: Carl Zeiss Meditec's vision care division producing precision spectacle lenses, ophthalmic instruments, and specialty optics. Overlaps with Multilens's lens manufacturing and specialty optic expertise but serves the broader market including mainstream prescriptions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/multilensab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/multilens
• Instagraminstagram.com/multilensab

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Multilens