Central One Optical

What Central One Optical does

Central One Optical is a B2B optical lens manufacturing and finishing laboratory, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Youngstown, Ohio. It operates as one of three sub-brands under the parent Central Lab Group, alongside Cherry Optical (Melvindale, MI) and Homer Optical (Silver Spring, MD; York, PA; Virginia Beach, VA). Together, the group claims over 100 years of collective optical laboratory expertise and runs five regional laboratories across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic United States.

The company's core offering is wholesale optical laboratory services to Eye Care Professionals (ECPs), including optometrists, ophthalmologists, and optical retailers. Service scope spans digital and conventional lens surfacing, No-Glare (anti-reflective) coating processes sourced from leading brand owners, quality lens finishing, and safety eyewear and frames. The portfolio combines proprietary private-label products with major partnered brands, including Essilor's Varilux progressive lenses, Eyezen digital eye strain lenses, and Stellest myopia control lenses, as well as Kodak NL and Shamir Optical Industry lenses. Crizal Natural Look is offered as a No-Glare lens treatment add-on.

Central One Optical operates a sales-led, account-based go-to-market model with self-service onboarding via an "Open An Account" portal. Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee basis as ECPs order lenses and treatments through the lab network, with quote-based pricing and no publicly disclosed price list. Distribution and brand awareness to ECPs are supported through content marketing, an ECP document library, and co-marketed programs with Essilor. Ownership is private, with Central Lab Group as the parent entity overseeing the three operating brands; the company employs 51-100 people and serves U.S. markets in Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Name

Central One Optical

Legal name

Central One Optical

Website

https://centraloneoptical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Central One Optical is a B2B optical laboratory that manufactures and finishes prescription lenses for Eye Care Professionals across five regional U.S. labs operating under the Central Lab Group umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Laboratory Services

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115), Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers (42346)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Optical laboratory services
• Lens surfacing
• Lens finishing
• No-glare treatments
• Prescription eyewear

Headquarters

HQ city

Youngstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Optical Laboratory Services: B2B laboratory services providing lens surfacing, finishing, and treatments to Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) on a service/fee basis

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Central One Optical operates a wholesale optical laboratory providing lens surfacing, lens finishing, and No-Glare treatment services to Eye Care Professionals (ECPs). As part of Central Lab Group, it offers both digital and conventional lens surfacing capabilities, delivers advanced No-Glare processes from leading industry brands, and supplies proprietary private-label products alongside branded lens lines including Varilux, Eyezen, Kodak, Shamir, and Stellest.

Product overview

Central Lab Group operates as a unified optical laboratory network powered by three sub-brands: Central One Optical (Youngstown, OH), Cherry Optical (Melvindale, MI), and Homer Optical (Silver Spring, MD; York, PA; Virginia Beach, VA). Together they offer over 100 years of collective expertise. The core product portfolio includes lenses and treatments (with digital and conventional surfacing), safety eyewear, and frames. They provide technologically advanced No-Glare processes from partner brands including Varilux, Eyezen, Kodak, Shamir, and Stellest, as well as proprietary private-label products. Crizal Natural Look is offered as a lens treatment add-on.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cherry Optical: Optical laboratory brand under Central Lab Group, located in Melvindale, MI
• Homer Optical

Products and services

• Lenses and Treatments Core optical laboratory service providing lens surfacing and No-Glare treatments to Eye Care Professionals (optometrists, ophthalmologists, optical retailers), using both digital and conventional surfacing methods and offering treatment processes from leading industry brands.
• Safety Eyewear Safety eyewear products and associated lens processing services supplied to Eye Care Professionals for occupational and industrial vision protection.
• Frames Eyewear frames supplied to Eye Care Professionals for dispensing alongside prescription lenses to end consumers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EssilorcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEssilor partnership providing ECP programs, Crizal Natural Look treatments, and Stellest brand lenses through Central Lab Group's optical laboratory network
• VariluxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProgressive lens brand available through Central Lab Group laboratories for ECP dispensing
• EyezencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital eye strain lens brand available through Central Lab Group laboratories
• KodakcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKodak NL lens brand available through Central Lab Group laboratories for ECPs
• Shamir Optical IndustrycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProgressive and occupational lens brand available through Central Lab Group laboratories

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VSPOne Optics: Wholesale optical laboratory network affiliated with VSP Vision, providing lens fabrication and finishing services to ECPs. Comparable as a multi-location wholesale lab serving independent optometry practices through similar service channels.
• HOYA Vision Care: Global ophthalmic lens manufacturer and wholesale laboratory operating in the US, producing and finishing prescription lenses for ECPs. Comparable in surfacing/finishing capabilities, advanced lens brands, and ECP distribution model.
• National Lens: Independent US wholesale optical laboratory offering lens surfacing, finishing, and coating services to Eye Care Professionals. Comparable mid-sized independent optical lab competing in overlapping geographies with Central Lab Group.
• Precision Optical Group: US wholesale optical laboratory providing prescription lens fabrication, finishing, and coatings to ECPs across multiple regions. Comparable business model as a multi-site independent lab serving the same ECP customer base.
• Carl Zeiss Vision: Premium optical lens and lab provider offering precision free-form and finished lenses to ECPs and retailers in North America. Comparable in digital surfacing technology, premium brand positioning, and lens manufacturing capabilities.
• Walman Optical: Large independent US wholesale optical laboratory providing lens surfacing, finishing, and coating services to ECPs across a multi-state footprint. Directly comparable in business model, customer base (ECPs), and product mix to Central Lab Group.

Others

• Warby Parker: Vertically integrated D2C eyewear brand that owns its prescription lens lab and bypasses traditional ECP channels. Included as an adjacent competitive and structural threat that could erode Central Lab Group's ECP customer base over time.
• Zenni Optical: D2C eyewear retailer fulfilling prescription glasses directly to consumers with vertically integrated manufacturing. Included as an adjacent structural threat to the traditional ECP-dependent wholesale lab channel that Central Lab Group serves.

Broad incumbents

• EssilorLuxottica: Global eyewear and lens conglomerate operating the largest US network of prescription lens laboratories plus premium brands including Varilux, Crizal, and Stellest. Directly comparable lab operations, but operates as a much larger vertically integrated incumbent and a key upstream partner to Central Lab Group.

Emerging players

• Plexus Optix: Smaller independent optical laboratory providing surfacing and finishing services to ECPs. Comparable in core B2B lab services, though smaller in scale than Central Lab Group's network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Central One Optical