HECHT Contactlinsen GmbH

What HECHT Contactlinsen GmbH does

HECHT Contactlinsen GmbH is a German manufacturer of individually customized rigid gas-permeable and soft contact lenses, founded in 1978 and headquartered in Au bei Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg. The company produces lenses to individual specifications based on corneal topography, with proprietary geometries including the 1979-patented ASCON® aspherical back-surface design, seefree® orthokeratology night lenses, the KAKC keratoconus family, MSK mini-scleral lenses, and the newly launched ease 3-month soft lens (2026). Supporting the hardware is APEX SOFTWARE, a proprietary fitting calculation tool integrated with OCULUS topographer systems, plus the concare® care-solutions family (all-in-one, peroxide, hyaluronate drops). HECHT holds ISO 13485:2017 and EU MDR 2017/745 certifications.

The business operates an exclusively B2B model, selling only to registered eye care specialists (opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists) through a Germany-wide field sales team with optical training, a specialist-only webshop, six wholly-owned subsidiaries (INVISIO, Tech-Lens, Contactlinsen NOSCH, Medilens Säntis, Conóptica, ASCON Contactlinsen AG), and authorized distribution partners across nine European countries. Revenue is generated via unit pricing on custom-manufactured lenses, pay-as-you-go orders through the webshop, paid seminar programs (HECHT Seminarwelt), and the concare® consumables line. A 3-month credit/goodwill policy on rigid lenses and 2-month policy on soft lenses supports reorder economics.

Since 2024, the company has operated under majority ownership of Novum Capital following founder Dieter Muckenhirn's transition out of leadership; his son Stefan Muckenhirn continues as a managing director alongside Wolfgang Seitz and Johannes Zupfer. The company employs over 110 people across its European footprint, won 1st place in the markt intern 2025 Leistungsspiegel Kontaktlinsen ranking, and maintains scientific partnerships with Ernst-Abbe-Fachhochschule Jena and Hochschule Aalen.

Name

HECHT Contactlinsen GmbH

Legal name

HECHT Contactlinsen GmbH

Website

https://hecht-contactlinsen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HECHT Contactlinsen GmbH manufactures individually customized rigid and soft contact lenses, selling exclusively B2B to registered eye care specialists across nine European countries via field sales, a webshop, and six wholly-owned subsidiaries. Founded 1978 in Germany, majority-owned by Novum Capital since 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Au bei Freiburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Contact Lens Manufacturing and Sales: HECHT manufactures and sells individually customized rigid and soft contact lenses to eye care specialists (opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists). Orders are placed via the HECHT webshop or directly through subsidiaries. Lenses are billed per unit, with a return/goodwill policy allowing credits within 3 months (rigid) or 2 months (soft) for identical reorders.
2. Care Solutions and Accessories: Sale of proprietary care products under the concare® brand family, including all-in-one solutions, peroxide systems (concare® sept and concare® sept intense), cleaning agents (concare® lipoclean), and lubrication drops (concare® hy-lub plus).
3. Seminars and E-Learnings: HECHT offers paid seminars (in-person and online) and free e-learnings for eye care professionals. Seminar cancellation policy: free up to 4 weeks before, 50% fee for later cancellations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HECHT manufactures and sells individually customized rigid gas-permeable (formstable) and soft contact lenses to registered eye care specialists (opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists). The portfolio spans standard corrections plus specialty lenses for orthokeratology (overnight vision correction), keratoconus, multifocal/presbyopia, and pediatric myopia management, supported by proprietary APEX fitting software and a care solutions line (concare®). Orders are processed through a B2B webshop, field sales force, and European subsidiaries.

Product overview

HECHT Contactlinsen GmbH is a German manufacturer of individual, custom-made contact lenses, producing both rigid gas-permeable (formstable) and soft contact lenses. The product portfolio centers on three core categories: (1) formstable lenses including ASCON® (the foundational aspherical design patented in 1979), seefree® for overnight orthokeratology, BIAS for toric corrections, the KAKC family for keratoconus, and MSK mini-scleral lenses; (2) soft lenses including the new ease 3-month lens, vVisell and C-Form® annual lenses (all available in spherical, toric, and multifocal variants); and (3) the concare® care solution line. Supporting these products are proprietary APEX SOFTWARE for fitting calculations, the HECHT Wissenscenter knowledge base, and a comprehensive seminar and e-learning program. The company also offers myopia management solutions (myLIFE seefree® and myLIFE BIAS) for children. HECHT operates primarily as a B2B supplier to eye care professionals (opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists) across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other European markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ASCON®: First contact lens with progressive aspherical back surface design, patented in 1979
• seefree®
• ease
• concare®
• myLIFE
• APEX SOFTWARE

Products and services

• ASCON® Asphärische Kontaktlinse The first contact lens with a progressive aspherical back surface design, individually customized rigid gas-permeable lens for eye care specialists and their patients.
• seefree® Ortho-K Nachtlinse Rigid gas-permeable orthokeratology contact lens worn overnight to temporarily reshape the cornea, indicated for myopia up to -4.5 dpt and astigmatism up to -2.5 dpt.
• ease 3-Monatslinse Individual soft 3-month contact lens available in ease multiN (near support with high addition) and ease multiD (occasional near support), both also in toric versions.
• vVisell Individual Soft Annual Lens Individual soft annual contact lens available in spherical, toric (dynamic toric DT or prismatic toric PT), and multifocal (Vita) variants.
• C-Form® Individual Soft Annual Lens Individual soft annual contact lens available in spherical, toric (DT or PT), and multifocal (Vita) variants.
• BIAS Formstabile Lens Formstable contact lens with toric back surface design, one of HECHT's base geometries for contact lens fitting.
• KAKC Keratokonus-Familie Family of formstable contact lenses for keratoconus patients including KAKC, QUADRO-KA, and QUADRO-AS for quadrant-specific fitting of irregular corneas.
• MSK Minisklerallinsen Mini scleral contact lenses (MSK-KA4 and MSK-KA4 Reverse) for advanced keratoconus when standard corneal lenses no longer fit adequately.
• myLIFE seefree® / myLIFE BIAS Myopia Management Lenses Myopia management contact lenses for children based on Ortho-K technology (seefree®) and a specially designed formstable lens (BIAS).
• concare® Care Solutions Family Care solution product family for contact lenses including concare® all-in-one, concare® hy-lub plus (preservative-free hyaluronate drops), concare® sept and concare® sept intense (peroxide systems), and concare® lipoclean (alcohol-based cleaner).
• APEX SOFTWARE Proprietary software for specialists to calculate initial fitting parameters for HECHT contact lenses based on corneal topography data from OCULUS topographer systems.
• HECHT Seminarwelt (Seminars and E-Learnings) Paid in-person and online seminar program plus e-learnings covering contact lens fitting, orthokeratology, keratoconus, scleral lenses, slit lamp techniques, multifocal fitting, and myopia management.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INVISIO Contactlinsen GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999First contact lens institute opened in Wiesbaden in 1999 as a HECHT subsidiary. INVISIO provides fitting services and serves as a model for the company's specialist-focused approach.
• Tech-LenscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSubsidiary in Munich for contact lens distribution to eye opticians and eye doctors, with an integrated contact lens institute.
• ConópticacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarket leader for rigid contact lenses in Spain. A HECHT subsidiary serving the Spanish market.
• Medilens SäntiscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSubsidiary in St. Gallen, Switzerland for manufacturing and distribution of contact lenses for eye doctors and eye opticians, including a contact lens institute.
• Contactlinsen NOSCHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorContact lens institute in Freiburg acquired in autumn 2016, now part of the HECHT family.
• ASCON Contactlinsen AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBased in Bern, Switzerland. ASCON Contactlinsen AG is both a subsidiary and the brand name of the company's patented aspherical contact lens technology.
• EMEA (European Medical & Eye Association)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorised distribution partner for Slovenia and Croatia.
• EGOptikaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorised distribution partner for Latvia.
• HECHT PolskaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial distribution partner for Poland.
• HECHT AustriaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorised distribution partner for Austria.
• ASCON ItalyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorised distribution partner for Italy.
• EFCLINminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational meeting platform and forum for manufacturers, wholesalers & distributors of contact lenses and IOLs. HECHT is a member.
• SPECTARISminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman industry association representing the interests of 400 member companies in the innovation sectors of eye optics, photonics, analytics, and medical technology.
• VDCO (Vereinigung Deutscher Contactlinsen-Spezialisten und Optometristen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of German Contact Lens Specialists and Optometrists.
• Ernst-Abbe-Fachhochschule JenaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner - University of Applied Sciences in Jena.
• Hochschule AalenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific cooperation partner - University of Applied Sciences in Aalen.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Menicon: Japan-based global contact lens manufacturer with a strong specialty rigid gas-permeable lens portfolio (Menicon Z, ortho-K) competing broadly with HECHT's form-stable lens range. Far larger scale and broader geographic reach than HECHT but overlapping specialty lens offerings.
• CooperVision (CooperCompanies): Global contact lens manufacturer (part of CooperCompanies) with significant specialty lens portfolio including MiSight for myopia management. Broader scope than HECHT but increasingly overlapping in the myopia management segment where HECHT has myLIFE seefree® and BIAS.

Direct peers

• Safilens: Italian manufacturer of specialty soft contact lenses including daily disposable, multifocal, and myopia management lenses (e.g., Acanthamoeba-resistant formulations). Overlaps with HECHT's soft lens portfolio and shares the B2B specialist distribution model across Southern Europe.
• SynergEyes: US manufacturer of hybrid contact lenses (rigid center, soft skirt) for keratoconus and irregular corneas. Comparable specialty positioning to HECHT's keratoconus and scleral lens portfolio, with primary US presence and expanding international reach.
• SwissLens (formerly known as Cantor + Nissel): Swiss manufacturer of individual custom-made contact lenses (rigid, soft, scleral, ortho-K) sold through eye care professionals across Europe. Highly comparable to HECHT in product breadth, customization depth, and specialist-only distribution model.
• Procornea: Dutch manufacturer of custom-made specialty contact lenses (rigid, scleral, ortho-K) sold through eye care practitioners in Benelux and broader Europe. Closely comparable product range to HECHT and serves the same independent specialist channel.
• Wöhlk Contactlinsen (Carl Zeiss Meditec subsidiary): German specialty contact lens manufacturer offering custom rigid and soft lenses including ZEISS contact lens brands. Headquartered in Schönkirchen, Germany, with B2B specialist sales model identical to HECHT's — directly competes in DACH market for custom specialty lens fittings.
• BostonSight: US-based nonprofit manufacturer of PROSE and scleral lenses for patients with keratoconus, ocular surface disease, and irregular corneas. Comparable niche specialty positioning to HECHT's MSK mini-scleral and KAKC keratoconus product families.
• mark'ennovy (markenNOVY): Spanish manufacturer of custom-made specialty soft contact lenses for presbyopia, keratoconus, myopia control, and astigmatism. Directly competes with HECHT's vVisell, C-Form, and ease soft lens lines across European markets, with overlapping B2B specialist distribution model.
• Falco Linsen: Swiss manufacturer of individually manufactured rigid gas-permeable contact lenses for keratoconus, ortho-K, and standard fittings. Directly competes with HECHT's ASCON, seefree, and KAKC product lines in the DACH market through specialist-only B2B distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Hecht.Contactlinsen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hecht-contactlinsen
• Instagraminstagram.com/hechtcontactlinsen

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 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 HECHT Contactlinsen GmbH