The Walk With Raffa: Vision Reimagined - See More, Be More Raffaella Campagnoli talks with Andrea Fornari, Head of GCC Export, at EssilorLuxottica.



It's late morning, Dubai is stretching into its best desert light. I'm walking through immersive showroom with Andrea Fornari, EssilorLuxottica's Middle East and International Export leader, one of the fastest growing European companies and GCC market leader. EssilorLuxottica, indeed, over-leads the US$100 billion global eyecare market with a US$130 billion capitalization.

We walk past a timeline etched on the wall – "170 years of innovation in eyewear and lenses." From the first plastic lens to today's AI-enabled smart glasses. The company is operating at the

intersection of med-tech, digital, luxury and now hearing solutions. It sits at the centre of a complex multi-channel distribution model, including wholesale, retail (launched in 1995 with the acquisition of Lens Crafters and in 2001 with Sunglass Hut), licensing (started with Giorgio Armani in 1988), online and franchising.

"We don't just make eyewear," Andrea tells me. "We help people see the world better, so they feel and live better in it."

See More, Be More: The Purpose Behind our Products.

The showroom is displaying frames and showing an integrated ecosystem: the path connecting the dots between health, welbeing, design, and individual's identity. "Our mission is to empower humanity," Andrea says. "Not in abstract terms, but, literally, to help people see more clearly, and as a result, live more fully." Good vision improves learning, work performance, safety,

emotional connection. To see more means to be more, especially as the world's population continues to age. And yet, more than 2.2 billion people globally still suffer from uncorrected poor vision. "It's not just about correcting sight," Andrea says. "It's about unlocking life."

There, I ask Andrea to explain the meaning of such a powerful and, to be fair, almost arrogant, payoff. He comes out with a number of examples actually shifting my mindset from an eyewear manufacturer to a longevity-muscled player… It's a bold idea. It rings true. Let's discover it!

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We stop by a display showing the Stellest™ lenses, a groundbreaking innovation for childhood myopia. Though they look like ordinary lenses, they represent the future of eye care. "These lenses can slow myopia progression by up to c7% in children under 12," Andrea explains. "We operate within a med-care space: preventive health."

Preventing myopia is becoming increasingly important. By 2050, more than half of the world's population is expected to be affected. On top, over the last 20 years our way of living has changed radically, worsening. Screen time almost doubled, the number of hours spent outdoors decreased from 3 to 1 hour. Only these two factors speed up myopia development, especially in children. "Eyecare Meets Medcare" means leveraging on preventive eyecare and focusing on people's wellbeing. With the Middle East facing rising rates of digital device use among kids, early vision correction becomes critical. It's not only about clearer blackboards—it's about protecting their futures.

Raffaella Campagnoli talks with Andrea Fornari, Head of GCC Export, at EssilorLuxottica.
Source: Raffaella Campagnoli

Another example is the acquisition, last July 2024, of a majority stake in Heidelberg Engineering. Specialized in advanced diagnostic imaging devices for eye care professionals and focusing on innovative technologies for ophthalmology and optometry, the acquisition is an additional step towards EssilorLuxottica's strategy to expand into the med-tech space: diagnostic solutions and digital surgical technologies for ophthalmology, aligning with EssilorLuxottica's vision care expertise.

At that point, the walk stops in front of the next big thing. We get to the new Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses showcare, recently launched in the UAE. I try them on. They feel light, familiar. Almost the usual Rayban shape as usual. But they made me feel much more powerful and a bit arrogant, indeed.

"Hey Meta, translate this sign." It works, seamlessly. "Hey Meta, what's the temperature outside this office? How long do I need to go back to Marina?" It works, no need to watch my phone's screen. I have the answers. Magic!

"These glasses aren't gimmicks," Andrea tells me. "They let you be present and connected at the same time. For creators, for travelers, for anyone really." Hands-free video, music, Meta AI voice interaction. It's a new kind of human-tech balance. And the fact they still look like classic Ray-Ban? That's the point. "Innovation should feel natural, not forced," Andrea says. "It should empower, not distract." I nod. These aren't for the tech elite. They're for everyone who wants more from their everyday. My reflection goes immediately on how many competitive benchmarks could have been 10 times faster and easier with those glasses on.

May 2025 roll-out included pop-up experiences in Dubai Mall, along with influencer-led storytelling campaigns. "This is not a tech launch. It's a cultural shift". We're nudging people to rethink what eyewear even means."

My experience in reimagining the meaning of sight is not over. We pause by a new wall showcasing different lens types. "Most people think a lens is a lens. It's not, instead. Quality matters. For every single vision." He explains how lens education is foundational to better eye care. Scratch resistance, UV protection, blue light filtering—these aren't luxuries. They are daily life health

decisions. And in a region like the GCC, with intense sunlight and growing screen exposure, these choices matter. "We want education to be part of our mission," Andrea says. "Whether in our showrooms, our partners' stores, or our campaigns."

He highlights Leonardo, EssilorLuxottica's global e-learning platform, which offers thousands of courses, micro-learning modules, and certification programs for eye care professionals—both internal teams and external partners. "It's how we bring the science of vision to the frontlines". In the GCC, EssilorLuxottica has introduced in-store digital kiosks allowing customers to compare different lenses types in real time and learn about the benefits of features like premium coatings, light filtering, and eye fatigue reduction.

Raffaella Campagnoli talks with Andrea Fornari, Head of GCC Export, at EssilorLuxottica.
Source: Raffaella Campagnoli

These features are making a difference for how we see the world, ho we feel into it and so how we live. This is obvious, but not so obvious at the end. Right? How can you guys work on all those topics, together?

Well, I get to know that EssilorLuxottica owns 44 RsD facilities around the world, 13,000+ patents, a vertically integrated supply chain. "We control every step—from material to manufacturing to design to distribution," says Andrea. That means faster innovation, tighter quality control, more capacity to respond to local needs working together on the mandate of making this world a better one, for all human beings. "We want to lead, yes—however we do that in a way that's rooted in empathy, culture, and human relevance."

We wrap up our walk by the digital vision test area. An elegant space where eye scans meet mobile diagnostics. "This is where we're going," Andrea says. "Vision care that's proactive, intelligent, and part of how people live—not just something they fix when it breaks."

That means more innovation in smart eyewear, hearing solutions, AI-assisted vision diagnostics, and outreach through the OneSight Foundation, which provides access to vision care in underserved communities.

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