A premium progressive lens from one manufacturer has no equivalent carrying the same name at another. There is no official cross-reference between catalogues, and yet that is exactly the question raised every time a usual reference stops being available.
Why product lines don't compare across brands
Commercial names belong to each manufacturer and say nothing about a lens's actual tier. The same word can mark the entry level at one brand and the middle of the range at another. A second difficulty sits on top: retail chains distribute collections under their own name, manufactured by a third-party lens maker, which adds a layer of indirection when comparing.
In practice the optician reconstructs that match from memory, or from documentation scattered across several supplier catalogues. The answer depends on the experience of whoever is at the counter, and leaves with them.
How the comparison table is structured
The table does not sort lenses by brand but by quality tier, in rows, with one column per brand. Reading a row left to right means reading every equivalent reference on the market at that tier.
Tiers are themselves grouped by surfacing family, because an entry-level freeform lens and an entry-level traditional lens are not replacements for one another:
| Surfacing family | What it groups |
|---|---|
| Traditional | Classic surfacing, two quality tiers. |
| Digital | Digitally computed back surface, two tiers. |
| Freeform | Point-by-point optimisation, three tiers. |
| Individualised | Wearer parameters taken into account, two tiers. |
A brand can occupy several columns when it distributes several distinct collections. Every cell carries the exact commercial name of the reference, as printed in the manufacturer's catalogue.
Three situations where an equivalence pays off
- A reference out of stock
The customer's usual lens can no longer be delivered within the promised window. You need a replacement at the same tier, without reopening the whole quality conversation.
- A quote to answer
The customer brings a quote written elsewhere, on a brand the store does not carry. Placing that reference in the hierarchy lets you answer on the tier rather than on price alone.
- A change of supplier
The store moves some or all of its orders to another manufacturer. The table is the conversion map between the old catalogue and the new one, tier by tier.
What the comparison table holds today
- 30 brands as columns, manufacturers and retail chains alike.
- Over 50 collections, a single brand possibly carrying several.
- Over 250 matched products spread across the quality tiers.
- 4 surfacing families, from traditional to individualised.
The table is readable in full without an account, and follows manufacturers' catalogue updates.
Open the comparison tableFrequently asked questions
What is an equivalence between two lenses based on?
On where the lens sits in its own manufacturer's tier hierarchy, and on its surfacing family. Two references placed on the same row hold the same rank at two different brands, which does not mean they share an identical geometry.
Are retail chains included in the table?
Yes. Collections distributed under a chain's own name appear as columns in their own right, alongside manufacturers', because that is the name a customer walks in with.
Does the comparison include prices?
No. It gives the tier and the equivalent reference. Pricing depends on the agreements between each store and its supplier, and holds no general value.
How do I report a missing or wrong match?
From the contact page, naming both references involved. Corrections sent in by stores are checked against the manufacturer's catalogue before being published.