Semi-Finished Lens Blanks
In early 2024, Chadwick Optical took over operations of Aire-O-Lite Optical, a lens manufacturer known for producing some of the most exotic and hard to find lenses in the world.
We inherited an inventory of tens of thousands of glass molds. What you see as a semi-finished lens is a combination of a front curve, a back curve, and a gasket with a certain depth. If necessary, we have the ability to cast lenses using non-typical combinations of molds and gaskets.
Please contact us for a product guide or if you want to discuss something out of the ordinary.
Orders may be placed online with OPTICOM or directly through us. Please contact us to set up an account before ordering.
Lens Availability
We typically keep stock of our most popular lenses, but many lenses are made to order. Custom-molded lenses require a lead time of a week or more.
Aire-O-Lite History
From 1978 to 2024, Aire-O-Lite Optical became known for manufacturing the most unique semi-finished lens blanks available. High adds and high curves were no match for the ingenuity of Aire-O-Lite’s founder, Donnie Dyal.
In 2020, Donnie and his son Bryan passed away suddenly, leaving Aire-O-Lite’s future uncertain. Luckily, Bryan’s sons, Dawson and Eli remembered what they had learned while working summers and were able to keep the manufacturing processes alive. In 2024, a fire destroyed the manufacturing process, and the company decided to close.
A New Life
Like so many other labs, Chadwick has relied on Aire-O-Lite for years for hard-to-find lenses. Upon hearing of the closure of Aire-O-Lite, the folks at Chadwick Optical sprung into action.
There was no staff. There were documented processes, a bunch of glass molds, some inventory, and Dawson and Eli eager to keep their grandfather’s legacy alive.
In just over 3 months, the team at Chadwick brought a fully functional lens casting facility online in their Pennsylvania factory. For some perspective, this is similar to a restaurant opening up a dairy farm to make their own cheese, or a machine shop opening up a metal foundry to make their own metal. Chadwick no longer just processes materials; we make the materials as well.
