The second lesson in adapting to technology advances is just as important as positioning. (See the first part of the series here)
Define the ecosystem—or it will be defined for you.
We’re already seeing this play out.
Meta didn’t wait for the vision industry to define AI glasses. Meta did it on its own.
A year ago, “AI glasses” wasn’t even a category. It certainly wasn’t defined by traditional incumbents in optics or eye care. But now it’s mainstream—and it makes sense.
Smart glasses have cameras.
Cameras capture visual data.
The visual data is processed via computer vision.
Computer vision requires artificial intelligence.
AI labels the world—cars, faces, buildings, environments—and that data flows directly into Meta’s ecosystem: Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Threads.
This is how platforms are built.
Now here’s the critical point: the supply chain is still largely controlled by the vision industry.
Frames.
Lenses.
Prescription optics.
That’s not trivial. And it’s not guaranteed to remain protected.
Strategic partnerships are forming. But partnerships are also learning environments.
At some point, a consumer tech company may decide:
“Thank you for the collaboration. We’ve got this from here.”
That’s not malicious. That’s how business works.
So, how do we stay in the game?
We need to be strategic across three layers: hardware, services and applications.
-
Hardware
Who owns the sensors?
Who controls critical components?
Who understands manufacturing at scale?
If hardware is your strength, deepen it. Acquire strategically. Partner intelligently.
-
Services
We will not own the operating systems. That battle is expensive and entrenched.
But we can build a services layer that sits across platforms—especially one tied to health, vision and human performance.
Anything health-related becomes a medical conversation.
Anything medical requires trust.
And trust already lives with eye care providers.
-
Applications
Diagnostics should evolve into applications that integrate seamlessly into smart-glasses ecosystems.
Visual fields.
Peripheral awareness.
Functional vision.
These aren’t just clinical metrics—they’re valuable signals in broader ecosystems like mobility, safety and even advertising.
This isn’t about abandoning who we are. It’s about expanding how we define ourselves.
I saw this firsthand while advising Magic Leap early on. The company was early—perhaps too early—in spatial computing. But recently, it redefined itself as a critical supply-chain partner for smart glasses.
Magic Leap’s transformation was both instructive and necessary. Not many recall it as being pioneers in spatial computing, but it has found a foothold to be integral to the smartglasses supply chain.
The vision industry can learn a lesson from Magic Leap. While Magic Leap was a pioneer, it lost its pole position in spatial computing. At the time, it was defined as mixed reality. Over a decade later, Apple launched Apple Vision Pro, defined spatial computing and entrenched itself as a market leader in this space.
It’s still early in 2026, and Apple has already made moves to firmly define Visual Intelligence and be the market leaders in this space. Based on the score, the vision industry is down 3-0 to consumer technology in defining the smartglasses ecosystem.
Now is the time to redefine who we are. If we don’t evolve, we will be replaced.
Read more from Dr. Khaderi here
Author
