HOYA Posts Record Q1 as MiYOSMART and Premium Lens Sales Power Double-Digit Growth

HOYA Corporation has kicked off its 2026 financial year with record quarterly revenue and operating profit, as strong demand for its myopia management and premium lens ranges helped drive double-digit growth across the optical giant's Life Care division.

The Japanese conglomerate's results for the three months to June 30, released July 31, showed consolidated revenue of ¥255.7 billion, up 16 percent year-on-year (7 percent on a constant currency basis). Operating profit jumped 24 percent to ¥82.4 billion, while pretax profit climbed 28 percent to ¥86.0 billion with profit growth again outpacing revenue growth, a trend HOYA has now sustained for several quarters running.

For practitioners and independent optical businesses watching the majors, the standout news is in eyewear.

Eyeglass lenses: MiYOSMART iQ gains ground in Asia

HOYA's eyeglass lens business grew sales 16 percent (4 percent constant currency), with Asia, particularly Japan and China, doing the heavy lifting. Sales through large retail chains remained robust, and the company confirmed that its second-generation myopia control lens, MiYOSMART iQ, continued to expand in China while rollout into additional markets progressed.

HOYA said it remains focused on pushing high-value-added products and accelerating uptake of newer offerings, a signal that myopia management will remain a core growth lever as the category matures globally, including in markets like Australia and New Zealand where practitioner interest in myopia control continues to build.

Contact lenses steady, IOLs surge on trifocal demand

HOYA's eyecity contact lens retail arm posted more modest 3 percent growth, with the company crediting subscription programs and customer retention initiatives for lifting store traffic, alongside continued expansion of premium product sales that pushed up average spend per customer.

The bigger mover was intraocular lenses, up 17 percent (9 percent CC). While China sales declined, growth held firm in Japan, Europe and other regions, with rising adoption of trifocal IOLs, sold under the Vivinex platform, lifting the share of advanced technology IOLs (ATIOLs) in the sales mix. HOYA said expanding ATIOL sales globally remains a strategic priority.

Endoscope review flags possible divestment

Elsewhere in Life Care, HOYA's endoscope business grew revenue 8 percent, though constant-currency sales actually fell 4 percent, with ongoing weakness in China offsetting broadly stable European demand. More notably, HOYA confirmed it has begun reviewing "strategic options" for the endoscope unit, including a potential sale to a third party, alongside a planned company split of its Japanese endoscope operations effective August 1.

Overall Life Care performance

Across the whole Life Care segment, which houses eyeglass lenses, contact lenses, IOLs, endoscopes and artificial bone products, revenue rose 13 percent to ¥154.8 billion, with operating margin improving to 19.4 percent from 17.7 percent a year earlier, which HOYA attributed to cost rationalisation and operational improvements.

Capital return: buyback on the way

Separately, HOYA confirmed it will proceed with a share buyback of up to ¥200 billion between August 3, 2026 and March 24, 2027, covering up to 10 million shares (2.99 percent of shares on issue). The move follows an April announcement of a policy to trim roughly ¥110 billion in excess net cash from the balance sheet to improve capital efficiency.

Outlook

For the coming quarter, HOYA is guiding to further double-digit growth across both Life Care and Information Technology, with eyeglass lenses again named, alongside EUV blanks, HDD substrates and optical solutions, as a key driver. Second-quarter revenue is forecast at ¥265.3 billion (up 13 percent year-on-year) and operating profit at ¥82.6 billion (up 18 percent), with first-half operating profit expected to reach ¥165.0 billion, up 21 percent on the prior corresponding period.

For eyecare professionals, the results reinforce a pattern that's held for several quarters now: HOYA's growth engine is increasingly weighted toward higher-margin, high-value-added products, myopia management lenses and premium IOLs chief among them, rather than volume alone. Practitioners stocking or considering MiYOSMART or Vivinex ranges may take the sustained investment and expanding rollout as a signal the company intends to keep backing these categories for the medium term.