The International Optical Industry Exhibition for China commenced in Shanghai in 1985. In 1987, the show was moved to Beijing, endorsed by the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relation and Trade (now Ministry of Commerce) as an official international optical exhibition for the country. As optical industry is under the Ministry of Light Industry (the current China National Light Industry Council), the Ministry started its sponsorship that same year. The show organizer, the China Optometric & Optical Association, renamed it as China International Optics Fair (CIOF) as of 1997 when it came to its 10th anniversary. The new title reflects the prominence of the show nationwide, the status and the support and participation it gets from international suppliers and traders of the optical world. CIOF2019, 32nd event, has reached a record high of exhibition area of 55,000m². CIOF2019 proudly presented 807 exhibitors in total, whereas there were 185 international exhibitors and 245 global brands showcased from 21 countries and regions. As for buyer attendance, 72,844 times of visiting were certainly more than impressive.

Exhibits include Frames, Lenses & Accessories, Machinery & Materials, Ophthalmology and Others.
Frames, Lenses & Accessories include spectacle frames, sunglasses, sports spectacle, kid’s eyewear, reading glasses, contact lens, glass optical lenses, plastic optical lenses, sunglass lenses, sun clips, progressive lenses, photochromic lenses, optical blanks, accessories for contact lens, spectacle spare parts and accessories, safety eyewear, components of frames, eyecare products and solution for lenses and contact lens, spectacle cases & accessories, lens demisting / cleaning cloth and solution, 3D glasses and digital lenses.
Machinery & Materials such as Spectacle assembling & adjusting tools, visual test equipment, edger, grinding machine, eyeglasses and frame making machinery, lens manufacturing & processing machinery, contact lens processing machinery, surface treatment & technologies/surface finishing operation, lathe, coating machine, coating materials, electroplating equipment, welding machine, price labelling, stamp printing and screen printing machinery, ultrasonic cleaning equipment, concentrates for ultrasonic cleaning, lens grinding and polishing filtration systems, optical processing equipment and materials, measurement instruments for optical elements and systems, store and workshop fittings and furniture, moulds for ophthalmic lenses, raw materials for frames, raw materials for lenses, lens abrasive and polishing materials, electroplating, welding materials, opto-laser equipment and instruments and low vision testing and adjusting equipment.
Ophthalmology such as instruments for optometry and ophthalmology, ophthalmic products, equipment for operating rooms and equipment for consulting rooms.

The area, exhibitors and visitors of China International Optics Fair are constantly expanding and increasing. The exhibition has established a solid position and influence in the industry.