Silmaasema

In 1975, in the Finnish city of Kuopio, a new idea for eye care was born. Two ophthalmologists, Pentti Sihvola and Paavo Jägerroos, along with optician Timo Raaska, decided to combine their expertise under one roof. Their goal was simple: to create a better optical store by integrating medical and retail services for the customer's benefit. This model proved successful, and over the following decades, new Silmaasema locations opened across Finland, eventually forming a chain in 1991. The company continued its steady growth, becoming a key domestic player in a market that was increasingly international. A pivotal moment arrived in June 2017, when Silmaasema launched its Initial Public Offering on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. The IPO raised €35 million in new capital, intended to strengthen the company's network and support its growth strategy. However, its time as a publicly traded company was short-lived. In 2019, fellow Finnish healthcare company Coronaria, already a major shareholder, initiated a tender offer to acquire the rest of the company. By November 2019, Coronaria had completed the acquisition, leading to Silmaasema's delisting from the stock exchange in 2020. Today, as part of the Coronaria group, Silmaasema continues to operate as a major provider of eye health services in Finland, from optical retail to eye surgeries.