Essilor Of America Announces 2005 Varilux Student Grant Award Winner

06/23/2005

DALLAS ­­ (June 23, 2005) – Optometry students across the country submitted case studies in hopes of winning the annual Varilux® Student Grant Award from Essilor of America. This year, the honor belongs to Stacy Hufnagel, a third year student at Indiana University College of Optometry, who wrote the winning case study, “Application of Varilux® Ellipse™ in a Young Unilateral Pseudophake”.

“It is rewarding to know that students are learning about the applications and advancements that Varilux lenses offer patients,” said Rodney Tahran, vice president of professional relations and clinical affairs for Essilor. “Essilor has always been dedicated to empowering students studying Optometry. We know that supporting the educational process helps to prepare students to become the industry leaders of tomorrow.”

Hufnagel and a guest will each receive an all­expenses paid trip to Optometry’s Meeting, the 108th Annual American Optometry Association (AOA) Congress and 35th Annual American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) to be held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, in June 2005. Hufnagel will also be an honored guest at the 14th Annual Varilux Optometry Super Bowl, the highly anticipated annual event sponsored by Essilor as well as receiving $1,000 in prize money.

Judges reviewed all case studies based on criteria such as dispensing skills, application of Varilux lenses to the patient’s needs, analysis of the care and analysis of the lens design and lens performance. The winning student from each school receives $1,000 grant and an entry into the national judging for a chance to become the national winner. The contest is open to third and fourth year Optometry students.

Essilor of America, Inc. (Essilor) is a subsidiary of Paris­based Essilor International, S.A., a publicly held company traded on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (Reuters: ESSI.PA). Essilor International is the Official Worldwide Supplier of Ophthalmic Lenses to Special Olympics­Lions Club International Opening Eyes Program.

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Essilor is the leading manufacturer of optical lenses in the United States and founding partner of VisionWebSM, www.visionweb.com, the premier Internet­based tool for eye care providers backed by industry leaders. A pioneer in the development and production of ophthalmic lenses, Essilor is the market leader in progressive, high­index and anti­reflective coated lenses. The company manufactures optical lenses under the Varilux®, Crizal®, Airwear® and Essilor brand names. For more information, please see the new www.essilorusa.com.

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Airwear, Crizal and Varilux are registered trademarks and Ellipse is a trademark of Essilor International, S.A. VisionWeb is a service mark of VisionWeb, Inc.

Special Olympics­Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes is a trademark of Special Olympics, Inc.