Essilor Unveils First Personalized Ethnic Lenses Available In The United States
By Essilor News

10/21/2010
DALLAS – (October 21, 2010) – Essilor of America, Inc., the nation’s leading manufacturer of optical lenses, announces the launch of the first personalized lenses available in the United States designed to accommodate the specific physiology of certain ethnic populations. The new lines of personalized lenses utilize Essilor’s breakthrough technology and are specifically designed to meet the unique visual needs of patients of Chinese and Indian ethnicity by accounting for the ametropia, facial anatomy and reading behavior of these patients.
Essilor’s research in Asia revealed that Chinese and Indian lens wearers have specific needs. Research and development analysis of more than 200,000 patients in the areas of optics, physiology and how people use their eyes and wear their frames revealed five out of six wearers in these populations have different measurements from the average values for pantoscopic tilt, wrap angle and vertex distance. Essilor then used this data to develop patented technology that personalizes lenses for Chinese and Indian eyes. Using an in- depth understanding of specific wearer physiology, Essilor meticulously designed personalized lenses to provide these patients with better vision and satisfaction.
“Significant advancements with our own patented technology have allowed us to be the first to bring these innovative personalized lenses in the U.S. market,” said Carl Bracy, senior vice president of marketing, Essilor of America. “Research shows patients in this study are extremely satisfied with the improved vision provided by these groundbreaking products.”
Based on changing U.S. demographics and following success in China and India, Essilor is now offering Varilux Physio Enhanced Azio™, Essilor Azio™ Single Vision and Varilux Physio Enhanced India™ lenses as the first of Essilor’s new ethnic lens products.
Varilux Physio Enhanced Azio and Varilux Physio Enhanced India lenses assure optimal vision. With the attributes of Varilux Physio Enhanced™ lenses, designed with W.A.V.E. Technology 2™, these lenses provide the sharpest vision at any distance and in any light, especially challenging low-light conditions, with easy accommodation and fast adaptation. Varilux Physio Enhanced Azio and Varilux Physio Enhanced India lenses are personalized based on three key areas for Chinese and Indian ethnic groups:
• Ametropia: Varilux Physio Enhanced Azio and Varilux Physio Enhanced India lenses account for the unique needs of different eye shapes.
• Physiology: These lenses are also personalized to the specific facial anatomy of Chinese and Indian patients.
• Reading Behavior: Varilux Physio Enhanced Azio and Varilux Physio Enhanced India lenses provide a personalized near-vision zone for these specific patients.
Essilor Azio Single Vision lenses are the only single vision product class with W.A.V.E. Technology: Wavefront Advanced Vision Enhancement™, offering a personalized single vision lens for Chinese wearers with clearer and sharper vision as well as wider fields of vision. These lenses optimize each prescription for each position of wear, assuring optimal vision.
Research and testing of these new lenses found 98 percent of patients were pleased with their improved vision, with nine out of 10 personalized lens wearers expressing high levels of satisfaction in quality of near vision, far vision and natural transition between intermediate and near vision.
Varilux Physio Enhanced Azio, Essilor Azio Single Vision and Varilux Physio Enhanced India lenses are now available. For more information, contact your Varilux sales or lab representative or visit www.variluxusa.com.
About Essilor
Essilor is the leading manufacturer of optical lenses in the United States and is the market leader in
progressive, high-index and anti-reflective coated lenses. A pioneer in the development and production of ophthalmic lenses, Essilor employs more than 9,000 people throughout North America. Essilor manufactures optical lenses under the Varilux®, Crizal®, Thin&Lite®, Xperio™ and DEFINITY® and other Essilor brand names. Essilor Laboratories of America (ELOA) is the largest, and most trusted, optical lab network in the U.S. and offers a wide choice of services and lens brands, including Essilor premium lenses, to eye care professionals across the nation. Essilor of America, Inc. (Essilor) is a subsidiary of Paris-based Essilor International, S.A., a publicly held company traded on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (Reuters: ESSI.PA).
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Essilor, Varilux, Crizal, Xperio and DEFINITY are registered trademarks and, Varilux Physio Enhanced Azio, Essilor Azio, Varilux Physio Enhanced India and Varilux Physio Enhanced are trademarks of Essilor International. W.A.V.E. Technology: Wavefront Advanced Vision Enhancement and W.A.V.E. Technology
2 are trademarks of Essilor of America, Inc.