ESSILOR CONTACTS ENTERS STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP WITH AL BLACKBURN OF METRO OPTICS DALLAS

Licensing Agreement Provides Essilor with Exclusive Rights for Several Lens Designs
DALLAS – (August 20, 2002) - Essilor Contacts, a division of Essilor Laboratories of America, Inc., has signed a licensing agreement with innovative contact lens designer Al Blackburn, president of Metro Optics Dallas, for the right to manufacture and sell several of his exclusive contact lens designs. Under the terms of the agreement, Essilor and Blackburn will have the exclusive rights to Blackburn’s KomfortKone&#153 design and the reverse geometry OrthoFocus design.

“We are extremely happy of our association with Al Blackburn,” said Bob Colucci, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for Essilor Laboratories of America. “His fitting knowledge and design capabilities are unparalleled in the industry. This is a relationship that will benefit all of us, including the practitioner and, ultimately, the patient.”

While signing the agreement, Blackburn said, “Essilor has the marketing and manufacturing expertise to be the major player in the RGP industry. This is a good, solid relationship.”

Essilor Contacts produces and delivers the most advanced gas permeable contact lens technology. Blackburn is a noted contact lens design expert who has extensive knowledge of both Kerataconus and Ortho-K lenses. Over the past ten years he has focused his attention on Ortho-K lenses, and has become an international expert on reverse geometry fitting with more than 40,000 patients being fit with his lenses.

# # #
Essilor Laboratories of America is a subsidiary of Essilor of America, Inc., and owns a leading network of optical laboratories serving eye care professionals nationwide with a full range of rigid gas permeable contact lenses and ophthalmic lenses, including proprietary brands like TD2® and Ultra LiteStyle® lenses.

Essilor of America, Inc. (Essilor) is a subsidiary of Paris-based Essilor International, S.A., a publicly held company traded on the Bourse (Symbol: ESI).

Essilor is the leading manufacturer of optical lenses in the United States and founding partner of VisionWeb(SM), www.visionweb.com, which is creating the world's largest eye care network. An industry pioneer in the development and production of ophthalmic lenses, Essilor is the market leader in progressive, high-index and anti-reflective coated lenses. The company manufactures optical lenses under the Varilux®, Crizal®, Airwear® and Essilor brand names.

# # #
KomfortKone® is a trademark of Metro Optics Dallas.
TD2® is a registered trademark of Essilor Laboratories of America Holding Co., Inc.
Ultra LiteStyle® is a registered trademark of Omega Optical Holdings, Inc.
Varilux®, Crizal® and Airwear® are registered trademarks of Essilor International, S.A.
VisionWeb(SM) is a service mark of VisionWeb, Inc.