SOLA International Launches Teflon® EasyCare Lens Coating

SOLA International has announced the launch of Teflon® EasyCare Lens Coating in the U.S. wholesale market.

October 1,2002 - According to Jeremy Bishop, CEO of SOLA International, Teflon® EasyCare Lens Coating goes beyond other lens coatings in patient benefits. “Teflon® EasyCare offers a set of consumer benefits that creates a new category in lens coatings. It combines clarity with toughness and easy cleaning properties found in no other lens coating.”

DuPont licensed the Teflon® brand name to SOLA for this coating, according to Bishop, because “Teflon® EasyCare lens coating meets the characteristics and standards for which the brand is known. In all of its product applications Teflon stands for performance, protection, and convenience. The ‘clear, clean, tough’ attributes of Teflon® EasyCare lens coating fit the brand profile perfectly.”

Mark Ashcroft, SOLA International’s President, Americas and Europe, cited studies by DuPont which found that the Teflon® brand is recognized by 99% of U.S. consumers, and is one of the most recognized brands world-wide. “Having a true consumer brand name in lens coatings represents a tremendous opportunity for eye care practitioners,” he said. “Our own research shows that consumers readily understand how the benefits of Teflon® will protect and enhance their lenses.”

Ashcroft emphasized that Teflon® EasyCare Lens Coating fully lives up to the Teflon® brand promise. “Teflon® EasyCare actually outperforms leading AR coatings in clarity. Residual reflectance averages 0.7% -- less than half the reflectance of leading AR coatings. In scratch resistance, Teflon® EasyCare achieves a Bayer score of 6.0, which is equivalent to premium hard coatings and significantly better than leading AR coatings. For ease of cleaning, Teflon® EasyCare lens coating offers a unique combination of hydrophobic and anti-static properties. The coating stays clean longer, and is very easy to clean when necessary.”

Teflon® EasyCare Lens Coating will be available to U.S. eye care practitioners through their optical laboratories. Ashcroft indicated that the coating will initially be applied by SOLA at its Hebron, Kentucky facility, with other facilities will be added to meet demand. Ashcroft noted that “the qualification process is lengthy and rigorous. Maintaining the quality and consistency to fulfill our brand promise is of paramount importance as we grow.”

In October, Teflon® EasyCare Lens Coating will be available on SOLA and American Optical single vision and progressive lenses in hard resin, polycarbonate, Spectralite® (AO55) and Finalite® (AO16). The company plans to add Transitions® products in 2003.
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About SOLA International

SOLA International (NYSE:SOL) is a leading spectacle lens manufacturer, SOLA International offers a full range of designs, materials, and lens treatments. AO•SOLA places special emphasis on premium lenses that provide a close fit with the usage and lifestyle requirements of individual wearers.

About DuPont

During 2002, DuPont is celebrating its 200th year of scientific achievement and innovation – providing products and services that improve the lives of people everywhere. Based in Wilmington, Del., DuPont delivers science-based solutions for markets that make a difference in people’s lives in food and nutrition; health care; apparel; home and construction; electronics; and transportation.

About Teflon®

The Teflon® trademark was coined by DuPont and registered in 1945; the first products were sold commercially under the trademark beginning in 1946. Today, there is an extensive family of DuPont products that are marketed with the Teflon® brand.

The discovery of PTFE in 1938 by Dr. Roy Plunkett has been described as "an example of serendipity, a flash of genius, a lucky accident ... even a mixture of all three." Whatever the exact circumstances of the discovery, one thing is certain: fluoropolymers revolutionized the plastics industry and, in turn, gave birth to limitless applications of benefit to mankind. In 1990, U.S. President George Bush presented the National Medal of Technology to DuPont for the company's pioneering role in the development and commercialization of man-made polymers over the last half century. The citation lists Teflon® fluoropolymer resin as one of these special products.