Essilor International to be The Official Global Supplier of ophthalmic lenses and a Sponsor of Special Olympics - Lions Club International Opening Eyes&#153
From 2003 through 2005


Essilor will donate optical products to athletes with mental disabilities
Charenton-Le-Pont, France (November 12, 2002) – Essilor International will associate during the next three years with Special Olympics - Lions Club International Opening EyesTM, the Vision Health Program of Special Olympics. Essilor will be the Official Global Supplier of ophthalmic lenses and a sponsor of the Opening Eyes program.

Special Olympics, Inc., is an international program of year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with mental retardation. By participating in sports training and competition, Special Olympics athletes can achieve their full potential through continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families and other athletes.

Special Olympics is internationally recognized and supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 1,000,000 athletes currently participate in Special Olympics worldwide, among which 33% are children ages 8 - 15. The events also reach 6,000,000 family members. Estimated participation by 2005 is 2,000,000 athletes.

Over the years, Essilor has been a continuing source of support for Special Olympics programs at local community levels in various locations around the world. Essilor’s support will now extend company-wide in order to provide optimum vision to athletes around the globe.

“When Special Olympics approached us this year for global agreement…” said Marc Alexandre, director of medical and professional international relations for Essilor, “…we saw this new relationship as a win for Essilor and Special Olympics, but more importantly for ECPs whose expertise is critical to us. Along with our striving to develop prevention and eye care education, these events are perfect opportunities for health care providers and students to gain practical, hands-on training about the needs and care of this population. Essilor will help eye care providers who volunteer at Special Olympics Opening Eyes events improve their clinical skills and transform their attitudes about people with mental retardation. On the other hand, Essilor will promote itself to professionals. We are taking product information to another level.”

Special Olympics Opening Eyes provides equipment and services with the help of volunteers (optometrists, ophthalmologists, opticians). Activities include extensive vision and eye health tests, refraction for those requiring further screening, prescribing and dispensing of eye glasses and protective sports eye wear and referral advice for follow up care.

“The healthcare needs of the Special Olympics population have been demonstrated and are still alarmingly great,” explained Dr Paul Berman, Global Clinical Adviser of Special Olympics – Lions Club International Opening EyesTM and a board member of the American Optometric Association Sports Division section.

Research conducted with athletes at Special Olympics events has revealed:
  • 68% have had no eye examinations in three years
  • 37% need glasses
  • 18% of the athletes were wearing clinically incorrect glasses

“The true strength of an industry leader is to put social responsibility higher than business goals. Essilor’s innovation culture is based on the on-going effort to improve physical and intellectual well-being of all those who need to see better. Opening Eyes will deliver Essilor’s message worldwide. Special Olympics and Essilor, working together, can provide clarity and light to thousands – perhaps millions – of people. What a brilliant legacy that will be!” said Thierry Robin, group strategic marketing director of Essilor International.

In 2003, Essilor will provide an estimated 8,000 pairs of polycarbonate / CR 39 hard coated lenses during 76 Special Olympics events worldwide.

The provisional list of countries participating in Special Olympics Opening Eyes during 2003 includes:
  • North America : United States, Canada
  • Europe : Italy, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland, Hungary, Poland
  • South Africa
  • Asia/Oceania : New Zealand, Australia, Philippines, India, Japan, Korea, China
  • South America : Mexico, Jamaica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, Guatemala

The goal of Special Olympics Opening Eyes is simple: to help people with mental retardation see better and therefore, help improve their lives. Optimum vision helps them not only be better athletes, but also through enhanced visual skills, become more useful and productive members of their communities.

Essilor has the same mission: to help all people see the world better by providing high quality and innovative eye care.

“Essilor’s leadership position in the industry comes with a responsibility to invest in initiatives which enable all kinds of people with visual problems to reach a better quality of life and help them achieve their full potential. Our engagement with Opening Eyes demonstrates our corporate commitment to this philosophy,” said Philippe Alfroid, chief operating officer of Essilor International. “Essilor is pleased and proud to provide support for this important endeavor. Through Special Olympics’ vision screening exams, Essilor will conduct a significant effort to Open Eyes of athletes, educators, researchers, parents, coaches, practitioners to the fact that people with mental retardation deserve the same quality of vision care to which every person is entitled.”

Timeline
  • Events in each country will be scheduled
  • 2003 World Summer Games: will be held June 20-29, 2003 in Dublin, Ireland. This will be the first time that SO World Summer Games will be held outside of the U.S.. 7,000 athletes from 160 countries will be participating
  • 2005 World Winter Games: will be held in Nagano, Japan (February 26-March 5). First time that SO Winter World Games will be held in Asia.

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Paris-based Essilor International is the world leader in ophthalmic optical products, offering a wide range of lenses under the flagship Varilux®, Crizal®, Airwear® and Essilor brands to correct myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia and astigmatism. Essilor operates worldwide through 18 production centers, more than 160 lens finishing laboratories and local distribution networks. The Essilor share trades on the Euronext Paris market under Euroclear code 12166 (Reuters: ESSI.PA; Bloomberg: EF FP).

More information about Special Olympics is available at:
www.specialolympics.org