THE SPECTACLE LENS GROUP OF JOHNSON & JOHNSON VISION CARE ROLLS OUT BREAKTHROUGH DEFINITY™ PROGRESSIVE LENSES
In Clinical Studies, Presbyopes Preferred DEFINITY™ Lenses’ Advanced Performance 3 to 1 Over the Leading Progressive Brand*
ROANOKE, Va. (May 20, 2003) – The Spectacle Lens Group of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. is changing the way presbyopes see the world – near, far and in between.

The company announced today the roll out of its DEFINITY™ Lenses (formerly DEFINITY 2™), a progressive lens with broad availability to eye care professionals in select markets. The breakthrough lens offers the least amount of unwanted astigmatism and the widest intermediate zone of any progressive lens on the market.†

“All systems are go,” said John Hogan, president, The Spectacle Lens Group, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. “Not only have we refined our manufacturing process to meet demand, we’ve conducted clinical research and bench tests that confirm our proprietary technology offers superior benefits to presbyopic patients.”

“DEFINITY™ Lenses are really a new way for eye care professionals to treat all presbyopes – whether they’re moving up to this advanced lens through a refit or in need of their first pair of progressive lenses,” said Dr. Richard Clompus, vice president, Professional Affairs, The Spectacle Lens Group. “Whether reading a newspaper or a menu, scanning the grocery aisle for a product or even walking down stairs, DEFINITY™ Lenses provide excellent vision.”

Dr. Clompus explained that studies found the DEFINITY™ Lenses provide improved vision when compared to all progressive lenses on the market today because they have the widest intermediate zone and lowest level of overall peripheral distortion. “As a result, they are preferred over the leading progressive lens on the market,” Dr. Clompus said.

Unique Technology That Enables Wider, Sharper Vision

DEFINITY™ Lenses use a patented DUAL ADD™ technology that reduces unwanted astigmatism, the condition that causes patients to experience visual swim. Unwanted astigmatism also contributes to adaptation problems common among new progressive lens wearers.

Traditionally, lens manufacturers have placed all progressive add power on only one side of the lens. DEFINITY™ Lenses, in contrast, divide the add power, placing portions on both the front and back surfaces. As a result, unwanted astigmatism is distributed over both surfaces and offset to create a wider intermediate channel and lower levels of swim and distortion, for superior overall vision.

In addition to the near, intermediate and distance zones offered by past progressive technology, DEFINITY™ Lenses offer a unique fourth zone in larger frames.µ Located beneath the “near zone” of DEFINITY™ Lenses, the fourth zone reduces the near add power to help minimize distortion and flattens the field of vision. This provides patients with clearer vision when looking down and may help when walking down steps or navigating uneven terrain.

“Eye care professionals will find that switching patients wearing older progressive technology to DEFINITY™ Lenses offers significant benefit,” Hogan said. “With DEFINITY™ Lenses, unwanted astigmatism will be lowered, in many cases even when add power increases, which will increase patient satisfaction.”

Clinically Demonstrated Patient Preference

Statistically significant clinical studies comparing DEFINITY™ Lenses to single surface progressive lenses currently on the market show a clear patient preference for DEFINITY™ Lenses.

Two separate double-masked studies, performed in multiple office locations across the country, examined visual field width, visual comfort and swim. Overall, patients preferred the performance of DEFINITY™ Lenses three to one over Varilux Comfort® and Varilux® Panamic® lenses.

Manufacturing & Availability

At its state-of-the-art manufacturing laboratory in Roanoke, Va., The Spectacle Lens Group uses a proprietary manufacturing process that allows custom fabrication of the unique DUAL ADD™ design. DEFINITY™ Lenses will be available in polycarbonate, CR-39®, High Index 1.60 lens material and Transitions® Lenses 1.50 Gray across a broad range of prescriptions.

Additionally, DEFINITY™ Lenses are available with Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.’s exclusive GEMCOAT™ Multicoating System. The GEMCOAT™ system uses a nine layer anti-reflective coating per lens side, reducing reflection and enhancing scratch resistance. The outermost layer incorporates a highly efficient hydrophobic polymer, which allows for easier lens cleaning. In scratch-resistance tests performed by Colts Laboratory, GEMCOAT™ outperformed the leading premium anti-reflective coating.∞ GEMCOAT™ is guaranteed for the lifetime of the prescription.

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Varilux, Panamic, and Varilux Comfort are registered trademarks of Essilor International, S.A.
DEFINITY, DUAL ADD and GEMCOAT are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. © Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. 2003.



*Data from two multicenter studies. In one study (N=100), 62% of patients preferred DEFINITY™ Lenses, 24% preferred Varilux Comfort®, and 14% had no preference. In another study (N=75), 73% of patients preferred DEFINITY™ Lenses, 21% preferred Varilux® Panamic®, and 5% had no preference.
†Based on overall results from measurements across a range of plano/add powers (+1.00D to +3.00D).
µFor lenses with a seg height ≥23mm. DEFINITY™ Lenses have a minimum recommended fitting height of 18mm.
∞200 cycles/100 cycles per minute. Steel wool abrasion results provide a relative measure of scratch resistance in laboratory testing. They have not been directly correlated with actual use conditions.