ESSILOR MARKS VARILUX PHYSIO 360° AND VARILUX PHYSIO MILESTONES
First Year Market Success Reflects Aggressive Brand Growth of Wavefront Technology Lens

DALLAS – (December 20, 2006) – As Varilux® Physio 360°™ and Varilux Physio™ approach a one-year product anniversary, Essilor of America, Inc., reflects on the aggressive growth, successful market acceptance of the new lenses and the expansion of the product line with the availability of new materials. Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio introduced wavefront correction in progressive lenses for the first time, making it widely available within the industry.

“Since the launch in January 2006, Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio have continued to grow. Essilor is proud to bring premium products like Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio to the marketplace,” said Mike Daley, president of Essilor Lenses. “The market is again proving that it appreciates the exceptional patient performance combined with the power of the Varilux brand. Both eye care professionals and their patients currently enjoy the benefits of Varilux. By early 2008, Essilor plans to have more than 25,000 Professionals dispensing Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio to their patients.”

Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio are now available in a wide range of materials, including 1.50 index, Airwear, Airwear® Polarized, Thin&Lite® 1.60 and Thin&Lite 1.74.

Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio Milestones
• January 9, 2006: Actor William Shatner was “beamed in” on stage, via “wavefront” to help internally introduce Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio at the Essilor National Sales Meeting.
• January 31, 2006: 3,000 eye care professionals (ECPs) in 20 cities across the U.S. participated in a live satellite product launch from the Hard Rock Café in New York City.
• On that same night, the Varilux Physio lens was the focal highlight of the main Reuters screens in Times Square for 30 minutes.
• April 2006: Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio had 83 percent awareness among ECPs.
• April 2006: Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio were launched in 1.50 plastic.
• June 2006: Just six months after product launch, more than 10,000 accounts had dispensed Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio in the United States.
• August 2006: Essilor offers ECPs new in-office marketing tools for Varilux Physio and Varilux Physio 360° to help better demonstrate and explain product benefits.
• September 2006: One million pairs of Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio sold.
• September 2006: Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio were launched in Thin&Lite® 1.60.
• October 2006: Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio were launched in Airwear® Polarized.
• December 2006: Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio launches in Thin&Lite 1.74.
• To date, more than 300 seminar events held nationwide.

In January of 2006, Essilor launched Varilux Physio 360° and Varilux Physio as the first lens designs to deliver the corrective power of W.A.V.E. Technology™: Wavefront Advanced Vision Enhancement to presbyopes seeking the sharpest, most natural vision. Through W.A.V.E. Technology, Essilor has adapted the wavefront technology used in laser surgery to correct vision by detecting and even eliminating many surface distortions to perfect progressive lenses. For the first time, Varilux engineers can analyze the entire beam of light entering the pupil and then identify distortion and compensate for it, thus controlling the quality of the wavefront passing through the lens to achieve optimal acuity. W.A.V.E. Technology uses patented, proprietary software in both lens designs to scan the entire surface of the lens, calculating the targeted optical function for each gaze direction. Through these engineering advancements, W.A.V.E. Technology achieves unmatched visual acuity and comfort for the wearer.

Varilux Physio 360° offers the ultimate in progressive precision. W.A.V.E. Technology is applied to both the front and back of the lens with 360° Digital Surfacing™, which minimizes distortions and preserves and enhances the effectiveness of the front design.

Essilor has developed 360° Digital Surfacing, which combines a patented calculation engine to optimize design, as well as a patented digital surfacing manufacturing process to produce the back side surface of the lens.

For more information, visit www.Varilux.com or www.EssilorUSA.com.

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Varilux, Crizal and Airwear are registered trademarks and Physio, Varilux Physio 360° and DEFINITY are trademarks of Essilor International, S.A. Thin&Lite is a registered trademark and W.A.V.E. Technology, W.A.V.E. Technology: Wavefront Advanced Vision Enhancement and 360° Digital Surfacing are trademarks of Essilor of America, Inc.