[bc]THINNEST AND ASPHERIZED LENSES FOR ALL LABORATORIES
ESSILOR INTRODUCES SINGLE VISION THIN & LITE® 1.67 WITH SEMI-FINISHED HARD COAT
[/bc]
Lenses Available August 1, 2002


DALLAS (July 23, 2002) – Essilor Lenses is pleased to announce the introduction of Single Vision Thin & Lite® 1.67 lenses with a semi-finished hard coat. The lenses, available in an aspheric design with a range of +8.00 to –13.00, and up to a 4.00 cylinder, are available for order and shipment August 1 to all laboratories.

“The market is demanding thinner, lighter and more fashionable lenses and Essilor is proud to provide all our customers with a more comfortable wearing experience,” said John Carrier, senior vice president of marketing at Essilor of America. “Essilor’s SFSV Thin & Lite® lenses are 50% thinner than 1.50 standard plastic and 25% thinner and 15% flatter than a 1.60 index lens. Talk about a slimming profile! Plus this aspherized design allows consistent visual performance throughout the entire lens.”

Eye care practitioners may order the new SFSV Thin & Lite® 1.67 lenses through all laboratories or through www.visionweb.com for all laboratories connected to the site.

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.

# # #

Thin & Lite® is a registered trademark of Essilor of America, Inc.
Varilux®, Airwear® and Crizal® are registered trademarks of Essilor International, S.A.
VisionWeb(SM) is a service mark of VisionWeb, Inc.