Vision Monday March 24, 2012 - Vision Expo East Daily Day 2 : 3
3 SHOW NEWS Essilor Unveils ‘Eye-Sun Protection Factor’ System NEW YORK—Essilor executives shared details of several new marketing, product and educational initiatives at a press conference here yesterday morning. Of particular note is the company’s “Eye-Sun Protection Factor” (E-SPF), an objective eval-uation system that rates the UV-blocking properties of a spectacle lens in a similar way to sunscreen. “Essilor is convinced that the new E-SPF evalua-tion system, along with the new generation of Crizal lenses, will improve consumer knowledge about the need for visual health protection of the invisible and often irreversible dangers of UV light,” said Carl Bracy, senior VP of marketing and new business. Bracy also provided an update on the company’s recent launch of Optifog lenses. He said Essilor is supporting the launch with a campaign consisting of product demonstrations and sales-assistance tools for ECPs, including dispensing protocols, videos and in-office materials, as well as national consumer advertis-ing and public relations. In the digital lens arena, Bracy announced the launch of the Definity Community, an exclusive membership program in which ECPs will receive access to member-only rewards, qualify for member-only promotions and receive exclusive product announcements about Definity lenses. ■ (L to R) Essilor’s Howard Purcell, Carl Bracy and Bob Colucci provided an update on several of the com-pany’s new inititatives at yesterday’s press conference. “These breakthrough advancements have the poten-tial to impact the lives of individuals of all ages with all types of vision needs, all year long.” Shamir Launches Two New Lens Designs NEW YORK—Celebrating its 40 year anniversary as a company, Shamir launched two new progres-sive lens designs: one made specifically for golfers and the other for emerging presbyopes. Classified as a sports specific free-form design, Shamir Golf provides three distinct vision zones for the golfer—the near zone for the scorecard, the mid-range zone for the ball at the player’s feet, and the distance zone for locating the green in the distance. “Usually a progressive lens will only have two stable zones, one for near and one for distance,” explained Raanan Naftalovich, CEO Shamir. “For the first time, a company has managed to have three stable areas in one lens, Shamir Golf.” Each vision zone of the Shamir Golf lens has been enhanced specifically for the golfer’s needs including clear peripheral viewing. The lens has been designed for wrap frames and has a fitting height of 19mm. For new presbyopes, Shamir announced the launch of their latest free-form product, Shamir First-Pal. This introductory free-form lens is ideal for new presbyopes ages 30 to 45. Matt Lytle, vice president of marketing, Shamir said, “The goal is to help emerging presbyopes adapt from single vision to a progressive. Think of it as progressive lenses with training wheels. Now doctors can offer their patients Shamir’s Matt Lytle presents Mr. Progresso, who helps Lytle explain the two new product launches. a better solution to introduce them to progressives.” The new lens will be available April 1 and will be priced between Shamir’s Relax and their entry level progressive lenses. ■ Wescan Optical Rebrands Internationally as WestGroupe MONTREAL—Effective March 1, Wescan Optical, a division of WestGroupe (www.westgroupe.com), has internationally repositioned as WestGroupe. According to the company, the worldwide success of their brands, Kliik Denmark, Fysh UK, Evatik and Super flex Kids, inspired a re-evaluation of the com-pany’s corporate identity and prompted the global repositioning process. The change also signifies the company’s focus on streamlining its position interna-tionally, the company said. “On the heels of our 50th anniversary, we now look to the next 50 with a renewed corporate vision uniting all activities under one name,” said Michael Suliteanu, president of WestGroupe. “Having a sin-gle, globally-recognized brand name allows us to facilitate the management of our portfolio brands and maintain synergy over all of our business units.” Wescan Optical will maintain its identity exclu-sively in the Canadian market and continue to provide a portfolio of eyewear to over 3,000 eye-wear providers across the country. ■ WWW.VISIONMONDAY.COM VISION EXPO DAILY | MARCH 24, 2012
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