Safilo and Essilor for Special Olympics: strong results in 2004

2004 was a great year for Opening Eyes (OE), a program dedicated to improving vision care for people with intellectual disabilities around the world.

There were 96 OE events in 2004 in about 40 countries, from Usa to Argentina, from Italy to China, from South Africa to New Zealand.

During these events about 20,500 athletes received the Opening Eyes visual screenings. About 8,500 athletes received ophthalmic frames and ophthalmic lenses to improve their sight.

In 2003, Essilor International and Safilo Group entered into a three-year partnership (2003-2005) with the OE program as the exclusive suppliers of ophthalmic lenses (Essilor), frames and sunglasses (Safilo). These supplies covered the needs of the OE screened athletes worldwide and both companies worked to give Special Olympics, and the OE program in particular, support in other ways such as event organization, communication activities and promotional materials.

The Safilo Group was the OE's official supplier of ophthalmic frames and non-precription sunglasses for all events during 2004, totaling about 8,500 pair of ophthalmic frames and about 8,900 sunglasses. Every athlete who did not receive a prescription pair of glasses received non-prescription sunglasses. These athletes not only looked stylish but also received important protection against the sun and harmful UV rays.

Essilor International, the world's largest manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses and the OE's official supplier of ophthalmic lenses, supported the 2004 OE program by donating 17,000 Polycarbonate hard coated lenses and organizing the lab services for edging and mounting. Polycarbonate lenses serve the athletes well as they are tough, durable, scratch and impact resistant - perfect for all the active sports in which they participate.