DALLAS, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The Think About Your Eyes Coalition announced today that it has launched its first television and radio advertisements to kick off a two-year public awareness campaign designed to educate Americans about the importance of annual eye exams and the benefits they can provide to overall health. The television and radio ads are currently running in nine cities across the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, Houston, Sacramento, Cincinnati and Portland, Ore.

The advertisements focus on a variety of eye health issues, educating consumers on topics ranging from eye disease to children's vision and school performance to visual fatigue. The ads also urge consumers to visit www.thinkaboutyoureyes.com to learn more about healthy vision and to schedule an eye exam by locating a local eyecare professional through a tool available on the Web site.

Consumers can also connect with Think About Your Eyes through its new social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr, all of which are accessible from the campaign's Web site.  Social media activities will expand in the coming months as the Coalition prepares to execute major public awareness events, the first of which will take place in New York City next month.

"We are excited to bring this message to millions of Americans and help remind them of how important it is to have their eyes examined, which will not only help them preserve their vision, but can also have a positive impact on their overall health," said Wally Lovejoy, Chairman of the Think About Your Eyes Coalition. "We will be engaging Americans through these ads and social media to spread the message even farther, motivating them to share why it is so important to protect your vision with their family and friends and ultimately move them to visit an eyecare professional for an eye exam."

The Coalition joined forces with the Foundation for Eye Health Awareness to integrate their public awareness campaigns which share the common mission of educating consumers about the importance of eye health.  In an effort to extend the reach of the public awareness initiative, the groups are looking for additional industry and community partners to join the Coalition.

Interested partners should contact Mike Daley, President and Executive Director, The Foundation for Eye Health Awareness, to learn more. Daley can be reached at mdaley@ehafoundation.org or by phone, at (703) 548-2896.

About Think About Your Eyes

Think About Your Eyes is a multi-million dollar two-year public awareness initiative aimed at increasing consumer awareness of the importance of vision health and comprehensive eye exams. Essilor, Luxottica and VSP Global make up the Think About Your Eyes Coalition and are seeking partners to join in this initiative.

About the Foundation for Eye Health Awareness

The Foundation for Eye Health Awareness, formed as a result of the Eye Health Summit, is a 501c3 non-profit organization created to increase the public's awareness about the importance of eye health through a nationwide messaging campaign that directs people to take better care of their eyes.

About Essilor

Essilor is the leading manufacturer of optical lenses in the United States and is the market leader in progressive, high-index and anti-reflective coated lenses.  A pioneer in the development and production of ophthalmic lenses, Essilor employs more than 9,000 people throughout North America. Essilor manufactures optical lenses under the Varilux®, Crizal®, Thin&Lite®, Xperio™ and DEFINITY® and other Essilor brand names. Essilor Laboratories of America (ELOA) is the largest, and most trusted, optical lab network in the U.S. and offers a wide choice of services and lens brands, including Essilor premium lenses, to eyecare professionals across the nation.  Essilor of America, Inc. (Essilor) is a subsidiary of Paris-based Essilor International, S.A., a publicly held company traded on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (Reuters: ESSI.PA).

Essilor, Varilux, Crizal and DEFINITY are registered trademarks and Xperio is a trademarks of Essilor International.  Thin&Lite is a registered trademark of Essilor of America, Inc.  

About Luxottica

Luxottica Group is a leader in premium fashion, luxury and sports eyewear, with over 6,200 optical and sun retail stores in North America, Asia-Pacific, China, South Africa and Europe and a strong and well balanced brand portfolio. Luxottica's key house brands include Ray-Ban, the best known sun eyewear brand in the world, Oakley, Vogue, Persol, Oliver Peoples, Arnette and REVO, while license brands include Bvlgari, Burberry, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Polo Ralph Lauren, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tiffany and Versace. In addition to a global wholesale network covering 130 countries, the Group manages leading retail brands such as LensCrafters and Pearle Vision in North America, OPSM and Laubman & Pank in Australasia, LensCrafters in Greater China and Sunglass Hut globally. The Group's products are designed and manufactured in six Italy-based manufacturing plants, two wholly-owned plants in China and a sports sunglass production facility in the U.S. In 2009, Luxottica Group posted consolidated net sales of euro 5.1 billion. Additional information on the Group is available at www.luxottica.com.

About VSP Global

VSP Global(SM) includes VSP Vision Care, the largest not-for-profit vision benefits and services company in the United States with 55 million members:  Marchon® Eyewear, Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers, designers, and distributors of quality fashion and technologically-advanced eyewear and sunwear; Eyefinity®/OfficeMate® which offer innovative solutions and the premier managements software and technology to improve overall practice management and patient experience; VSP Labs, leaders in new technologies, production processes, services and logistics.

Since 1997, VSP has provided more than 529,500 low income, uninsured children with free eyecare. Through relationships including those with the American Diabetes Association and Prevent Blindness America, VSP promotes the importance of annual eye exams for maintaining eye health and overall wellness.

SOURCE Think About Your Eyes Coalition

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http://www.thinkaboutyoureyes.com
http://www.luxottica.com