Pro Golfer Graham DeLaet Wants Canadians To Keep Their Eye On The Ball

Learn about eye health, test your skills online and enter for a chance to win a round of golf with DeLaet or a trip for two to the 2012 Transitions Championship

To view the Social Media Release, click here: http://smr.newswire.ca/en/transitions-optical/pro-golfer-graham-delaet-wants-canadians-to-keep-their

TORONTO, June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Golf season is in full swing and so are the sun's UV rays and glare. While Canadians are outside perfecting their games, many don't realize these long hours in the sun could be jeopardizing their game and eye health.

2011 PGA TOUR^® golfer Graham DeLaet and Transitions Optical have joined forces to educate golfers - both professionals and amateurs - about the importance of healthy, uncompromised sight for optimal sports performance and the value of properly protecting their eyes for overall healthy sight.

To encourage Canadians to learn more about eye health, DeLaet is challenging Canadians to enter a contest by playing Transitions Optical's online Mini-Golf Championship at www.transitions.com/minigolfchampionship.

When Canadians register and play the online game, they are entered for a chance to win one of two grand prizes: a trip to Toronto with two friends to play a round of golf with DeLaet or a trip for two to the 2012 Transition's Optical Championship in Florida and two pairs of eyeglasses with Transitions^® lenses.

"I hope to drive home that properly protecting your eyes will not only help Canadians improve their game, but will help ensure an overall healthy lifestyle on and off the course," said DeLaet.

Golfers contend with varying light and playing conditions and glare, as well as extended, consistent exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. Less than three per cent of Canadians, however, know that UV rays can have long-term and irreversible damage to their vision and only 12 per cent say they wear sunglasses when heading outdoors.¹ Glare, contrast, and squinting can all affect a person's golf game.

To preserve healthy eye sight on and off the course, golfers should ensure they have regular, routine eye exams and that they select lenses that block 100 per cent of the sun's UV rays and glare.

"Every time I set up a shot, I rely heavily on visual cues," said DeLaet. "Properly protecting my eyes with Transitions lenses, which adjust to the varying light conditions, not only improves the quality of my vision, making it easier to connect with the ball and to read the greens, but also protects my eyes from glare and UV rays."

UV Rays and Your Eyes Taking simple steps to protect your eyes while outdoors can help prevent many long-term eye health problems, such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

• Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in North Americans over the age of 50.^2a
• Cataracts, a major cause of vision loss and blindness, affect nearly one in nine North Americans over the age of 40, growing to nearly one in two by the age of 80.^2b
• UV damage is cumulative, and builds over time, so it is never too early - or too late - to start protecting your eyes.

References:

<sup>1. Transitions Optical OMNI Survey 2011. Leger Marketing.
2. Spotlight on Age-related Macular Degeneration. Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Available at https://www.cnib.ca/en/your-eyes/eye-conditions/amd. Accessed on February 16, 2011</sup>

Video News Release will be available via satellite on Tuesday June 21, 2011 at
10:30 - 11:00 and again at 14:30 - 15:00 Eastern
Anik F2C/3B Download Freq: 3820MHz V
Audio subcarriers 6.8 left, 6.2 right
For assistance with the feed call: 1-800-565-1471

Video News Release also available via download Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Click here to access broadcast quality footage
Please contact [email protected] if you do not have your Login ID and Password.

About Transitions Optical
As the leading provider of photochromics to optical manufacturers, Transitions Optical, headquartered in Pinellas Park, Fla., offers the most advanced photochromic technology in the widest selection of lens designs and materials. Transitions Optical is driven by innovation to support the advancement of healthy sight and adaptive eyewear, and to providing its partners the tools and programs their businesses need to thrive.  Transitions® lenses are the #1-recommended photochromic lenses worldwide. Transitions Optical's family of products includes everyday lenses, designed to be worn indoors and darken outdoors, and performance lenses, designed to be worn outdoors in place of sun lenses.  Transitions everyday lenses adapt to light to provide more comfortable vision while protecting eyes from UV. Transitions performance lenses include the company's sunwear line, Transitions® SOLFX™ sun lenses, which enhance visual performance in specific outdoor activities by adapting to optimize colour and darkness in changing light conditions.

For more information about healthy sight and protective eyewear, visit transitions.com or eyeglassguide.ca.

/NOTE TO EDITORS: Media Assets accompanying this story are available as follows:

Video : http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/mmnr/smr/FINAL_VNR_Transitions__ENG_20_06_11.flv

SOURCE Transitions Optical, Inc.