It's Me, Gracee: Essilor lenses

Essilor backs Philippine co-chairs to 2015 Social Impact Summit

2015 Special Olympics Social Impact Summit Sunday, August 09, 2015

Essilor Philippines marketing executive Edwin Sunga and marketing manager Jinky Navo

Essilor Vision Foundation, under the Essilor Group, is focused on the importance of healthy vision in sports and in helping individuals with intellectual disabilities work towards generating acceptance and inclusion in the community. True to this commitment, the Essilor Vision Foundation backs the Philippine co-chairs to the 2015 Special Olympics Social Impact Summit.

Special Olympics Philippines national executive director Kaye Samson

Lions Club of Manila representative Valentin Tio (left) and Chairman George Yuquico

Social Impact Summit, formerly known as Global Youth Activation Summit, is a six-day international convention that enjoins 120 youth leaders from 30 countries to generate critical social change around the pressing issues facing people with intellectual disabilities. It will be held in conjunction with the Special Olympics World Games at Los Angeles, California.

Philippine representatives Brina Maxino and Sashi Montaňa proactively shared their experiences as delegates in the 2013 Global Youth Activation Summit in South Korea. Through the summit, they learned how to educate and motivate people into advocating acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. Because of their active involvement in this advocacy for years, they have been elected as co-chairs for this year’s Social Impact Summit.

Special Olympics 2015 Social Impact Summit co-chairs Brina Maxino (left)

and Sashi Montaña

Special Olympics Philippines team guardians Mac Palafox-Pascua (left)

and Winston Maxino

“Every person with disability can change the world, and I am very excited to be part of this journey,” said Brina Maxino. “We look forward to meeting other young people whose ideas can help people with intellectual disabilities develop their abilities, nurture their talents, and live with dignity and respect,” added Sashi Montaňa.

Brina and Sashi’s presentation “Eye Can Play: A Healthy Eyeffair” uses an “edutainment” approach to help Special Olympics athletes, their caregivers and their families learn more about the importance of healthy vision. Supported by Essilor Vision Foundation, Eye Can Play has notched the Top 5 spot in the summit, granting $3,000 for the Philippines and earning accolades from the organizers and sponsors of the 2015 Special Olympics.

“Essilor Vision Foundation has been a proud sponsor of Special Olympics for more than a decade by providing prescription eyewear, protective eyewear, as well as visual counselling for Special Olympics athletes,” said Essilor marketing manager Jinky Navo. “We are honored to be supporting the 2015 Social Impact Summit particularly with our Filipina co-chairs in the lead.”

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Piolo Pascual shares tips for healthy eyes

Essilor lenses Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Of all the good-looking men in the entertainment industry, Piolo Pascual is known to stand out from the rest. With just one look from those dreamy and mesmerizing eyes, he can make any girl swoon. But Piolo himself is quick to point out: Having beautiful eyes is not enough. One must have healthy vision as well because this will help you perform tasks and achieve your daily goals.

That’s what Piolo shared with media friends during the launch of “Seeing the World Better,” a public awareness campaign on the importance of good vision organized by Essilor, the world leader in vision solutions.

According to Piolo, “In my line of work as an actor, it is very important to read your co-actor’s facial cues properly in a dialogue, and you can only accomplish it with good eyesight,” he shared. “That is why eye care is a serious matter for me. Without good vision, we can only do so much, and this limitation can stand in the way of achieving our goals,” he added. Here, Essilor’s brand ambassador shares some important tips for healthy eyes:

Keep your eyeglasses on. “I am fond of surfing the internet through my mobile device, but I have learned that the blue light from electronic devices can harm our eyesight, so I always wear my eye lenses on,” Piolo shared. Harmful blue light is a risk factor for the onset of age-related macular degeneration, a deterioration of the part of the retina responsible for sharp, central vision. To prevent its damaging effect, eye doctors recommend wearing lenses that effectively blocks the harmful blue light. Reading in a dark room should also be avoided. With only your mobile device as your main light, the glare on the screen can cause eye strain.

Follow a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet. Eating a healthy, nutritious diet is beneficial to our eyes. Vitamins C, A and E, folic acid, selenium and zinc, which are present in fruits and vegetables, can make your eyes healthy. Have a daily dose of fruits and vegetables like grapes carrots, spinach, kale, or collard greens, for a clearer, better vision.

Keeping a healthy lifestyle can also be helpful to your eyes, and your overall health. Piolo, who is a known triathlete, maintains a healthy lifestyle by engaging in sports like swimming, biking and running. By maintaining healthy weight, it reduces the chance of getting eye diseases. According to National Eye Institute, being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions, which can lead to vision loss, such as diabetic eye disease or glaucoma.

Visit your optometrist regularly Piolo shared that he has 20/20 vision, but despite having perfect eyesight, he regularly sees an eye doctor to make sure his eyes are in good condition. Regular visits to an eye doctor are very important because it can pick up early signs of eye conditions. You need not wait for symptoms like headaches, dizziness, nausea and cloudy vision before visiting your optometrist. At the same time, eye check-ups may also detect most diseases, such as diabetes, arthritis, heart diseases, and even certain cancers, and can help cure or prevent these diseases from worsening over time. Make an appointment with your eye doctor once a year to keep your eyes and whole body healthy.

There you have it -- Straight from the man whose expressive, healthy eyes have captivated legions of admirers. By simply keeping these tips in mind, we can keep our precious peepers looking good and healthy and be able to perform our daily activities the best way we can.

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Summer Alert: Too much sun can damage your eyes

Essilor Wednesday, April 08, 2015

Sand on your feet, warm summer breeze, its official—summer is finally here! During the hottest season of the year, people often spend more time outdoors which means prolonged exposure to the rays of the sun. Harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays may cause serious eye conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration. If it worsens, it could lead to blindness. Annually, around 3.2 million people worldwide become blind aggravated by UV exposure.

To protect our eyes from the long-term damaging effects of the sun, Essilor, the world leader in vision solutions, has launched ‘Seeing the World Better’, a public awareness campaign which aims to promote healthy vision through prevention, protection and correction. Here are a few eye care tips to keep in mind before hitting the beach this summer:

Use sun lenses with E-SPF The heat of the midday summer is three times greater than other seasons. Temperature rises from 35 to 37 degrees Celsius, making UV rays more threatening to our eyes. To prevent eye damage, wear sunglasses with Eye-Sun Protection Factor (E-SPF). E-SPF indicates the overall UV protection of your lenses. It is an objective rating system, with values varying from 2 to 25 for clear lenses, and up to 50+ for sun lenses. The higher the E-SPF of your lenses, the higher the UV protection it brings. Unfortunately, not all lenses, whether clear or tinted, have equal UV protection levels.

While most people use tinted sunglasses during summertime, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee the right amount of protection for our eyes. Sometimes clear lenses have more E-SPF than tinted ones. One of the best clear lenses for sun protection is Essilor’s Crizal Forte® UV, with an E-SPF of 25. It blocks both the front and back side of the lens from harmful UV, thus eyes are protected 25x more than without any glasses.

Wear swimming goggles. According to the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) American Eye-Q® survey, 42 percent of swimmers open their eyes while swimming in chlorinated water. While it helps seeing underwater, exposing your eyes to the chlorinated pool water can drastically increase the chance of redness or irritation. To prevent this from happening, use goggles that will shield your eyes from this strong chemical. Goggles can also spare your eyes from contracting eye infection that is caused by improperly chlorinated pools. If you get pool water in your eyes, flush your eyes with warm water to prevent irritation or chemical conjunctivitis. If warm water can’t do the trick, consult an eye doctor immediately to effectively wash out the chemicals by using saline or topical steroids.

See an eye doctor. Before you go on a summer adventure, it is best to talk to an eye care professional for recommendations on how to properly care for your eyes. You can also ask your eye doctor for trusted brands of optical lenses that will give your eyes the right amount of E-SPF.

Caring for your eyes, especially during summer season, is truly important. Harmful UV rays are everywhere so our eyes are always at risk. By following these simple eye care tips, we can protect our eyes while enjoying the great outdoors. So before you head to the beach, make sure to apply sunscreen and keep your sunglasses on.

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Essilor Launches Seeing the World Better campaign with Piolo Pascual

Essilor Thursday, February 19, 2015

Essilor had an amazing launch featuring their newest brand ambassador that this fit to represent their brand in any way possible. It happened last February 16 at 55 Events Tomas Morato Quezon City.

During the said launch, we also got the chance to have a free eye check which I am really thankful because the last time I had my eye check up was 2 years ago, I barely know if I should be upgrading my lens.

Essilor is the world leader for corrective lenses. The success of the company, which is present in more than 100 countries, is the result of a strategy that has been driven by innovation for more than 160 years. It has been awarded by Forbes magazine as “The World’s Most Innovative Companies” for four consecutive years.

From design to manufacture, Essilor develops a wide range of lenses to protect and correct eyesight. Its mission is to enable everyone in the world to see well using lenses tailored to their needs. The company devotes 150 million euros a year on research and development to offer increasingly efficient products.

“Across the globe, 4 billion people need visual correction, and in the Philippines, over 20 million individuals need visual correction. As a leader, we feel it is our responsibility to do something to alleviate the situation and this is the reason we are doing this campaign,” said Dr. Emelita Roleda, Essilor general manager.

“Essilor's ‘Seeing the World Better’ campaign is our company's way of helping the world see better by raising awareness about the importance of healthy vision and address the alarming number of visual impairment cases in the country. We also hope that through this campaign, Filipinos will start paying more attention to their eyes so they can see the world in a clearer and brighter view,” Dr. Roleda added.

Headlining the campaign is top actor Piolo Pascual who will appear in Essilor’s latest TVC and educational materials. A sportsman and a known health buff, Piolo believes prevention is the first step towards healthy vision. “Good eye health is a serious matter because it is essential to performing practically all our daily tasks. Without good vision, we can only do so much and this limitation can stand in the way of achieving our goals.”

To effectively raise awareness, Essilor launched its latest infomercial featuring brand ambassador Piolo Pascual performing various activities – swimming, reading, driving – and how good vision helps him accomplish these tasks effectively. The newest TV ad will air on March 1, at primetime slots on select cable channels.

During the event, Piolo also didn't pass the chance of having his eye check up. He said that Essilor made life a lot easier for him especially because in his line of work, having a clear eye sight is very important, which is why he also trusts Essilor when it comes to his lens.

The campaign will drive three important messages: Prevention: Essilor lenses help prevent age-related eye diseases, 2) Protection: It also helps provide everyday protection from ultraviolet (UV) rays and harmful blue light 3) Correction: promote the initial purpose of Essilor which is to help correct eyesight.

Dr. Roleda cites the plethora of electronic devices that we are exposed to everyday, which emits harmful blue lights that damage the retina. “Repetitive exposure to blue light posts threat to our eyes. It may cause oxidative damage, and may be responsible for causing age-related macular degeneration, which can result to blindness.” Wearing protective lenses like Crizal Prevencia, she adds, can do a lot in preventing the detrimental effects of harmful blue light. Crizal Prevencia is the only clear lens that selectively filters harmful blue light from gadgets, LED and UV light while letting through the healthy blue light.

Ultraviolet (UV) rays, on the other hand, contribute to the development of cataracts. Wearing Crizal Forte UV lenses can protect our eyes from these harmful rays.

For those starting around age 40, our eyes can gradually lose the ability to focus on nearby objects; this is an unavoidable condition but it can be corrected, says Dr Roleda. “Essilor Varilux progressive lenses offer a smooth transition from distance vision through intermediate vision to near vision. This means that instead of having just two different viewing zones (near and distant), like with bifocals, Varilux provides the most natural vision correction,” said Dr. Roleda.

Founded in 1972, Essilor is a worldwide leader in developing and manufacturing ophthalmic lenses, lens coatings and dispensary technologies. Premium eyeglass lenses from Essilor are the result of more than 150 years of advanced research, innovation and technology. A true leader in innovation, Essilor revolutionized the vision correction industry in 1959 with the invention of the world’s first progressive lens. The brand provides consumers and the eye care professionals with quality spectacle lenses, diagnostic tools, services and support in business.

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