"Poor vision is the largest preventable
disability in the world and, in
Canada alone, 2/3 of the population
depend on vision care solutions."
Q. Please tell us about the goals of
Essilor’s mission.
Q. What is the
need you see?
A. Essilor’s mission has been evolving
over the past 165 years, from a Frenchbased prescription lab and lens company to a more global vision care
organization. Through acquisitions,
joint ventures and many strong partnerships, our global and local networks
have expanded outside of France into
over 100 countries that we continue to
serve today. We have learned that the
precious gift of healthy vision is
not only for those that are in need of
vision correction but for each individual on the planet who needs to protect
their sight. It’s vital for economic
sustainability and overall well-being.
A. Improving
lives by improving sight is a
demanding, yet
stimulating and
highly rewarding
mission.
Our mission every day, through
every employee, is to improve lives by
enhancing how people experience the
world through sight. In Canada, this
mission lives through a network of over
2,000 employees, 50 optical labs and
the vision solutions that we provide to
iECPs, optical chains, mass merchandisers, drug stores and online retailers.
Nevertheless, the opportunity to improve
what we bring to each Canadian is only
slowly advancing. There is a great need
for more education and emphasis on
the essential importance of eye health
and vision performance. Our collective
ultimate goal is to serve the over 35
million and growing residents of
Canada, ensuring that comprehensive
eye exams, vision correction solutions,
vision prevention solutions and overall
improved vision care are accessible to
all. It’s a wonderful industry to be in,
as the needs of each Canadian brings
us many opportunities for continued
growth.
Poor vision is
the largest
preventable
disability in the
world and, in
Canada alone, 2/3 of the population
depend on vision care solutions.
We have identified that only around 10
million Canadians annually are served
in our optical industry with an eye
exam. There is therefore a significant
number of Canadians who have not
had an exam in the past 5 years or have
in fact never had an eye exam at all. This
is the start of where the significant
opportunities exist.
We have to acknowledge that there
are a large number of children with
uncorrected refractive errors (approx.
2M), and we also acknowledge that a
large number of adults (we estimate
6% of all adults - around 3M) suffer from
the same issue. We know that due to
economic and geographical challenges,
many Canadians have no access to eye
care or eyewear. We also know that there
is an epidemic in myopia, acknowledged
by well-respected organizations such as
the Brian Holden Institute, with an
estimated 5BN people being affected
globally by year 2050. Left uncorrected
this can have a serious impact on daily
tasks like learning, working and driving.
In addition, protecting our vision from
the damage of UV, blue light and other
injuries is of paramount importance for
long-term eye health and function.
So, as we look at the fact that many of
Canada’s 35 million residents have
unmet optical needs, including lack of
eye examinations, protection of their
vision and correction of refractive
errors, we find ourselves in need of a
different type of dialogue than we have
had up to this point.
We believe we need to work with others
in the industry and the government to
take a leadership position, looking at
the broader picture of Canada rather
than only focusing on the 10 million
Canadians we serve today. Essilor’s
objective is to work collaboratively with
all stakeholders to create opportunities
where we can all serve these needs. As
such, we have created a dedicated position in Canada and committed the
resources needed to bring these areas
of opportunity and concern to the top
of the agenda. In the months to come,
Essilor will embark on this mission with
the support and guidance of many of
our colleagues in the industry.
Optical Prism | September 2016 19