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The Next Evolution in Training the Modern Athlete: The AchieveVision(TM) Program Helps Athletes Deve

Olympians Use The AchieveVision(TM) Program From The Vision Care Institute to Maximize Vision for Competition

BEIJING -- (MARKETWIRE), 12 August 2008 -- As millions of eyes around the globe turn to China to watch the world's top athletes go for gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, those athletes will be relying on their own vision for an extra competitive edge. The Vision Care Institute(TM), LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, announced today that nearly 300 athletes worldwide have used The AchieveVision(TM) Program, a state-of-the-art visual skills assessment and optimizing program, in advance of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, to help ensure their vision is in peak condition for competition.

From baseball to badminton, visual skills such as anticipation
timing, eye-hand coordination and peripheral awareness have emerged as key components to overall athletic performance. Research has shown the best athletes tend to have above average vision and superior visual skills.(1) Realizing this, Olympic athletes and their coaches are working with The Vision Care Institute(TM) to incorporate The AchieveVision(TM) Program into their training not only to help level the playing field for athletes who may have weaknesses in their visual system, but to help optimize visual skills for a competitive edge.

Teams from several countries, including China, France, the United
Kingdom and the United States, have incorporated The AchieveVision(TM) Program into their training. Vision assessments have been customized to meet the different needs of various Olympic sports, including archery, badminton, boxing, BMX, decathlon, fencing, gymnastics, kayaking, shooting, soccer, softball, table tennis, taekwondo, track and field and volleyball.

Individual athlete highlights include:

-- A top heptathlete found that training her visual skills could help
improve her depth perception and reaction time. These skills are key in the
heptathlon, especially hurdling.

-- The AchieveVision(TM) Program identified deficiencies in a softball
player's vision that could be corrected. The vision in one of her eyes was
poor, which impacts acuity and visual skills important in batting and
fielding.

-- The AchieveVision(TM) Program identified a problem with a badminton
player's binocular vision (how the two eyes function together), which was
affecting her depth perception, the ability to observe where an object is
in relation to its environment. A training program was developed to correct
this problem in time for the Olympic Games.

-- Table tennis players who have been training regularly with The
AchieveVision(TM) Program were able to concentrate on visual skills such as
convergence and focusing stamina. These skills are key in table tennis.

The AchieveVision(TM) Program supplements regular eye exams by
moving beyond basic acuity to assess the visual skills that play a
role in an athlete's performance. The program is comprised of a
suite of assessment and training tools that include computer-based
systems and equipment that is physically challenging not only to the
eyes, but to the whole body in order to simulate the visual demands
in an athlete's sport.

"As an Olympian myself, I know firsthand that an athlete's vision and
visual skills are critical tools, both on and off the field," said
Dr. Karin McCarthy, Principal Research Optometrist, Johnson & Johnson
Vision Care, Inc. "Vision is a critical component of overall physical
health that makes a large contribution to overall performance. After
having worked with a number of elite athletes, I am surprised how
many are not seeing as well as they could. At this level of
competition an athlete should not be squinting to focus on a ball, a
hurdle, or a teammate on the field. If you are not seeing well, your
reaction time is slower and that may impact your overall
performance."

To date, The Vision Care Institute(TM) has provided more than 600
athletes worldwide with a range of vision services as part of The
AchieveVision(TM) Program. The Vision Care Institute(TM) found that
many athletes needed basic vision correction or updated
prescriptions. This emphasizes the need for improved vision care as
part of national training programs. Through this program 250 athletes
were fitted for contact lenses to sharpen their visual acuity in time
for competition.

"When you are training an elite athlete, every aspect of their health
and physical skills should be assessed and, if possible, improved. It
is critical that every athlete's vision is clear and that their vision
is helping -- not hindering -- their performance," said Professor Lu
Fan, Executive Dean of School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical College. "Scientific advances like The AchieveVision(TM) Program offer new techniques to help our athletes perform at their peak. We have incorporated The AchieveVision(TM) Program at General Administration of Sports of China to allow eye care professionals, coaches and trainers to customize vision care for each athlete and focus on the visual skills that are key to their competition."

Supporting Olympic Athletes and Medical Staff

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care will provide vision services to Olympic
athletes, coaches and staff onsite during the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games and Paralympic Games through The Olympic Village Polyclinic.
The AchieveVision(TM) Program will be available to athletes at the
Polyclinic, where they can learn how to maximize their visual skills.

"We're honored to be entrusted with the vision care for the Olympic
athletes and team staff while they are in Beijing," said Dr. John
Ang, Vice President of Professional and Regulatory Affairs,
Asia-Pacific Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. "Through the Olympic
Village Polyclinic, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care will provide the
athletes access to best-in-class vision care services and products to
help them maintain visual health during competition. For some
athletes who have limited access to vision care services, this may be
their first opportunity to receive eye care and diagnostic services,
which can have a significant impact on their everyday lives."

Healthy Vision for Everyone

It is not just Olympic athletes who need to be concerned about the
performance and health of their eyes to be at the top of their game.
The Vision Care Institute(TM) recently commissioned a
first-of-its-kind, large-scale global eye exam survey of 6,500 people
across 13 countries and found that most people believe improved
vision would help them to get the most out of life. Around the world,
respondents agreed that it is important to get an eye exam on a
regular basis and most (78 percent) rated sight as the most important
of the five senses. Yet, half of respondents had never had a
comprehensive eye exam by an eye doctor, and only a third are getting
comprehensive eye exams on a regular basis (at least every two
years). And, although more than 80 percent of parents around the
world believe that improved vision would impact their child's
performance in school and sports, nearly half (46 percent) report
that their child has never had any type of eye exam.(2)

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games provide an excellent opportunity to
raise awareness for the importance of vision care and eye health, not
only for elite athletes but also for all of us who value our vision
and are looking to do our best.

About the Johnson & Johnson Olympic Partnership

Johnson & Johnson is an Official Partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games, Paralympic Games and a Worldwide Partner of the International Olympic Committee, through which Johnson & Johnson has partnerships with more than 200 National Olympic Committees around the world.

About The Vision Care Institute(TM)

The Vision Care Institute(TM), LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, is
an innovative professional resource for eye care providers.
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., the state-of-the-art facility
gives participants a rare opportunity to experience the latest in
vision diagnostic and treatment technologies through hands-on
instruction, including training on contact lens fitting and
prescribing.

Working in tandem with leading schools and associations since its
launch in March 2004, The Vision Care Institute(TM) has hosted more
than 2,500 students from all 19 of the schools and colleges of
optometry throughout North America. The Vision Care Institute(TM)
has sister facilities in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand,
Italy and Czech Republic, which offer eye care specialists around the
world an opportunity to learn of new developments in the field under
the leadership of top contact lens specialists. For more
information, please visit http://www.tvciedu.com.

The Vision Care Institute(TM) is a trademark of The Vision Care
Institute, LLC.

(1) Laby et al. The visual function of professional baseball
players, 1996. Am J Ophthalmol 122:476-485.

(2) Global Eye Exam Survey, The Vision Care Institute, 2008
(TNS-GsK).

# # #

Media Contacts:
Dr. John Ang
Asia-Pacific Johnson & Johnson Vision Care
Office: +65 68276292

Shirley Wong Walker
MS&L
Office: 8621-5465 8495
Mobile: 86-138 1780 0114

Submitted by Marketwire, Marketwire on Tuesday, 12 August 2008 at 1:39 PM
Category: Health Care & Medical