CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France—Essilor announced last week that it has entered into a three-year strategic partnership with Tencent, a leading technology company, to raise awareness for vision problems, eyecare service innovation and eye health management in China. Essilor will contribute its know-how and strong innovation capabilities in vision care, as well as its awareness and educational programs which have proven successful across the globe, while Tencent will bring its wide network with and understanding of consumers, as well as its strong experience in digital tools.

Arnaud Ribadeau Dumas, CEO of Essilor Greater China and Global Instruments Division, commented, “We are very proud to be partnering with such a leading and iconic company as Tencent. Essilor and Tencent share the same dedication to improving the current state of vision health in China through public education and innovation. At Essilor, we aim to eliminate poor vision from the world in one generation and we can only achieve this goal by working with partners like Tencent to achieve greater reach and awareness. This partnership also reflects Essilor’s sustained presence and longstanding commitment to China.”

Poor vision has become one of the biggest threats to China’s public health, with more than 600 million of China's 1.4-billion population suffering from uncorrected poor vision. Due to low awareness regarding vision problems, lack of industry standard enforcement and a limited access to professional eyecare service in China, there is a pressing need for improvement, Essilor said.