ORLANDO, Fla.—Transitions Optical took the wraps off a few significant launches planned for 2020 at the recent Transitions Academy. Overall, more than 1,000 industry professionals attended the three-day event here at the J.W. Marriott Grande Lakes.

The recent session marked the 24th annual Academy meeting, and it was the largest group to gather for Transitions Academy in five years, Jose Alves, general manager, Americas, said at the opening session. He noted that Transitions Optical was excited by the large turnout, and especially that so many attendees were first-timers at the meeting.

Chrystel Barranger, president Essilor photochromics and Transitions Optical, provided opening comments in which she noted how proud the company is of the Transitions Signature GEN 8 lenses, which debuted in 2019 and had “an amazing launch here in the U.S.” Barranger said the Signature GEN 8 lenses had strong debuts in Canada and parts of Latin America in 2019, also.

The Signature Gen 8 lenses launched in February in Brazil, and are rolling out to Italy, Spain and China, Barranger said. “In less than a year, Gen 8 will be the new global reference in photochromic lenses,” she added.

Also addressing the opening session were Elise Bioche, vice president, global marketing; Brian O’Neill, vice president, global innovation, technology and operations; and Luc Nouvelot, director, global research and development. Charlotte Hamel, director, global internal communication, PR and events, provided an update on Transitions’ efforts around style and color trends, also.

At the meeting, Transitions announced that it is expanding the Transitions XTRActive product line with the introduction of the Transitions XTRActive Polarized lenses. The lenses start clear indoors, darken in the car, achieve extra darkness and polarize outdoors in the sun.

Along with Transitions XTRActive lenses and Transitions XTRActive lenses style mirrors, Transitions XTRActive Polarized lenses together represent the widest and best portfolio of extra dark lenses in the photochromic category, the company noted.

“This is a key milestone for the company,” O’Neill said. “Building on our experience in polarization technology, we have now engineered the world’s only and best ever clear to extra dark photochromic polarized lens. Transitions XTRActive Polarized is designed for high-glare situations, and our unique polarization technology will reduce glare outdoors, providing sharper vision, a larger field of view and bright, vivid colors.”

Transitions XTRActive Polarized lenses will be available in North America as a pre-launch in the third quarter and a launch in the fourth quarter of 2020. They will be available in iconic grey with additional details on the availability across materials and designs coming closer to launch.

Also announced was an expanded line of Gen 8 colors: Amber, Amethyst, Emerald and Sapphire. The hues of the new style colors are comparable to the existing color hues, with the exception of Amber. The new Amber lens has a good balance between darkness and color intensity with more honey/yellow colored tones, the company said.

“The addition of the four style colors to the innovative Transitions Signature GEN 8 lens portfolio is a true intersection of fashion and technology, boosting the style factor for glasses through lenses,” Bioche said. “The vast range of colors creates an opportunity for eyecare professionals to offer their patients an on-trend lens and frame pairing, with the added benefit of indoor and outdoor protection for their eyes.”

Resources highlighting the new Transitions Signature GEN 8 style colors are available online at TransitionsPRO.com/FreeStyle.