Eyefinity Announces Partnership with Charmant Group Charmant to Offer Products Via Online Catalogs at eyefinity.com

FOLSOM, CA, October 29, 2002 -- Eyefinity, the optical industry's most widely used Internet portal and Charmant, a leading eyewear and frame manufacturer, have announced an e-commerce partnership that will offer Charmant's line of products online through eyefinity.com.

With this agreement, Charmant's frames and sunglasses lines will be made available to private eye care practitioners through eBuy, Eyefinity's online purchase center beginning late 2002.

"This Eyefinity e-commerce partnership represents an example of employing technology and convenience to better partner with our customers and provide even higher levels of service and efficiency. That, of course, translates into added value," says Lance Bergeron, Charmant USA's vice president of sales. "This is the future for the way business will be conducted in the optical industry, and we are extremely excited to be an integral part of it."

Charmant joins Safilo as the latest manufacturers to offer their products online at Eyefinity. Other Eyefinity partners include Altair, CIBA Vision, Ocular Sciences, SOLA, and VIVA.

"Charmant is recognized for its quality brand name eyewear and exceptional customer service, and we are very pleased to be partnering with them," says Eyefinity vice president of sales & marketing Dave Delle Donne. "Teaming with Charmant offers a great opportunity to deliver innovative programs to support private eye care practices."

About Eyefinity
Eyefinity, in conjunction with industry-leading partners, provides e-commerce, marketing and business management solutions to the private practice eye care community. Through the services of www.eyefinity.com, private practice eye care professionals can order products and lab materials, process online insurance claims, and improve practice management and marketing. Eyefinity serves more than 18,000 private eye care practices and 320 labs, and processes more than 25 million transactions a year.

About Charmant
The Charmant Group is a major international company whose primary business activities include the manufacturing and direct sales of optical frames. Charmant has been distributing product in the U.S. for 20 years and has been manufacturing optical parts since 1956 and frames since 1968. They began distribution under their own name in Japan in 1975. The Group currently has 15 member subsidiary companies throughout Asia, Australia, Europe & North, Central and South America. Charmant's production capability is over 5 million frames per year, making the company one of the top 5 manufacturers in the world. The company has over 3,500 employees worldwide and sells frames in more than 70 countries.

For more information visit www.eyefinity.com or www.charmant.com.