Citare selects Judson International to provide Clarifex hard anti-fog coating for high quality optical lenses; deal worth millions in market for high quality polycarbonate sun lenses.

LOS ANGELES--(BW HealthWire)--May 2, 1997--Citare, an Italian producer of high quality optics, announced a major contract today with Judson International, Ltd., a leading developer, applier, and distributor of specialized coatings based in Capitola, Calif.

Citare will use Judson's Clarifex(TM), a revolutionary permanent hydrophobic anti-fog coating with anti-scratch and self-healing features, for its full line of sun lenses.

"The quality of Judson's advanced anti-fog, anti-scratch and true self-healing features made it the only approach we considered," said Bud Allen, vice president of Citare. "Citare customers worldwide will benefit from our leadership as the first major lens supplier to offer this breakthrough to the sun lens market."

"Clearly, we've developed the permanent, hard anti-fog optics the eyewear industry has been waiting for," stated Bill Manak, Judson's CEO. "Other high tech coating applications will be announced over the next 90 days as we grow this strategic relationship with Citare."

Combining their coating technology with such features as mirroring, six, eight, and nine base curves, and decentering, Citare's sun lenses outperform all others. Laboratory tests prove Clarifex continues fogging protection after 10 minutes over steam, 15 minutes in a freezer, and after a seven day water soak.

Before Clarifex, most such coatings were temporary, scratched easily, or could only be applied to inferior substrates. They became saturated and lost effectiveness because they employed hydrophilic principles. Clarifex hydrophobic coating retains anti-fog properties in all conditions and small scratches are self-healing, making it perfect for snow and water sports.

Based in Northern Italy, with North American headquarters in Los Angeles, California, Citare provides optical sun lenses, sport shields, ski and swim goggles, and safety glasses. Their high quality polycarbonate lenses are available in a variety of colors and coatings. Their specialties include polarized, mirroring, wraps, photochromic optically correct lenses (with six, eight, or nine base curves), and goggles.

Judson International, Ltd., founded in 1995, develops, applies and markets more than 40 coating products for a variety of substrates, including glass, polycarbonate, acrylic, acetate, butyrate, propionate and CR39. The product line includes proprietary anti-fog, anti-static, anti-glare, photochromic, infra-red (IR) blocker, ultra violet (UV) radiation blocker, laser blocker, and abrasion, chemical, and weather resistant hard coatings.

To contact Citare for additional information, call Bud Allen, general manager and vice president of sales, at 310/316-1536, or fax him at 310/316-7691.

To contact Judson International, Ltd. for additional information, call Mark Colbert, vice president of sales and marketing, 408/464-5606, fax [phone].

CONTACT: Brough Communications

Bruce Brough/Marsha Keeffer, 408/430-0100

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