Small Firm with Big Vision Celebrates 20 Years

Chapel Hill, North Carolina— OCUTECH, one of the world's foremost
innovators in developing optical devices to aid the visually impaired,
is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Established in 1984, Ocutech was
born to develop and commercialize an optical design patented by its
founder and President, Dr. J. Russ Pekar.

Pekar, born visually impaired himself, knew first hand the challenges
that individuals face making their way in the world of the normally
sighted. "While there were devices available that would allow him to
see beyond the length of his arm, they were clumsy, heavy, and
unsightly. "It struck me that by combining a periscope and telescope
together I might be able to produce a device that was easier to wear,
optically superior, and less conspicuous," said Pekar. That was the
basis for what is now an internationally known firm that manufactures
and ships its very special eyeglasses to vision rehabilitation
specialists throughout the world.

Recent studies show that the incidence of visual impairment will
increase as baby boomers age, and while exciting medical progress is
being made to control vision threatening diseases such as macular
degeneration, diabetes and glaucoma, even with treatment, individuals
may be left with less than normal vision. These individuals, who are
described as having "low vision," need good lighting and significant
magnification to read up close, and special telescopic glasses, called
bioptics, to see at a distance.

Dr. Henry Greene is Vice President of Ocutech. An optometrist and
Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Vision
Rehabilitation Service at the University of North Carolina, Greene
helped to direct the development projects. He has found that these
new devices have been able to open up the world for many individuals,
children, adults and seniors, who previously had been told that
nothing more could be done for them. "While no device can help every
visually impaired person, the success we have achieved with these
devices has been very heart warming indeed," Greene said.

Ocutech systems, some of which resemble a small camera perched across
the top of regular eyeglasses, have evolved over the years. From
devices that were focused by hand to view objects at different
distances, to the breakthrough Ocutech VES-Autofocus, the
first ever self-focusing telescopic eyeglasses for the visually
impaired, Ocutech has strived to make their devices easier and more
natural to use.