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Published on November 29, 2007

The company, manufacturer of contact lenses under the Acuvue brand, has seen tremendous potential for the growth of many emerging markets in Asia, including Thailand, where there is untapped penetration.

"We have seen Thailand as our very important market in Southeast Asia, enjoying a high population and central location. We believe in this country and believe in its potential for the future," said Jean Accad, regional vice president.

The company has set up The Vision Care Institute (TVCI) as a non-profit organisation aimed at providing training curricula to ophthalmologists and eye-care practitioners from basic to more innovative and advanced.

"The mission of TVCI is to provide patients' satisfaction through innovation and education. The institute will also work with universities and academics in particular countries to raise public awareness about the importance of taking care of the eyes," said Accad.

Of eight TVCI centres in the world, five are in Asia: Bangkok, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo and Shanghai.

"Our TVCI centre in Bangkok will be a regional centre for Southeast Asia," said Accad, adding that after opening for about a year, the Bangkok centre has already attracted 800 eye-care practitioners -  about 600 from Thailand and the rest from other countries including Malaysia, Singapore, India and the Philippines.

"We expect our TVCI centre in Bangkok to welcome about 2,000 people next year, of which 1,200 will be from Thailand and 800 from other countries in the region," said Accad.

Two TVCI centres will open next year in Dubai and Russia.

The company sees tremendous potential in Asia due to the small use of contact lenses. While the penetration in developed markets such as the US is as high as 40 per cent, the penetration in India and China is less than 5 per cent.

Dr John Ang Hong Beng, vice president of professional and regulatory affairs for Asia-Pacific, said in places such as Hong Kong and Korea the contact lens penetration for people aged 15 to 39 was 28 to 30 per cent. In Thailand, it is estimated at 10 to 12 per cent in urban areas, but at only 5 to 6 per cent in other areas.

The contact lens market in Thailand is estimated to be worth about Bt1.5 billion this year, growing 15 to 20 per cent from last year.

 Kwanchai  Rungfapaisarn

 The Nation