Anti-glare glasses to guard against the glint, progressive bifocals that don?t give away your age, hi-index glass lenses for better aesthetics, special sensitive lenses for computer work or for specific eye disorders? All these, not imported expensively and protractedly, but manufactured in town, in a state-of-the-art lab.

Corning, global leader in ophthalmic technology, on Wednesday announced the setting up of a special laboratory in Calcutta to offer end-to-end service and support to opticians and other trade partners by ensuring on-time delivery of ?international-quality prescription lenses?.

The ?revolutionary? distribution channel will be a product of a strategic tie-up of its newly formed subsidiary, Corning India Ltd, with Prime Ophthalmics Products. Prime will be the exclusive manufacturer in the city lab for Corning, who will, in turn, distribute these products to opticians, wholesalers, dealers and other distributors.

?Calcutta has traditionally been a very strong market for us and we will ensure a consistent supply of high-quality glass lenses to the ophthalmic industry here,? said Pradeepak Malvai, director sales & marketing ? ophthalmic, South Asia, Greater China & Korea, Corning.

Vivian L. Gernand, vice-president and general manager, ophthalmic division, promised that the central R&D lab in Avon Cedex, France, will take feedback from the Calcutta operations to address specific needs of the city, arising out of climatic factors or prevalent eye conditions.

?The market is just right for us to do something now and we are trying to catch the rising tide here,? she said.

Corning, headquartered in New York and employing 25,000 people worldwide, plans to embark on a concerted awareness drive in Calcutta about the use of right lenses.

?We will hold seminars and workshops for the medical fraternity here to tell them of the options available with prescription guidelines. We will also go to schools with eye-screening programmes and tools to raise awareness about possible eye disorders among students and guidelines for prevention,? stressed Malvai.