I am delighted to have been given this opportunity to congratulate Essilor’s prestige publication, Points de Vue on its 30th Anniversary. I was invited to join the Scientific Reading Committee for the editorial team some 15 years ago and thus have been awarded the privilege of being among the first to enjoy the high calibre of the content which has appeared over the years. From the latest advances in ophthalmological care and the debunking of the “supervision” myth, to a deeper understanding of the research behind the latest technological advances from the Research & Development team, the quality of the articles has been ensured by the high standing of the authors, all of whom are experts in their individual fields.

The Scientific Reading Committee is made up of eleven international members, comprising ophthalmologists, scientists and academics. The ophthalmologists include Professor Yves Pouliquen of l’Académie Française and Professor Julián García Sánchez from the Faculty of Medicine, UCM, Spain. The scientists and academics with a special interest in optics and lenses include Bernard Maitenaz, the inventor of the Varilux lens and Jean-Louis Mercier who is former Head of the Research and Development team for Essilor. Doctor Colin Fowler, former Director of Undergraduate Clinical Studies in the Department of Optometry & Vision Sciences at Aston University and I, who share a special interest in the optics of ophthalmic lenses, represent the UK members of the Committee.

Doctor Colin Fowler, former Director of Undergraduate Clinical Studies in the Department of Optometry & Vision Sciences at Aston University and I, who share a special interest in the optics of ophthalmic lenses, represent the UK members of the Committee.

The role of the Reading Committee is not only to provide peer reviews of the content of the articles but also to ensure, when necessary, that translations from the original language of the author into the five languages in which the Journal is published, English, French, German, Spanish and Chinese are technically accurate. Colin Fowler and I deal with the English technical translation and it is very seldom that we need do more than suggest a more conventional way of expressing a phrase or term in the English language.

Readers of Points de Vue frequently comment on the professional content and the excellent standard of the publication, which the editors have managed to maintain throughout the years. The articles, whether scientific or more general in nature, are designed to inform the reader, not only of the scientific background to new lens products and processes, but also of ophthalmological developments and trends, and to the sociological implications of modern optometry and ophthalmology. In addition to optical and ophthalmological topics, Points de Vue has contained a series of articles on the role of the eye in art, including the vision of famous artists and what the effects of their specific ocular pathologies, e.g., ametropia, presbyopia, aphakia or Daltonism, had upon their work. Papers on the history of spectacles in art and on coins have also made fascinating reading.

Thirty years is a notable milestone for any publication. I have no doubt that the high esteem in which Points de Vue is held is in no small way due to the Editorial Committee and in particular, to the Director of Publication, Marc Alexandre, whose wide international contacts have enabled him to go straight to the source of the research and other information which the journal contains. All members of the Reading Committee join me in offering good wishes and hearty congratulations to Points de Vue upon this notable achievement.