treasury assets, which includes the 41 billion pounds of mortgage assets, will be taken under public ownership

* The transfer to Abbey consists of: 20 billion pounds retail deposit base with 2.7 million customers; B&B's direct channels including 197 retail branches, 141 agencies (distribution outlets in 3rd party premises) and related employees

* The acquisition price will be 612 million pounds, including the transfer of 208 million pounds of capital relating to offshore companies

* The Bradford & Bingley brand will remain

((London Equities Newsroom; +44 20 7542 7717))

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From baseball to badminton, visual skills such as anticipation timing, eye-hand coordination and peripheral awareness have emerged as key components to overall athletic performance. Research has shown the best athletes tend to have above average vision and superior visual skills.(1) Realizing this, Olympic athletes and their coaches are working with The Vision Care Institute(TM) to incorporate The AchieveVision(TM) Program into their training not only to help level the playing field for athletes who may have weaknesses in their visual system, but to help optimize visual skills for a competitive edge.

Teams from several countries, including China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, have incorporated The AchieveVision(TM) Program into their training. Vision assessments have been customized to meet the different needs of various Olympic sports, including archery, badminton, boxing, BMX, decathlon, fencing, gymnastics, kayaking, shooting, soccer, softball, table tennis, taekwondo, track and field and volleyball.

Individual athlete highlights include:

-- A top heptathlete found that training her visual skills could help improve her depth perception and reaction time. These skills are key in the heptathlon, especially hurdling.

-- The AchieveVision(TM) Program identified deficiencies in a softball player's vision that could be corrected. The vision in one of her eyes was poor, which impacts acuity and visual skills important in batting and fielding.

-- The AchieveVision(TM) Program identified a problem with a badminton player's binocular vision (how the two eyes function together), which was affecting her depth perception, the ability to observe where an object is in relation to its environment. A training program was developed to correct this problem in time for the Olympic Games.

-- Table tennis players who have been training regularly with The AchieveVision(TM) Program were able to concentrate on visual skills such as convergence and focusing stamina. These skills are key in table tennis.

The AchieveVision(TM) Program supplements regular eye exams by moving beyond basic acuity to assess the visual skills that play a role in an athlete's performance. The program is comprised of a suite of assessment and training tools that include computer-based systems and equipment that is physically challenging not only to the eyes, but to the whole body in order to simulate the visual demands in an athlete's sport.

"As an Olympian myself, I know firsthand that an athlete's vision and visual skills are critical tools, both on and off the field," said Dr. Karin McCarthy, Principal Research Optometrist, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. "Vision is a critical component of overall physical health that makes a large contribution to overall performance. After having worked with a number of elite athletes, I am surprised how many are not seeing as well as they could. At this level of competition an athlete should not be squinting to focus on a ball, a hurdle, or a teammate on the field. If you are not seeing well, your reaction time is slower and that may impact your overall performance."

To date, The Vision Care Institute(TM) has provided more than 600 athletes worldwide with a range of vision services as part of The AchieveVision(TM) Program. The Vision Care Institute(TM) found that many athletes needed basic vision correction or updated prescriptions. This emphasizes the need for improved vision care as part of national training programs. Through this program 250 athletes were fitted for contact lenses to sharpen their visual acuity in time for competition.

"When you are training an elite athlete, every aspect of their health and physical skills should be assessed and, if possible, improved. It is natural to think of nutrition and weight training, but traditional training is not enough anymore," said Sir Clive Woodward, Director of Elite Performance, British Olympic Association. "Scientific developments, like The AchieveVision(TM) Program, developed by The Vision Care Institute(TM), offer new techniques to help our athletes perform at their peak and allow coaches, athletes and trainers to ensure vision is helping -- not hindering -- their performance. The British Olympic Association has installed The AchieveVision(TM) Program equipment at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, with the support of Visual Performance Skills Consultant, Dr. Sherylle Calder, to allow eye care professionals, coaches and trainers to customize vision care for each athlete."

Supporting Olympic Athletes and Medical Staff

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care will provide vision services to Olympic athletes, coaches and staff onsite during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games through The Olympic Village Polyclinic. The AchieveVision(TM) Program will be available to athletes at the Polyclinic, where they can learn how to maximize their visual skills.

"We're honored to be entrusted with the vision care for the Olympic athletes and team staff while they are in Beijing," said Dr. John Ang, Vice President of Professional and Regulatory Affairs, Asia-Pacific Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. "Through the Olympic Village Polyclinic, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care will provide the athletes access to best-in-class vision care services and products to help them maintain visual health during competition. For some athletes who have limited access to vision care services, this may be their first opportunity to receive eye care and diagnostic services, which can have a significant impact on their everyday lives."

Healthy Vision for Everyone

It is not just Olympic athletes who need to be concerned about the performance and health of their eyes to be at the top of their game. The Vision Care Institute(TM) recently commissioned a first-of-its-kind, large-scale global eye exam survey of 6,500 people across 13 countries and found that most people believe improved vision would help them to get the most out of life. Around the world, respondents agreed that it is important to get an eye exam on a regular basis and most (78 percent) rated sight as the most important of the five senses. Yet, half of respondents had never had a comprehensive eye exam by an eye doctor, and only a third are getting comprehensive eye exams on a regular basis (at least every two years). And, although more than 80 percent of parents around the world believe that improved vision would impact their child's performance in school and sports, nearly half (46 percent) report that their child has never had any type of eye exam.(2)

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games provide an excellent opportunity to raise awareness for the importance of vision care and eye health, not only for elite athletes but also for all of us who value our vision and are looking to do our best.

About the Johnson & Johnson Olympic Partnership

Johnson & Johnson is an Official Partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and a Worldwide Partner of the International Olympic Committee, through which Johnson & Johnson has partnerships with more than 200 National Olympic Committees around the world.

About The Vision Care Institute(TM)

The Vision Care Institute(TM), LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, is an innovative professional resource for eye care providers. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., the state-of-the-art facility gives participants a rare opportunity to experience the latest in vision diagnostic and treatment technologies through hands-on instruction, including training on contact lens fitting and prescribing.

Working in tandem with leading schools and associations since its launch in March 2004, The Vision Care Institute(TM) has hosted more than 2,500 students from all 19 of the schools and colleges of optometry throughout North America. The Vision Care Institute(TM) has sister facilities in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Italy and Czech Republic, which offer eye care specialists around the world an opportunity to learn of new developments in the field under the leadership of top contact lens specialists. For more information, please visit www.tvciedu.com.

The Vision Care Institute(TM) is a trademark of The Vision Care Institute, LLC.

(1) Laby et al. The visual function of professional baseball players, 1996. Am J Ophthalmol 122:476-485.

(2) Global Eye Exam Survey, The Vision Care Institute, 2008 (TNS-GsK).

Contact:

Shirley Bovonsombat J&J Vision Care Europe Office: +44 1344 864 330 Mobile: +44 7747 831 381 SBOVONSO@MEDGB.JNJ.COM

Vinnie Balasubramaniam Jackie Cooper PR Office: +44 (0) 20 3047 4028 Mobile:+44 (0)7983 472 662 VinnieB@jcpr.com

SOURCE: Johnson & Johnson