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NEW YORK—Luxottica has delivered a letter to its customers in response to “Sticker Shock,” the “60 Minutes” segment which aired on CBS on Oct. 7. The letter is signed off by Luxottica USA's president and CEO Andrea Dorigo, who expresses the company's disappointment with the segment’s portrayal of Luxottica and of the optical industry as a whole.

The letter, mailed to Luxottica customers last week specifically addresses three aspects of the program which were deemed misrepresentative: That Luxottica holds a monopoly over the eyewear industry, that eyewear is overpriced and that Luxottica takes advantage of its customers. Dorigo counters these points with statements including that “only a fraction of the 150 million frames and sunglasses sold every year are manufactured by [Luxottica],” that U.S. consumers “have access to a huge selection of frames and sunglasses in all price ranges” and that Luxottica has “never tried to abuse [their] leadership position.”

“‘60 Minutes’ aired a segment…that portrayed Luxottica, and most importantly our industry, in an unfavorable light by misrepresenting or omitting some important aspects of what we do every day,” Dorigo wrote. He later continued, “This time it is not just about Luxottica, it is about all of us and the future of our industry.”

When asked by VMail when the letter was sent, and to how many accounts, Luxottica declined further comment. To view the letter in its entirety, click here.