EXHIBIT 99.4



Contact:  Jeffrey J. Hattara                 (NYSE-BMC)
          (612) 851-6030                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




              BMC INDUSTRIES, INC. ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF FRENCH
                                   LABORATORY


March 10, 2000 - Minneapolis, Minnesota - BMC Industries, Inc. through its
Vision-Ease Lens subsidiary today announced its purchase of La Haute Lunette De
Paris SA (HLP), an optical lens laboratory located outside Paris, France. HLP
processes lenses in all materials, but specializes in polycarbonate eyewear
lenses. The lab will operate under the name Vision-Ease France SAS.

Paul B. Burke, BMC's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said "The addition of
HLP to our existing lab in Germany gives us the basic infrastructure we need to
drive polycarbonate growth in Western Europe. With specialized polycarbonate
lens product processing capabilities, we can support the efforts of major
European optical retailers anxious to introduce or expand sales of polycarbonate
lenses."

BMC Industries, Inc. is a leading producer of polycarbonate, glass and plastic
eyewear lenses. BMC is also one of the world's largest manufacturers of aperture
masks for color picture tubes used in televisions and computer monitors. BMC's
common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BMC. The
Company's web site can be accessed at www.bmcind.com.


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