In Hurricane Aftermath, AOA Reports That Donations to Support Doctors, Students Surpasses $233,000

ST. LOUIS—The American Optometric Association (AOA) announced yesterday that it has received more than $233,000 in combined individual and industry donations following an appeal made just about 2 weeks ago to help support doctors and students in hurricane-impacted areas. Soon after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Southeastern U.S., the AOA Foundation issued its emergency appeal to the optical community for donations to its Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief (OFDR), which provides support to optometrists, and optometry students, affected by disaster. The request for relief, made in early October, was soon extended to those impacted by Hurrican Milton last week. Since the inception of the OFDR in 2005, the group noted, it has issued more than $1,000,000 in grants.

World Sight Day 2024 Is Embraced by the Optical Community With a Focus on Children’s Eye Health

NEWARK, N.J.—The optical community came together last week on October 10 in honor of World Sight Day (WSD), marking the celebration, held annually on the second Thursday of the month, with joyous and awareness-raising events worldwide, coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). With the theme “Love Your Eyes,” events in the U.S. and across the globe included almost 200 IAPB member organizations as well as eyecare organizations, industry and eyecare professionals with a focus on the unique needs of children’s vision and eye health. Participating organizations seized the opportunity to highlight the importance of protecting one’s eyes and vision, raising awareness of vision impairment and blindness, and promoting eye and vision care with various programs, challenges and educational opportunities.

Optical Community Rallies to Help Those in Need After Two Hurricanes Devastate Southeastern U.S.

While residents of Florida braced for back-to-back devastating storms from Hurricanes Helene and Milton over the past few weeks, the optical community was busy taking steps to provide disaster relief to those affected by the natural disasters. Hurricane Helene’s devastation was felt primarily across six states, with more than 200 deaths reported from Florida to Tennessee. The death toll and damage from Hurricane Milton, which hit a major swath of Florida this past week, is still being assessed.

Alcon Launches Its Innovator Program to Collaborate With ECPs and Address Unmet Needs Within the Contact Lens Industry

FORT WORTH, Texas—Alcon, a global leader in eyecare, has announced the introduction of the Alcon Innovator Program, an initiative to partner with influential eyecare professionals to identify gaps in contact lens offerings and address the market’s unmet needs. As part of the inaugural program in the U.S., Alcon said it selected 20 innovators to receive and offer their patients exclusive access to upcoming Alcon product launches. Through this partnership, innovators shared both practice and patient insights gained from fitting patients in new Alcon contact lenses, as well as developed social and editorial content that highlighted their experience with the latest innovation, according to the announcement.

Vision Monday Launches Survey to Gauge the Effects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton on the Industry

NEWARK, N.J.—Due to the devastating effects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the U.S., Vision Monday has launched a survey to gauge the effects of the hurricanes on the optical industry. Click here to let us know how your business has been affected by these two historic hurricanes. If your company or organization is providing disaster relief to the optical community, we want to hear from you too. Stay tuned to VMAIL for results of the survey.