Myopia Awareness Campaign Urges Families to Take a ‘Screen Staycation’

All summer long, the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition (GMAC) has been joining forces with children’s optometrist Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford in a myopia awareness campaign known as a Screen Staycation. Did you know that just 76 extra minutes outside a day can reduce the risk of myopia by 50 percent? That’s why Dr. Nate and GMAC are encouraging families to spend more time outdoors this summer and take a Screen Staycation—a challenge to go 24 hours without any screens. To help families get started with their outdoor activities, GMAC has been offering Screen Staycation kits which include, a Frisbee, a kite, sunscreen, and of course, sunglasses. Weekend caught up with Dr. Nate to talk about how the campaign is going and what’s on the horizon for families dealing with myopia.

Warby Parker Reports Double-Digit Sales Increase in Q2, But Notes Weakness in Eyeglass Demand ‘Industry Wide’

NEW YORK—Warby Parker Inc. (NYSE: WRBY) reported Thursday that its sales in the second quarter increased 13.7 percent (or $18.1 million) to $149.6 million. The increase was 19.1 percent on a three-year compound annual growth basis compared with the second quarter of 2019. In addition, Warby Parker said it increased active customers 8.7 percent to 2.26 million year over year. Average revenue per customer in the quarter ended June 30 increased 8.2 percent year over year to $254, even as the company noted an “industry-wide” decline in demand for eyeglasses.

Alcon Says it Is ‘Launching New Products and Gaining Share’ as Second-Quarter Results Show Sales and Margin Increases

GENEVA—Alcon (SIX/NYSE:ALC) said this week that its second-quarter sales increased 5 percent on a reported basis to $2.2 billion, and noted that the increase was 10 percent on a constant currency basis. Sales in both surgical and vision care in the second quarter ended June 30 benefited from “product innovation, continued recovery across international markets from the COVID-19 pandemic and sales from acquired products,” the company’s announcement noted.

Warby Parker Downsizes Workforce, Eliminating 63 Positions

NEW YORK—Warby Parker (NYSE: WRBY) is downsizing its workforce as part of a team restructuring, VMAIL has learned. The company, which announced the move on August 8, will eliminate 63 positions across a number of corporate departments. The news was first reported by Business Insider. Warby Parker released a statement saying, “While this was an incredibly difficult decision, we are making these changes to enable us to operate in a more focused and nimble manner and to capitalize more efficiently on our highest impact opportunities.”

The National Average for Gross Revenue at ECP Locations Increased for the Week of Aug. 1-7, Jobson’s Latest Practice Performance Tracker Shows

NEW YORK—The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations increased last week, Aug. 1-7, at a rate of 2 index points. That places gross revenue at a level 11 index points above where it was at this point in time (Week 32) when compared with last year, 6 points above the same period in 2020, and 7 points above 2019, according to Jobson’s most recent Practice Performance Tracker. All optical sales categories were up or flat last week when compared with the previous week, ranging from unchanged for exams/refractions to up 5 index points for contact lenses.