By Staff
Tuesday, November 28, 2023 12:27 AM
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla.—The
Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association, International (NORA) announced the appointments of its new executive and advisory board members. Charles Shidlofsky, OD, FCOVD, assumes the position of president, succeeding DeAnn Fitzgerald, OD, who now joins the NORA Advisory Board. Dr. Shidlofsky is clinical director of Neuro-Vision Associates of North Texas, a specialty clinic serving children and adults with neurological vision issues. He is a member of the medical staff at
Baylor Scott and White Institute for Rehabilitation in Frisco, Dallas, and Fort Worth.
By Staff
Tuesday, November 28, 2023 12:24 AM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Today, the Vision Council released Provider inSights Q3 2023, a new research study exploring eyecare provider sentiments related to daily operations of their practices, the eyecare industry and the American economy. Report findings show that the outlook for the U.S. economy among eyecare providers—including opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, eyecare practice managers, eyecare practice owners and other professionals—has worsened compared to Q2 of 2023, with providers less confident in meeting their revenue goals for the year.
By Staff
Tuesday, November 28, 2023 12:21 AM
CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France and MILAN, Italy—
EssilorLuxottica and
Moncler have announced the signing of an exclusive licensing agreement that includes the design, production and global distribution of Moncler eyewear.
By Staff
Tuesday, November 28, 2023 12:15 AM
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.—In celebration of Giving Tuesday,
VSP Vision announced it is donating $150,000 to
Helen Keller Intl and $50,000 to five regional food banks across the U.S., in addition to free eyecare and eyewear.
By Staff
Monday, November 27, 2023 11:00 AM
Fighting Blindness Canada funded researcher Dr. Sachdev Sidhu (University of Waterloo) has developed a novel antibody therapy that will now be tested in a Phase 1/2 human clinical trial. An intact blood-retinal barrier is important for proper retinal function. This is disrupted in eye diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME).
By Staff
Monday, November 27, 2023 11:00 AM
Shoppers are cautiously returning to the stores, with pre-holiday spending reaching new levels. A new
report from Adobe Analytics found that consumers spent nearly $77 billion online in October 2023, up approximately 6 percent from 2022. This rose to $88.6 billion in November.
Prime Day was one of the main drivers of online consumer spending, along with flexible payment options such as buy now, pay later. More than $6 billion in buy now, pay later purchases were made online, an increase of 6 percent over 2022.
Since January, consumers have spent more than $58 billion using buy now, pay now programs, up 14.5 percent over 2022, with peak usage expected in November and on Cyber Monday.
Purchases using mobile devices reached nearly $40 billion, up 46 percent over 2022. Consumers are also continuing to take advantage of curbside pickup, with 18 percent of purchases made using this method. This is up from 17 percent from October 2022.
An increase in spending is driving down online prices after months of inflationary pressure. The Adobe Digital Price Index shows prices online have fallen consecutively for 14 months.
By Staff
Monday, November 27, 2023 12:21 AM
MENTOR, Ohio—After 50 years of leadership in providing a comprehensive range of coatings for eyeglasses and sunglasses,
North American Coating Laboratories has announced the closure of its Rx prescription ophthalmic coating department.
By Staff
Monday, November 27, 2023 12:18 AM
LARGO, Fla.—
Ocuco, a leading provider of OmniChannel solutions to the eyecare retail, optometry and lab markets worldwide, has announced the dates for its “Innovations User Group Meeting 2024: Seas The Day.”
By Staff
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 12:38 PM
Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) has kicked off its holiday campaign, ‘Tis the Season to Give the Gift of Sight. The appeal showcases the personal stories of people whose lives have been changed through the long-term initiatives the organization supports, which is possible thanks to the generosity of individual, practice, and corporate donors.
By Staff
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 12:03 PM
The global economy may be on the path to recovery, according to a new Goldman Sachs Report,
Macro Outlook 2024: The Hard Part Is Over. Experts believe the 2024 economy will outperform the previous year with improved income growth. Worldwide GDP is forecast to expand 2.6 percent next year on an annual average basis, which is in contrast to the 2.1 percent consensus forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
Experts believe GDP growth and employment have improved and that overall “inflation is now cooling across the G10 and emerging market economies.”
Experts believe the 2024 economy will outperform the previous year with improved income growth. Worldwide GDP is forecast to expand 2.6 percent next year on an annual average basis, which is in contrast to the 2.1 percent consensus forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
Experts at Goldman Sachs believe the U.S. will continue to outpace other countries in economic growth, predicting 2.6 percent global growth in 2024. Growth challenges and ongoing geopolitical risks will continue to impact the economy and put upward pressure on yields and downward pressure on valuations.
“We think those concerns are likely to remain a feature of the near-term outlook, at least until inflation eases enough to settle them,” the report stated.
By Staff
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 12:27 AM
ECPs’ gross revenue increased, Jobson Tracker says; Services to be held for Standard Optical's CEO Aaron Schubach; WCO launches Pediatric Resource for optometrists; iCare Health Solutions achieves HITRUST certification; and Marcolin launches Leadership Academy session dedicated to women’s leadership all topped this week’s
VMAIL news feed. Click on the headlines below to catch up on anything you might have missed.
By Staff
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 12:24 AM
NEW YORK—The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations increased last week Nov. 13–19 when compared with the previous week at a rate of 1 index point. That places gross revenue at a level 5 index points above where it was at this point in time (Week 47) when compared with last year (2022), 16 points above the same period in 2021, 9 points above 2020, and 15 points above 2019, according to Jobson’s most recent Practice Performance Tracker.
By Staff
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 12:21 AM
SALT LAKE CITY—Services will be held here next week for
Standard Optical's CEO, Aaron Schubach, 47, who passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 16. Aaron Richard Schubach was the fourth generation in the role of CEO at the optical company, one of the largest retailers and eyecare services providers in the state of Utah and the U.S. Standard Optical was started by his great grandfather in 1911. Schubach joined the company as VP marketing in 1999 and became CEO in 2017, succeeding his father, Stephen Schubach, who himself had followed in his father Richard's footsteps.
By Staff
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 12:18 AM
ELKINS PARK, Pa.—Dr. Susan Oleszewski, professor emeritus,
Pennsylvania College of Optometry, received the Lighthouse Award at Salus University’s 16th annual Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) charity fundraiser on Nov. 11, 2023, at the Switch House at the Battery in Philadelphia.