By Staff
Friday, July 12, 2024 8:05 AM
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals reports preliminary Q2 2024 net revenue; AAO and NANOS offer advice on weight loss drug and eye health risk; ECPs’ gross revenue decreased, Jobson Tracker says; Bausch + Lomb releases “State of Dry Eye” survey; and ECPs expect changes to workload, bottom line in response to Eyeglass Rule's final updates all topped this week’s
VMAIL news feed. Click on the headlines below to catch up on anything you might have missed.
By Staff
Thursday, July 11, 2024 12:24 AM
SAN FRANCISCO—The
American Academy of Ophthalmology and the
North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society have issued a response to a recent study that suggests patients taking semaglutide—the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy—may be at higher risk of developing non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, an eye condition that can cause blindness. The
study, conducted by researchers at Harvard University, was published on July 3, 2024 in
JAMA Ophthalmology. “Because diabetes is a known risk factor for NAION, patients with diabetes who qualify for GLP-1 treatment may be at higher risk for NAION to begin with," Andrew Lee, MD, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a neuro-ophthalmologist at Houston Methodist Hospital, told
VM.
By Staff
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 12:24 AM
NEW YORK—The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations decreased last week, July 1–7, when compared with the previous week, at a rate of -36 index points due to last week’s July Fourth Independence Day holiday. That places gross revenue at a level -26 index points below where it was at this point in time (Week 27) when compared with last year (2023), -18 points below the same period in 2022, -12 points below 2021, -1 point below 2020 and 17 points above 2019, according to Jobson’s most recent Practice Performance Tracker.
By Staff
Tuesday, July 9, 2024 12:24 AM
VAUGHAN, Ontario—During July's Dry Eye Awareness campaign,
Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE/TSX: BLCO), a global eye health company, has shared results from the company’s inaugural State of Dry Eye survey, which explores American adults' experiences of living with dry eye. Dry eye is increasingly common and can range from occasional symptoms of dryness to a chronic condition called dry eye disease, according to the survey. The survey revealed that the majority of respondents may not know that their symptoms—which can include redness, fluctuating vision, a scratchy, gritty, tired or heavy feeling, or overall eye irritation—may be associated with eye dryness.
By Staff
Monday, July 8, 2024 12:24 AM
NEW YORK—A Jobson Research poll of opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists in response to recent updates by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to the Eyeglass Rule shows that the changes will have moderate to significant impact on practices' workload and bottom line. As recently
reported in
VMAIL, the FTC announced final updates late last month to its
Ophthalmic Practice Rules, also known as the Eyeglass Rule, in what the organization stated was an effort to increase compliance with the requirement that ophthalmologists and optometrists provide patients with a free copy of their prescription immediately following a refractive eye exam. Among the updates are the requirements that ECPs must now ask patients to sign a statement confirming they received their prescription, keep a record of that confirmation for at least three years, and offer patients the option of a digital prescription.
By Staff
Friday, July 5, 2024 8:05 AM
KITS Eyecare reports preliminary Q2 financial results; National Vision names Mark Banner as chief stores officer; Fielmann Group closes acquisition of Shopko Optical; optical associations react to final “Eyeglass Rule” update; and De Rigo Group announces Jeff Fitzhugh as new president of De Rigo Rem 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, July 3, 2024 12:27 AM
DULUTH, Ga.—
National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), one of the largest optical retail companies in the U.S., has announced the appointment of Mark Banner as the company’s new chief stores officer, effective July 8, 2024. Banner is transitioning into the role previously held by Sharon Petitt due to her planned retirement. A specialty retailer who joins the company after a seven-year tenure at Sleep Number, the company stated, Banner brings team leadership expertise in sales, sales operations, digital, promotion and real estate.
By Staff
Tuesday, July 2, 2024 12:24 AM
HAMBURG, Germany, GREEN BAY, Wis. and DETROIT—The
Fielmann Group, a global eyewear provider, announced yesterday that it had closed on its acquisition of Green Bay, Wis.-based retailer
Shopko Optical. In the announcement, the company also upgraded its 2024 sales outlook and announced an addition to its executive team. The transaction was first signed on June 10, 2024, and calls for the group's U.S. subsidiary, Fielmann USA, to acquire 100 percent equity ownership in Shopko Optical from
Monarch Alternative Capital LP, as
reported in
VMAIL last month.
By Staff
Monday, July 1, 2024 12:24 AM
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Last week, as
reported in
VMAIL, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced final updates to its 10-year
Ophthalmic Practice Rules, known as the Eyeglass Rule. According to the FTC, the updates, which are scheduled to take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, are designed to increase compliance with the rule’s long-standing requirement that ophthalmologists and optometrists who have a financial interest in selling prescription eyewear provide patients with a free copy of their prescription following a refractive eye exam.
By Staff
Monday, July 1, 2024 12:21 AM
LONGARONE, Italy—De Rigo Group S.p.A. announced on Friday changes in its North American leadership. Alessandro Baronti, who has served as president of
De Rigo Rem for the past six and a half years, will leave the organization at the end of July. On July 8, Jeff Fitzhugh will step into the role of president of De Rigo Rem.
By Staff
Friday, June 28, 2024 8:05 AM
National Vision hosts Annual Continuing Education Symposium; FTC announces final updates to “Eyeglass Rule”; Highland Rim Capital acquires I-Deal Optics; IAPB kicks off 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE in Mexico; and Optometry’s Meeting 2024 wraps up all topped this week’s
VMAIL news feed. Click on the headlines below to catch up on anything you might have missed.
By Staff
Thursday, June 27, 2024 1:15 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Concluding a comprehensive multi-year review, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced final updates to its
Ophthalmic Practice Rules, known as the Eyeglass Rule, aimed at promoting competition and consumer choice. According to the FTC, the updates are designed to increase compliance with the rule’s long-standing requirement that ophthalmologists and optometrists provide patients with a free copy of their prescription immediately following a refractive eye exam. The changes announced on Thursday require that prescribers, after providing the prescription, request that their patients sign a statement confirming they received their prescription and keep a record of such confirmation for at least three years.
By Staff
Wednesday, June 26, 2024 12:27 AM
OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.—
I-Deal Optics, Inc., a Troy, Mich.-based portfolio company of
Main Street Capital Holdings and a marketer and value-added distributor of prescription eyewear and sunwear frames, has been acquired by Nashville-based private equity firm Highland Rim Capital. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Prairie Capital Advisors, which announced the deal late last week, acted as the exclusive financial advisor in this transaction for I-Deal Optics and its shareholders. “In conjunction with a dedicated management team, we have continued to build the strong reputation of I-Deal in the marketplace as a compelling, one-stop-shop value proposition to private practices,” said Ryan Davis, partner at Main Street Capital Holdings.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 12:24 AM
MEXICO CITY—The
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is kicking off
2030 IN SIGHT LIVE today, a global, 3-day event slated to run through June 27 both online and live in Mexico City. The initiative,
launched in 2021, unites stakeholders across the eye health sector with the singular goal of eradicating avoidable sight loss by 2030. “2030 IN SIGHT LIVE fosters a collaborative environment where shared knowledge, discussion, and unwavering commitment can be catalysts to eliminating avoidable blindness,” said Peter Holland, IAPB chief executive officer.
By Staff
Monday, June 24, 2024 12:24 AM
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Last week,
Optometry’s Meeting 2024 welcomed more than 4,500 doctors, students, paraoptometric staff and industry supporters to Nashville. Marking the 127th Annual American Optometric Association (AOA) Congress and 56th Annual American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) Conference, the annual four-day education, governance and networking event focused on optometry’s essential and expanding role in health care and saw its largest gathering of AOA doctors since 2018, the organization announced. The show attracted 4,674 attendees, the AOA said. Eye Care Square opened on Wednesday evening and featured 159 exhibitors and a sold-out exhibit floor, numbers not seen since before the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the group.