By Staff
Friday, July 16, 2021 12:33 AM
HEBRON, Ky.—The “Zeiss Customer Experience”, featuring a model eyecare practice and optical store of the future, was on full display Wednesday, as Zeiss Vision Care executives welcomed visitors to the company’s new, 2,500-square foot Zeiss Vision Center showroom here. “We invite eyecare practitioners from across the country to visit our new facility so they can then open their own Zeiss Vision Center and provide a unique customer-centric experience for their patients,” said Jens Boy, president of Zeiss Vision Care U.S., who spoke to a group of invited guests and took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony, along with Kentucky state and local officials.
By Staff
Monday, June 21, 2021 12:15 AM
BATAVIA, Ohio—To accommodate continued strong growth from its prescription lens business,
R&D Optical Lab, a leading independent wholesale optical lab, will be relocating to a new, larger facility here in early July. R&D Optical Lab opened in 2018 in Cincinnati and experienced strong growth from independent eyecare providers, particularly in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Company president Ronald Cooke, Jr. attributed the company’s success in part to its Visual Perfection HD Digital Lenses, non-glare coatings and anti-fog coatings, the latter of which it added last year during the COVID-19 pandemic
By Staff
Friday, June 11, 2021 12:18 AM
NEW YORK—
Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July issue, marking the 19th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. The deadline for submitting nominations has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 13. We are currently seeking nominations via an
electronic survey form. Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry.
By Staff
Friday, June 11, 2021 12:15 AM
NEW YORK—
Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July issue, marking the 19th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. The deadline for submitting nominations has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 13. We are currently seeking nominations via an
electronic survey form. Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 8, 2021 12:15 AM
NEW YORK—
Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July issue, marking the 19th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. The deadline for submitting nominations has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 13. We are currently seeking nominations via an
electronic survey form. Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 1, 2021 12:15 AM
NEW YORK—Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry. In retailing, wholesaling, product design, manufacturing, distribution and vision care and managed care, talented women are shaping the direction of the companies and organizations they work for, and, in many cases, lead. This is why
Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July issue, marking the 19th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. We are currently seeking nominations via an
electronic survey form.
By Staff
Friday, May 28, 2021 8:03 AM
NEW YORK—Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry. In retailing, wholesaling, product design, manufacturing, distribution and vision care and managed care, talented women are shaping the direction of the companies and organizations they work for, and, in many cases, lead. This is why
Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July issue, marking the 19th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. We are currently seeking nominations via an
electronic survey form.
By Staff
Friday, May 28, 2021 8:00 AM
NEW YORK—Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry. In retailing, wholesaling, product design, manufacturing, distribution and vision care and managed care, talented women are shaping the direction of the companies and organizations they work for, and, in many cases, lead. This is why
Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July issue, marking the 19th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. We are currently seeking nominations via an
electronic survey form.
By Staff
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 12:15 AM
NEW YORK—Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry. In retailing, wholesaling, product design, manufacturing, distribution and vision care and managed care, talented women are shaping the direction of the companies and organizations they work for, and, in many cases, lead. This is why
Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July issue, marking the 19th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. We are currently seeking nominations via an
electronic survey form.
By Staff
Friday, May 7, 2021 12:27 AM
NEW YORK—Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry. In retailing, wholesaling, product design, manufacturing, distribution and vision care and managed care, talented women are shaping the direction of the companies and organizations they work for, and, in many cases, lead. This is why
Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July issue, marking the 19th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. We are currently seeking nominations via an
electronic survey form.
By Sarah McGoldrick
Sunday, April 25, 2021 10:00 AM
It’s been a tough year for the optical industry, especially optical labs. Soon after COVID hit regional lockdowns began, and many eyecare practices closed or reduced their patient hours. Labs felt the impact almost immediately. A Vision Council Member Survey conducted in Spring, 2020 found that the majority of labs had reduced their production and service hours in response to decreased demand due to COVID-19. (see Fig. 1) As the volume of Rx orders fell, many labs reduced staff or staff hours. However, the decrease in sales from brick-and-mortar optical locations was partly offset by an increase in online optical sales, as homebound consumers increasingly turned to eyeglass e-tailers. Labs had to quickly adapt to these shifting market dynamics by adjusting their service and delivery strategies.
By Sarah McGoldrick
Sunday, April 25, 2021 9:59 AM
More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, optical labs are still adjusting to the disruptions the pandemic has caused to the eyecare practices and optical retailers they service. With many lab customers operating on limited hours and under strict health restrictions that prevent making in-person sales calls, labs have had to develop new approaches to educating ECPs and staff about new products and services. In particular, many labs are shifting from face-to-face product demonstrations and traditional marketing materials and embracing virtual consultations.
By Staff
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 12:21 AM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—
GSRx president, Keith Posin, has announced that Bonnie DeMark, ABOC/CPOA, has been named director of customer interaction, and Tasha Morgan has been named business systems manager and operations/customer service liaison for the Scottsdale-based eyewear supplier.
By Andrew Karp
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 12:15 AM
NEW YORK—Essilor, the world’s biggest lens company, is also the biggest optical laboratory operator in the U.S. Since acquiring its first U.S. labs in 1996, Essilor has built a network consisting of over 90 locations that are part of its ELOA group or are independently-owned partner labs. Pete Lothes is in charge of the company’s lab operations. Lothes has spent his career in and around labs, first helping manage the family business in Columbus, Ohio and later heading Essilor’s Satisloh business unit, which is a leading manufacturer of lens processing equipment.
By Staff
Thursday, March 25, 2021 1:15 PM
CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France, and MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.—
EssilorLuxottica has entered into an agreement to acquire
Walman, the largest independent optical laboratory group in the U.S. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Walman, which is employee-owned and operated, has long been a top wholesale distributor of Essilor lenses in the U.S. It has been a leading partner to vision care practices around the country since its founding in 1915. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., the diversified company operates a network of 35 facilities across the U.S., including prescription lens-finishing labs and hubs for optical instruments and other vision care products. It generated approximately $500 million in revenues in 2020, according to EssilorLuxottica and Walman.