Indies and UV Safety Month

By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 8:30 AM NEW YORK—It’s summertime and the weather is warm, which means many of us are spending more time than usual outside and in the sun—and that the sun is at its strongest. In recognition of this, July is recognized as UV Safety month across the industry, providing another opportunity for ECPs to educate patients and communities about the importance of keeping their eyes protected from UV rays. To close out July, we are taking a look at how some ECPs have used UV Safety Month to shed some light on UV light.

Dr. Chinn’s Vision Care

By Staff
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 8:25 AM Dr. Chinn’s Vision Care in San Diego shared the latest inclusion in its local Artist Collaboration project, where local artists design limited edition cleaning cloths.

Etnia Barcelona Presents Moi Aussi, Artist Project That Merges Art and Optics

By Staff
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 8:20 AM BARCELONA—Independent eyewear brand Etnia Barcelona has launched Moi Aussi, a new art and design project that aims to support artists and bring their work to an international stage. This project begins at the Abbazia Della Misericordia church in Venice, Italy, recently acquired by Etnia Barcelona, which will become the Moi Aussi Creative Lab. Etnia Barcelona will invite two international artists each month to create their own work of art using eyewear at the Creative Lab. These art pieces will then be exhibited in different galleries and museums around the world, Etnia Barcelona said.

SBA Announces $3 Million in New Grant Funding to Strengthen Cybersecurity Infrastructure for Emerging Small Businesses

By Staff
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 8:15 AM The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced $3 million in new funding under the Cybersecurity for Small Businesses Pilot Program. Three grants will be awarded to state agencies to provide training, counseling, and other tailored cybersecurity services for startups and emerging entrepreneurs. “With small businesses accounting for 99.9 percent of all American businesses and employing nearly half of the private workforce, any cyber threat to our small businesses is a threat to our country’s overall economy,” said SBA administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman. 

Indies Celebrate National Sunglasses Day

By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 8:30 AM NEW YORK—On June 27, sunwear and summer enthusiasts alike celebrated National Sunglasses Day by breaking out their favorite pair of sunnies, snapping a selfie and posting on social media. National Sunglasses Day, which occurs on June 27 every year, is a fun and interactive holiday for everyone—but, most importantly, it creates the perfect opportunity for ECPs to remind patients and their communities just how important it is to keep our eyes protected from the sun. This National Sunglasses Day, independent ECPs took to local news stations, social media and more to educate the public and spread some sunny fun.

HyperOptics

By Staff
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 8:25 AM The team at HyperOptics celebrated Pride in San Francisco with inclusive art on their signage. Image via hyper_optics on Instagram.

Taking Advantage of Resources for Dry Eye Awareness Month in July

By Staff
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 8:20 AM NEW YORK—Prevent Blindness announced at the beginning of July that it is joining in support of July as Dry Eye Awareness Month, with the goal of educating the public and health care professionals about dry eye disease. For the fourth consecutive year, OCuSOFT Inc., a privately held eye and skin care company specializing in eyelid hygiene and ocular health, is partnering with Prevent Blindness in support of Dry Eye Awareness Month. The National Eye Institute estimates that dry eye affects nearly 16 million Americas, as reported in VMAIL; in recognition of this, Prevent Blindness is offering a number of resources to help ECPs make the most out of educating their patients on dry eye this July.

U.S. Economy Is Facing ‘Critical Moment’ With Consumers and Businesses

By Staff
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 8:15 AM As inflation continues to ease and the Federal Reserve ponders when to lower interest rates, the nation is in a “critical moment” of waiting to see what will happen next, according to National Retail Federation chief economist Jack Kleinhenz. His comments appeared in the July issue of NRF’s Monthly Economic Review, which said year-over-year gross domestic product growth dropped from 3.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 1.4 percent in the first quarter this year, reaching its lowest point since the spring of 2022. A key contributor to the deceleration was slower consumer activity—a goal of high interest rates intended to tame inflation without causing a recession, the Monthly Economic Review noted.

Optical Celebrates National Eyewear Day

By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, June 20, 2024 8:30 AM NEW YORK—On June 6, members of the eyecare and eyewear communities celebrated the ninth annual National Eyewear Day, a day founded by Zyloware Eyewear that is dedicated to bringing awareness to comprehensive eye exams and overall eye health. As reported in VMAIL, Zyloware kicked off National Eyewear Day with a number of resources to help everyone get involved, and partnered with Optical Academy to provide free eye exams and eyewear as part of a community event. In addition, many ECPs across the country took part in National Eyewear Day in their own communities, through fundraising, special events and more. Here, we’re taking a look at how some indies celebrated eyewear this June 6.

Babcock Eye Care

By Staff
Thursday, June 20, 2024 8:25 AM The team at Babcock Eye Care in Portsmouth, Ohio, was excited to see their own Taylor Babcock, OD, speaking at the Ohio Senate Health Committee hearing in April.

Indies Welcome in the Summer Season

By Staff
Thursday, June 20, 2024 8:20 AM NEW YORK—Summer has arrived, bringing warmer weather, longer days, kids out of school, and, of course, new eyewear. As we head into these hot days of July, August and some of September, there’s no better time than now to start thinking about how to refresh your practice or online presence to welcome in the new season. There are countless ways to bring some summer energy into your work life, from special sales to in-store décor and everything in between—so, we’re taking a look at how some indies are celebrating the start of summer. Get inspired—and stay cool out there.

Consumers Continue to Spend Even as Economic Growth Slows, NRF Reports

By Staff
Thursday, June 20, 2024 8:15 AM Shoppers are still willing to buy even as smaller job and wage gains and high interest rates are slowing the growth of consumer spending, according to Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist for the National Retail Federation (NRF). “U.S. economic growth for the remainder of this year will depend on several factors but particularly the pace of job growth, inflation and what actions will be taken by the Federal Reserve,” Kleinhenz said. “The good news is that the economy is growing, inflation is moderating, and overall fundamentals look fine as increased consumer spending supports underlying momentum.”

Indies Spotlight Cataract Awareness on Social Media

By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, June 6, 2024 8:30 AM NEW YORK—Prevent Blindness has again declared June as Cataract Awareness Month. In recognition of the month, Prevent Blindness offers a variety of free informational resources in English and Spanish including fact sheets, social media graphics and a listing of vision care financial assistance programs. The group also offers a dedicated web resource, and the “Understanding Cataract” episode in the “Focus on Eye Health Expert Series,” featuring Albert Cheung, MD, cataract, cornea and anterior segment specialist with Virginia Eye Consultants and assistant professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology.

Eyes on Trade

By Staff
Thursday, June 6, 2024 8:25 AM In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Eyes on Trade celebrated six years in business.

Indie Eyewear Designers Celebrate Pride Eyewear Initiative

By Staff
Thursday, June 6, 2024 8:20 AM NEW YORK—This month, seven eyewear designers, many of which are independent, united to launch the third annual edCFDA Pride Eyewear Initiative. The designers Blake Kuwahara (Blake Kuwahara Eyewear), Christian Roth (Christian Roth Eyewear), Gai Gherardi and Barbara McReynolds (l.a.Eyeworks), Jeff Press (PRESS), Patty Perreira (Barton Perreira), Selima Salaun (Selima Optique) and Stirling Barrett (KREWE), are each offering a limited edition sunglass design, with a portion of the proceeds collectively benefiting Bring Change to Mind (BC2M), an organization dedicated to ending stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health.