By Staff
Thursday, January 23, 2020 12:24 AM
DULUTH, Ga.—
National Vision, Inc. (Nasdaq: EYE) (NVI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Vision Holdings, Inc., has entered into a third amendment to the management and services agreement with
Walmart, Inc., which will be effective as of Jan. 23, 2020, per a filing with the SEC yesterday. The amendment updates the terms of the management and services agreement (the MSA) between Walmart and NVI, dated as of May 1, 2012, to add five additional vision centers located in Georgia to the MSA at a mutually agreeable “go-live date” for each new center. It will also extend the current term of the MSA by six months, to Feb. 23, 2021, and provide that the MSA will automatically renew for an additional three-year term unless, no later than July 23, 2020, one party gives the other party written notice of non-renewal. All other terms and conditions of the MSA remain in effect.
By Staff
Thursday, January 23, 2020 12:18 AM
SAN DIEGO—CovalentCareers, Inc., a career development company for new health care professionals and the largest provider of new graduate health care professional career resources, has released its 2020 Optometry Millennial Workforce Report, which is now available for free for eyecare professionals. Based on data collected from 503 optometrists and optometry students born since 1981, this report covers the values and opinions of Millennial and Gen Z optometrists and what those values mean for optometry hiring, the company said.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 12:18 AM
PINELLAS PARK, Fla.—Nine out of 10 people experience light sensitivity according to “Sensitivity to Light,” a white paper recently published by Transitions Optical. The white paper joins a suite of resources available from Transitions Optical which can be found on www.TransitionsPRO.com/LightManagement. “Understanding how light uniquely impacts each individual’s eye and daily life is imperative to providing the best vision care,” said Cecile Doussinault, category and insight director, Transitions Optical. “To see well, lenses need to manage light. With this knowledge, professionals can prescribe Transitions lenses, optimum light intelligent solution for each patient to enhance their satisfaction and protect their eyes.”
By Staff
Tuesday, January 21, 2020 12:27 AM
NEW YORK—Beginning its next chapter, armed with the investment and health care perspectives from its new financial partner at
Goldman Sachs,
MyEyeDr. (MED) is viewing the future as one which will amplify its efforts to put the patient experience front and center. Its leadership team is poised to employ technology in a range of ways, from those that streamline and make patient service more actionable, to an approach that further develops professional paths for its optometrists and raises vision care’s profile and awareness among patients and other provider groups in the health care field.
By Staff
Tuesday, January 21, 2020 12:24 AM
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The
Department of Justice (DOJ) announced January 15 that it will not challenge a proposal by the
American Optometric Association to expand its group purchasing organization’s (GPO) activities to include the purchase of optometric products for resale to consumers, specifically eyeglass lenses, frames, and contact lenses. According to a
statement issued by the DOJ, the proposed expansion of the AOA’s purchasing activities, conducted through a program known as
AOAExcel, is “unlikely to produce anticompetitive effects.” Moreover, the expansion could produce discounts for the Association’s members and ultimately lead to lower prices for optometric products for consumers, the DOJ said.
By Staff
Tuesday, January 21, 2020 12:15 AM
NEW YORK—
Vision Source has announced a mobile vision clinic tour of 13 major U.S. cities in 2020 to raise awareness for the importance of an annual comprehensive eye exam. Along the tour, Vision Source doctors and staff will provide free exams and corrective eyewear to families across the country who do not have access to vision care. The tour began in Charlotte, North Carolina last week and will also travel to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis and Washington D.C. Locally licensed doctors within the Vision Source network will staff the events, which will be equipped to support all aspects of a comprehensive eye exam.
By Staff
Friday, January 17, 2020 12:18 AM
DUBLIN—
Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), a global pharmaceutical company with more than 70 years of heritage in eyecare, announced a partnership with Von Miller, a former Super Bowl MVP, Denver Broncos linebacker and advocate for healthy vision, to shine a light on the millions of people living with glaucoma. As an ambassador for the
“My Glaucoma” campaign, Miller will address the misunderstandings and impact of glaucoma and encourage those with the disease, and their caregivers, to take early action, according to the announcement this week. This includes going to the doctor regularly and taking medications as prescribed.
By Staff
Friday, January 17, 2020 12:18 AM
SAN RAMON, Calif.—A study commissioned by
CooperVision among new contact lenses wearers offers valuable information that eyecare professionals (ECPs) can use to better reach new patients, increase their satisfaction and reduce dropout, the company reported. The research—part of the CooperVision Consumer Insights Series—was conducted among more than 1,000 adults in the U.S. and Germany who had been wearing contacts between two and 12 months. “Our partnership with ECPs around the world extends well beyond our products and services, including offering viewpoints from consumers that can advance clinical successes and practices’ business outcomes,” Kevin Barrett, senior vice president of strategy and lifecycle management for CooperVision, said in the announcement.
By Staff
Thursday, January 16, 2020 12:21 AM
SAN RAMON, Calif.—
CooperVision, which is preparing for the March 2020 U.S. launch of
MiSight 1 day contact lenses, has kicked off the new year by announcing this week the details of its comprehensive myopia management approach. An initial group of eyecare professionals (ECPs) gathered in Miami on Jan. 7-8 to learn about the “Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program” and to prepare to prescribe the MiSight 1 day lens to patients. CooperVision’s MiSight 1 day lens is the first and only product approved by the Food and Drug Administration for slowing the progression of myopia when initially prescribed for children 8-12 years old, as
VMAIL reported.
By Staff
Thursday, January 16, 2020 12:18 AM
LAKE FOREST, Calif.—
Staar Surgical has gained CE Mark approval for use of its
ICL as a supplemental or “piggyback” lens in post-cataract IOL surgery patients (pseudophakics).
By Staff
Thursday, January 16, 2020 12:15 AM
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—
Eversight has announced that two new members and a new chair have been named to its board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2020. Eversight is a nonprofit organization with a mission to restore sight and prevent blindness through the healing power of donation, transplantation and research. Joining the Eversight board of directors are Carolyn Welsh, vice president & chief clinical officer, NJ Sharing Network, and Mahmoud N. Ghazzi, MD, Ph.D, MPH, an experienced researcher and biopharmaceutical consultant.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 12:18 AM
MASON, Ohio—
Pearle Vision has been ranked as the nation’s top eyecare franchise company on
Entrepreneur magazine’s highly competitive
Franchise 500 list, according to a Pearle Vision announcement.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 12:15 AM
ST. LOUIS—Optometry Cares–The
AOA Foundation is now accepting nominations for the Dr. W. David Sullins Jr.
InfantSEE Award, which recognizes an individual doctor of optometry who has made significant contributions to optometry or his/her community for outstanding public service involving the InfantSEE program, according to an announcement. The award honors the memory of Dr. W. David Sullins Jr., and the late optometrist's inspiring and passionate leadership as a driving force in the profession of optometry. A memorial fund was established after his passing in 2005 and led to the creation of the award.
By Staff
Tuesday, January 14, 2020 12:18 AM
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The
California Optometric Association(COA) has noted that as part of the state’s “strong commitment to strengthening the Medi-Cal program” eyeglass benefits for Medi-Cal recipients have been restored, and the association also noted that it will continue in 2020 to advocate for a Medi-Cal reimbursement rate increase for optometrists practicing in the state. “California’s rate is among the lowest in the nation,” a COA official told
VMAIL. “We will be advocating for the rate increase again this year.”
By Staff
Tuesday, January 14, 2020 12:15 AM
CAMBRIDGE, England—
Exonate, an early stage biotechnology company based here, said Monday that it has entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with
Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a unit of Johnson & Johnson, that will work toward developing an eye drop treatment for retinal vascular diseases, such as Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO). The effort will focus on using mRNA targeted therapies. The agreement was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation. Exonate has developed small molecules that inhibit the production of pro-angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) through the selective inhibition of serine/threonine-protein kinase (SRPK1)-mediated VEGF splicing, according to the announcement.