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Community Voices

#AAPIinHealthcare Celebrates AAPI Heritage Month

By Staff
Thursday, May 25, 2023 8:20 AM NEW YORK—In 1992, Congress passed Public Law 102-450, which designates May as Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month each year. May, chosen because of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant to the U.S. on May 7, 1843, now represents “a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States,” according to The Library of Congress. There’s no better time to learn about the incredible impact Asian Americans have had on the U.S. in all areas—and particularly in health care.

Barton Perreira Supports Elle Women of Impact Event With Bidens as it Showcases Its Women’s Coalition

By Staff
Thursday, May 11, 2023 8:20 AM WASHINGTON, D.C.—On April 29, Elle hosted its Women of Impact Event at the Ciel Social Club in Washington, D.C., with Barton Perreira as a sponsor. The luxury eyewear brand showcased its collections at the event, with the main spotlight on its Women’s Coalition styles, which is part of the brand’s ongoing series of partnerships with women-led businesses across fashion, art and culture. Throughout this partnership, Barton Perreira highlights female visionaries and collaborate with these women to create limited-edition products that benefit non-profit organizations supporting women entrepreneurs.

More Americans Are Opting for Business Ownership

By Staff
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 3:10 PM Business applications are on the rise in the U.S., as more Americans trade being an employee for being an owner. According to the United States Census Bureau, there were 429,000 new business applications in February. This is an increase of 1.9 percent over January. 

According to the Commerce Institute, more than 5 million new businesses were started in 2022. Experts believe this is a signal that new businesses will continue to trend upward well into 2023. 

Meanwhile, some experts also believe that these numbers may be inflated due to the backlog of business applications that are now being processed post-pandemic. However, other experts believe that the pandemic itself was the driving force convincing many people to leave the workforce and use stimulus checks and employment insurance to start their own businesses.

Rock4Sight 2023 to Feature Five Tribute Bands in Benefit Concert for ECN Purpose

By Staff
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 12:18 AM NEW YORK—Rock4Sight 2023 will be back at the Hard Rock Café to celebrate the optical industry and raise funds for ECN Purpose, a 501c3 charity dedicated to providing both eye health education and connection to vision care to the underserved. The party begins on Saturday, March 18 at 8:30 pm at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square, New York City. As in the past, this will be a fun night of music, dancing, camaraderie and industry fellowship.

Review of Ophthalmology: What the Pandemic Told Us About Tele-Ophthalmology

By Staff
Thursday, January 19, 2023 5:11 PM Telehealth in eyecare has historically followed the “store-and-forward” model, wherein retinal photography is combined with remote interpretation for screening of ophthalmic diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity, but is otherwise less useful than in some other medical fields. Did the pandemic experience change that in any way, positive or otherwise? A recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology compared telehealth trends between different medical specialties and ophthalmic subspecialties at a major academic institution over 18 months, beginning at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

Women In Optometry: Four Enduring Lessons Learned in the U.S. Navy

By Staff
Tuesday, November 8, 2022 2:50 PM Today, Jill Saxon, OD, FAAO, is executive director, professional strategy at Bausch + Lomb. But she started her career in the U.S. Navy, leaving after eight years as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserves. In honor of Veteran's Day, WO asked Dr. Saxon to reflect on the enduring lessons and experiences she gained from being an OD in the military. WO thanks all ODs who served and serve as a member of the Armed Forces for their service.

‘Little Miss’ Memes Can Be Optical, Too

By Staff
Thursday, July 28, 2022 8:20 AM NEW YORK—If you’ve spent any time on social media in the past few weeks, you’ve probably noticed an influx of “Little Miss” memes, a style of meme based off the series of “Mr Men” and “Little Miss” children’s books by Roger Hargreaves. The general idea of the meme is simple: take a personality trait and tack it onto the end of Little Miss. Then, add one of the Little Miss characters from Hargreaves’ books. Et viola, you’ve made a meme.

Women In Optometry: Three Female Doctors Say Diversity in Leadership and Advocacy Will Strengthen the Profession

By Staff
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 11:59 AM At a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., Mesheca Bunyon, OD, president of the Optometry Board of Examiners for Maryland, was delighted to discover the similarities she shared with the presidents of her neighboring Washington, D.C., and Virginia boards—Lisa Johnson, OD, and Lisa Wallace-Davis, OD, respectively. All three happen to be graduates of Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University—and all three happen to be Black women ODs. The three graduated from PCO at seven-year intervals, and they believe that this is the first time that these leadership positions are held by Black women at the same time.

Industry and Global Leaders React to the Passing of Leonardo Del Vecchio, 87

By Staff
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 12:27 AM NEW YORK and MILAN—Salutes and commentary from dignitaries, designers, colleagues, clients and competitors started to come through on Monday around the world on international media and social media as hundreds shared condolences and observations about the passing of Luxottica founder and EssilorLuxottica chairman, Leonardo Del Vecchio, who was 87. The news which broke Monday morning in Europe, was shared in a brief message by the company, as VMAIL reported.

New York-Based Optyx and American Idol Finalist Are a Perfect Pair

By Staff
Monday, June 6, 2022 8:20 AM PORT JEFFERSON, N.Y.—Christian Guardino is many things: a New Yorker, a musician, an American Idol finalist and a person born with Leber Congenital Amaurosis. At age 13, Guardino underwent experimental gene therapy to protect his eyesight. He said, “This disease causes inevitable blindness because there is a gene that is missing in the eye, because that gene is missing, it is not producing proteins that your cells need to live, and they slowly die off to cause complete and inevitable blindness.” Through gene therapy, doctors were able to copy the missing gene and inject it into Guardino’s eye.

Do You Know an Influential Woman in Optical? Nominate Her Now, Time Is Running Out—Survey Closes on June 6

By Staff
Thursday, June 2, 2022 12:15 AM NEW YORK—Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July/August issue, marking the 20th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry.

Do You Know an Influential Woman in Optical? Nominate Her Now, Time Is Running Out—Survey Closes on June 6

By Staff
Friday, May 27, 2022 12:18 AM NEW YORK—Vision Monday will once again be highlighting The Most Influential Women in Optical in our July/August issue, marking the 20th anniversary of our signature Special Report saluting women in the eyewear/eyecare industry. We are currently seeking nominations via an electronic survey form. The deadline for submitting nominations is June 6, less than 2 weeks away. Women’s influence in optical is undeniable and today, there are more women than ever before are playing vital roles at all levels of our industry.

Women In Optometry: Influencer Beginnings Pave Way for Multiple Opportunities

By Staff
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 1:21 PM Sophia Visanji, OD, was living a double life: optometrist by day and influencer by night. In 2016, she created The Monocle Muse, a fashion blog dedicated to sharing her life and showcasing independent eyewear brands. For those who knew Dr. Visanji, the blog launch didn’t come as a surprise. She was actually inspired to pursue optometry because of her experience in optical sales during college. “It combined both the business and fashion aspects, which were two sides I was passionate about,” she says.

5 Facts About Twitter ‘Lurkers’ from Pew Research Center

By Staff
Wednesday, March 23, 2022 3:11 PM A minority of highly active users produce the vast majority of tweets from U.S. adults, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. But what about adult Twitter users who tweet relatively infrequently? Who are they, and how do they use the site?

Here are five facts about so-called Twitter “lurkers,” based on the Center’s recent study. In this analysis, the terms “lurkers” and “infrequent tweeters” are used interchangeably to refer to U.S. adults who have posted an average of fewer than five tweets per month since they first opened their account, whether those tweets were original messages, retweets, quote tweets or replies.

1. Roughly half of U.S. adults who use Twitter (49 percent) post fewer than five tweets per month. Demographically, this group is largely defined by its age. Around six-in-ten infrequent tweeters are ages 30 to 49.

2. Lurkers report visiting Twitter’s site less frequently than more active tweeters. Around one-in-five lurkers (21 percent) say they visit the site every day, compared with 55 percent of more active tweeters.

3. Twitter lurkers are more likely to use the platform to hear other points of view than more frequent tweeters. When asked whether they use the site to express their own opinions or to see what others are saying, 76 percent of lurkers say they use the platform primarily to see what others are saying.

4. Lurkers follow—and are followed by—fewer accounts than more frequent tweeters. The typical (median) lurker is followed by just 15 other accounts, compared with 159 accounts for more active tweeters.

5. Replies make up the largest share of lurkers’ tweets. Replies to other users are the most common type of tweet by infrequent tweeters. They account for roughly half (51 percent) of lurkers’ tweets.

Finalists Announced for Vision Expo’s 4th Annual OPTImum Retail Award—Vision Care Community Encouraged to Vote for the Winner

By Staff
Tuesday, March 1, 2022 12:21 AM ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Vision Council and RX, organizers of Vision Expo, have announced the finalists for the Fourth Annual OPTImum Retail Award, which celebrates independent boutique retailers by showcasing their products, stores, visions, and stories to the optical industry.