What's Your AI Acuity? Registration Is Now Open for Vision Monday's 2024 Leadership Summit in NYC on March 13

By Staff
Thursday, November 30, 2023 12:27 AM NEW YORK—Registration is now open for VM's 2024 Leadership Summit, which will be held in New York on Wednesday, March 13, just ahead of Vision Expo East. The program for the VM Summit is titled, "What's Your AI Acuity? Sharpening a Vision for the Future." Early bird tickets and registration have a deadline of 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 31. "The growing use of Artificial Intelligence in both health care and retail portends a seismic shift in how companies are operating," noted Marge Axelrad, SVP editorial director of Vision Monday and VMAIL.

Inflation and Staffing Remain Top Concerns of Eyecare Providers, According to The Vision Council’s Q3 Provider inSights Research Report

By Staff
Tuesday, November 28, 2023 12:24 AM ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Today, the Vision Council released Provider inSights Q3 2023, a new research study exploring eyecare provider sentiments related to daily operations of their practices, the eyecare industry and the American economy. Report findings show that the outlook for the U.S. economy among eyecare providers—including opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, eyecare practice managers, eyecare practice owners and other professionals—has worsened compared to Q2 of 2023, with providers less confident in meeting their revenue goals for the year.

Registration Now Open for Vision Expo East 2024

By Staff
Friday, November 17, 2023 12:24 AM ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Vision Council and RX have announced that registration for Vision Expo East 2024, the premier event for the eyewear and eyecare industry, is officially open. Scheduled to take place from March 14 to 17 at the Javits Center, Vision Expo East 2024 will mark nearly four decades of showcasing cutting-edge products, fostering education, and bringing together ophthalmic professionals in New York City. This event will not only celebrate the rich history of Vision Expo East in the city that never sleeps, but usher in an exciting new chapter for the industry.

The 2024 Rank Prize for Optoelectronics Is Awarded to the Inventors of Adaptive Optics Technologies for Imaging the Human Retina

By Staff
Thursday, November 16, 2023 12:15 AM LONDON—The 2024 Rank Prize for Optoelectronics has been awarded to four internationally leading scientists for the development of instruments that use adaptive optics technologies to capture high-resolution images of the living human retina.

Prevent Blindness Declares Fourth Annual Thyroid Eye Disease Awareness Week as Nov. 13-19, 2023

By Staff
Tuesday, November 14, 2023 12:24 AM CHICAGO—Prevent Blindness, the nation’s leading nonprofit eye health and safety organization, has declared Nov. 13-19, 2023, as its fourth annual “Thyroid Eye Disease Awareness (TED) Week.” TED, also known as Graves’ Eye Disease, is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system causes inflammation and swelling and stimulates the production of muscle tissue and fat behind the eye. Prevent Blindness provides free educational content to patients, care partners and health care professionals, including fact sheets and social media graphics, available in English and Spanish, and a dedicated webpage.

Women In Optometry Issues 2023 WO Gift Guide

By Staff
Tuesday, November 14, 2023 12:18 AM NEWARK, N.J.—A few years ago, the team at Women In Optometry (WO) started hearing more and more about side hustles during regular interviews with women ODs. Today, WO is excited to share its fifth annual WO Gift Guide, a celebration of a unique group of creative women. Find one-of-a-kind gift ideas created and curated by women who are in, connected to or inspired by the industry. WO has also included women who work in these industries and have a separate passion or side hustle.

Thomas Eye Group Announces Acquisition of Eye Q Vision Care

By Staff
Monday, November 13, 2023 12:18 AM ATLANTA—Thomas Eye Group has announced the acquisition of Eye Q Vision Care, adding one new location in Cumming, Ga. In addition, optometrist Dr. Dwight Boyd will be added to the practice, increasing the group’s capacity to provide patient care.

Cost-Cutting Measures by Patients and Stubborn Inflation Numbers Continue to Affect ECPs’ Business Prospects in the Latest Q3 ECPulse Survey From Jobson

By Staff
Tuesday, November 7, 2023 12:27 AM NEW YORK—Concerns about the economy, and specifically still high inflation numbers and its effect on patients/consumers’ behavior, were among the concerns within the most recent Q3 ECPulse Survey conducted in September 2023 by Jobson Optical Research. Some 79 percent of the ECPs surveyed said they have noticed patients are still trying to save money due to inflation, which does not seem to be budging. The new ECPulse Survey of eyecare professionals across the country was started by Jobson Research in June 2022, as a new quarterly research series which monitors a range of factors influencing ECPs' business.

Jobson Presents the Ocular Health & Wellness Education Initiative eResource and CE Webinar

By Staff
Friday, November 3, 2023 12:21 AM NEW YORK—Jobson Medical Information has announced the launch of the Ocular Health & Wellness Education Initiative, which consists of a comprehensive eResource, and a support 2-hour COPE-approved CE webinar. This initiative was created to educate eyecare professionals on ocular nutrition and wellness by providing a comprehensive eResource featuring published research, evidence-based clinical recommendations and expert-backed insights. The information is clinically relevant and applicable to practitioners with all levels of experience. In addition, the initiative provides best practices for developing a specialty in health and wellness and incorporating nutraceutical sales as a billable service not tied to managed care plans.

Niche by Niche, Optometry Is Expanding

By Staff
Monday, October 30, 2023 1:00 AM NEW YORK—Optometry has seen significant gains in the widening of its practice scope across most states in the U.S. and primary eyecare remains the focus of many practitioners. However, specialization, or the adoption of ‘subspecialties’, driven by new clinical and treatment options, the advent of innovative technologies and, importantly, changing priorities among new generations of ODs for how they want to build their experience and service as optometrists, have been driving a growing interest in specialties.

Prevent Blindness Provides Resources to Professionals and the Public for November’s Diabetes-Related Eye Disease Awareness Month

By Staff
Monday, October 30, 2023 12:24 AM CHICAGO—A recent study titled, “Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in the US in 2021,” estimated that more than 26 percent of people with diabetes had diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy, the most common form of diabetes-related eye disease, is the leading cause of blindness in adults age 20–74, according to the National Eye Institute. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that approximately 37.3 million people have diabetes, and 96 million people aged 18 years or older have prediabetes.

The Ocular Wellness and Nutrition Society Welcomes New Board and Provides Two Student Grants

By Staff
Wednesday, October 18, 2023 12:21 AM MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y.—The Ocular Wellness and Nutrition Society (OWNS) announced a significant expansion of its leadership team with the addition of accomplished board members and the establishment of an esteemed advisory committee.

Awareness Events, Screenings and Millions of Eye Test Pledges Mark 2023’s World Sight Day Activities, as a New Study Quantifies the Costs of Sight Loss

By Staff
Monday, October 16, 2023 12:27 AM NEW YORK—Numbers are still coming in and media is still catching up with some of the messages shared by optical retailers, eyecare professionals, companies and organizations around the globe during last week’s World Sight Day observation on Oct. 12, 2023. According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), the 200+ member groups and companies’ efforts generated more than 13 million eye test pledges, well above the group’s target goal of 10 million for the day, which emphasized the Love Your Eyes at Work theme this year. 

Black EyeCare Perspective to Host 4th Annual Impact HBCU Event Tuesday, October 17

By Staff
Monday, October 16, 2023 12:21 AM PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.—Black EyeCare Perspective is hosting its fourth-annual Impact HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) event this Tuesday, October 17, as part of its pipeline for Black students into optometry.

Exhibitors and Attendees Share Experiences and Insights About Vision Expo West

By Staff
Thursday, October 5, 2023 12:24 AM ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Vision Expo, the premier biannual event in the US optical world co-hosted by The Vision Council and RX, concluded in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 30, with resounding praise and excitement from exhibiting companies and attendees alike. As the curtains closed on another remarkable Vision Expo West, participants were eager to share their experiences and insights about the event. The combination of returning favorites and fresh brands at Vision Expo West 2023 created an atmosphere of excitement and collaboration.