By Staff
Friday, August 16, 2019 12:28 AM
NEW YORK—With the year 2020 on the horizon, eyecare professionals are quickly approaching a period filled with new opportunities and challenges. An aging population, higher incidences of diseases that impact eye health and new areas of practice focus are some of the things that may herald an era of continued growth for the profession. Yet, at the same time, advances in telehealth, industry consolidation, the digital revolution and broad changes across retail in general are creating tough challenges for independent practitioners. The challenge of consolidation—involving both big corporate players and private equity-backed groups—is seen by some in the optical industry as the most pressing issue facing the independent optometrist in the current operating environment.
By Staff
Friday, August 16, 2019 12:18 AM
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.—VSP Optics, a division of
VSP Global, held its first-ever live UUniversity technical education event late last month in Sacramento, Calif., according to an announcement. More than 50 optometrists and opticians from all across Northern California attended the day-long event. The attendees were able to earn up to six ABO credits by participating in courses such as “The Science of Light-Reactive Lenses” and “Troubleshooting Lens Enhancements,” among others. Following upon this initial success, VSP Optics said it will take UUniversity Live to multiple cities across the country in its effort to create a unique opportunity for eyecare professionals who want to learn more about optics and/or how to simplify the dispensing process. The next UUniversity Live event is scheduled for Aug. 22 in San Francisco. For more information about this event, visit the registration site
here.
By Staff
Friday, August 16, 2019 12:15 AM
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif.—
Oakley has announced that Derwin James Jr., free safety for the Los Angeles Chargers, has partnered with the brand. He will be the third football player to join Team Oakley, accompanying Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback
Patrick Mahomes and Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver
JuJu Smith-Schuster, as
VMAIL previously reported. 23-year-old James was drafted to the Los Angeles Chargers in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft, after playing three seasons as a Florida State Seminole. During his rookie year, James was invited to his first Pro Bowl, and was named first-team All-Pro.
By Staff
Thursday, August 15, 2019 12:27 AM
PEORIA, Ill.—
Maui Jim the sunglass and eyewear supplier, announced "a significant step forward in its ongoing relationship with
VSP Global" yesterday, reporting that Maui Jim will officially be available within the VSP formulary and will be included in the VSP contract lab network. With a VSP account, users will now have a more streamlined way of placing Maui Jim orders for patients utilizing their VSP benefit. Accessing patented Maui Jim lens technologies like PolarizedPlus2, and proprietary lens materials like MauiBrilliant and Maui High Blue Light Protect will be easier, Maui Jim's announcement said.
By Staff
Thursday, August 15, 2019 12:24 AM
DENVER, Col.—
Jobson Medical Information has officially joined the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition (GMAC) as the group’s official North American media sponsor. Jobson and the 12 other members of GMAC aim to promote public awareness of childhood myopia as a treatable disease through direct to consumer channels and government awareness, NGOs, and other healthcare associations. Jobson will use its platforms—
Review of Myopia Management,
Review of Optometric Business,
Vision Monday,
20/20 Magazine—to share information about GMAC’s activities and mission with its community, with
Review of Myopia Management leading this initiative.
By Staff
Thursday, August 15, 2019 12:21 AM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Vision Expo West will introduce The Next Generation of Retailers - Speed Dating event at this year’s Show, according to an announcement from the show's organizers. For the first time ever, new and potential business owners will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with some of the industry’s most successful independent retailers to learn the ins and outs of business ownership. New and potential business owners interested in participating can submit their application
online.
By Staff
Thursday, August 15, 2019 12:15 AM
FRONHAUSEN, Germany—Ophthalmic equipment maker
Schneider was recently honored with the German Innovation Award by the German Design Council for the invention of the Modulo Line, the first fully automated Industry 4.0 ophthalmic lens production system. An independent and interdisciplinary jury of experts selected Schneider for the honor. “Schneider’s Modulo Line lives and breathes Industry 4.0 and is a fantastic showcase of what its true power is—not just in theory but in reality. It provides fundamental competitive advantages like utmost efficiency and cost savings,” said Prof. Dr. Alexander Wurzer, a member of the jury.
By Staff
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 12:24 AM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Yesterday, the Trump administration set forth two sub-lists of tariff numbers included in the fourth tranche of China 301 tariffs scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 1, 2019 and Dec. 15, 2019. This means that Chinese-origin spectacle lenses, spectacle frames, sunglasses, reading glasses, eyeglasses, safety glasses, goggles and many low vision devices will be subject to an additional 10 percent tariff on those dates, according to an alert
The Vision Council sent to its members late yesterday.
By Staff
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 12:21 AM
DALLAS—
Eyemart Express, a leading national value optical retailer, has named Bill Butler as senior vice president of store operations, according to an announcement on Tuesday. Butler will focus on executing the optical retailer’s new-store growth goals, driving customer service and ensuring associate development. He formerly served as vice president, operations at CVS Health, where he oversaw operations in both the West and Midwest regions. Prior to that, he held a variety of roles at Omnicare, Ardent Health Services and Deloitte, according to the announcement.
By Staff
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 12:18 AM
TARRYTOWN, N.Y.—
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced Tuesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) Prior-Approval Supplement (PAS) for its Eylea (aflibercept) injection prefilled syringe. The 2 mg, single-dose, sterilized prefilled syringe provides physicians with a new way to administer Eylea that requires fewer preparation steps compared to vials. Market supply of the Eylea prefilled syringe is expected to be available to physicians and patients this year, the company said in a statement.
By Staff
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 12:15 AM
ATLANTA—
Visioneering Technologies, based here, has received a Certificate of Listing from Hong Kong’s Medical Device Control Office, Department of Health. Listing No. 190176 applies to the NaturalVue (etafilcon A) Multifocal and NaturalVue (etafilcon A) Sphere currently marketed by Visioneering, as well as the NaturalVue (etafilcon A) Toric and NaturalVue (etafilcon A) Multifocal Toric products that Visioneering plans to market in the near future. The registration covers the use of the company’s NaturalVue Multifocal for myopia progression control.
By Staff
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 12:19 AM
NEW YORK—This year, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual Contact Lens Health Week will take place from Aug. 19 to 23. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Contact Lens Health Starts With You,” and is aimed to encourage ECPs to share healthy wear and care recommendations with their contact lens patients. Together with the
American Optometric Association, the CDC will promote Contact Lens Health Week through a variety of channels, including a Facebook live stream on Monday, Aug. 19, at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
By Staff
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 12:16 AM
MASON, Ohio—Several new
Pearle Vision EyeCare Centers are planned to open soon in central Florida, according to a recent company announcement. Licensed owner Kim Dawson will open the first of three EyeCare Centers in the Windermere and Winter Garden areas of Florida in 2020, the announcement noted. Pearle Vision’s area development program grants territories to qualified candidates to develop and open new locations, the company has noted of its franchising program. This type of development program allows for steady and predictable growth in a specific territory with a specific business team.
By Staff
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 12:13 AM
CARLTON, Victoria, Australia—
Bionic Vision Technologies Pty Ltd. (BVT), an Australian medical device company working on retinal devices, reports that Ash Attia joined the company as its chief executive officer. The appointment rounds out the executive team at BVT, an announcement said, with the recent arrivals of both Brian Gordon as chief scientific officer and Dr. Adrian Oates as chief operating officer. With progress being achieved in its current clinical trial, the company said it is increasingly focused on planning for future pivotal trials, regulatory approval and commercial release of its bionic eye technology.
By Staff
Tuesday, August 13, 2019 12:10 AM
PLYMOUTH, Ind.—
Hoya Optical Labs of America, a unit of Hoya Vision Care North America, plans to close its safety prescription eyewear lab here, a move that will impact 83 employees. In an Aug. 6 letter, Bruce Scott, general manager and vice president of Hoya’s Global Safety Division, informed the Indiana Department of Workforce Development that Hoya will shut down the lab in phases, beginning Oct. 4, 2019. “The plant closure will be complete as of March 2, 2020. We expect it to proceed gradually and in phases as work is transferred to other Hoya locations,” Scott said in the letter.