By Gwendolyn Plummer
Friday, May 26, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Graduation season is officially upon us, with countless students across the country graduating from high school, college, professional schools and more. This season of celebration extends to the optical industry, too, as most Schools and Colleges of Optometry in the U.S. celebrate commencement in the month of May, welcoming hundreds of new ODs into the community. This weekend, we’re honoring these new graduates with a look at graduation ceremonies and celebrations from a number of optometry schools around the country.
By Mary Kane
Friday, May 19, 2023 8:30 AM
It seems only fitting that after celebrating Earth Day last month,
VM tackled the subject of sustainability in the optical industry in our May Cover Story titled "Sustainability Takes Root." Across most sectors of the industry, eyewear companies, contact lens manufacturers, lens makers, optical labs and ECPs are all hopping on the sustainability bandwagon. And for good reason. One of the most powerful ways that people can help save the environment is to support and buy from companies with a sustainability mindset.
VM’s Editors talked to a wide variety of optical players for this special feature and one theme resonated—optical companies are adopting, expanding and advancing their sustainability practices and their efforts are inspiring other optical players to get on board the sustainability train.
By Sarah McGoldrick
Friday, May 12, 2023 8:30 AM
Prevent Blindness, America's leading eye health and safety nonprofit organization, has named May as UV Awareness month. According to the
World Health Organization, as many as 20 percent of cataracts are the result of overexposure to UV radiation.
Overexposure to UV rays can occur from spending too much time in the sun, and even from the glare of the snow.
To help spread the word about the dangerous effects of UV light and about the importance of protecting patient’s eyes, the eyecare community is taking to social media with the hashtag #uvawarenessmonth.
Here are some of the creative ways eyecare professionals are sharing information and resources for their patients on social media.
By Daniel Breeman
Friday, May 5, 2023 8:30 AM
Today marks the 149th anniversary of the
Kentucky Derby, which brings with it all the history and pageantry (mint julep, fancy hats, anyone?) spectators and participants alike have grown accustomed to at Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Ky. Traditionally held the first Saturday in May, the Derby is the longest running sporting event in the U.S., dating back to 1875. It also makes up one third of the coveted Triple Crown along with the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes. These days, the week leading up to the Kentucky Derby is one of celebration and can be a boon for many local businesses, including ECPs and optical retailers, including
Kenmark Eyewear which celebrated its 50th anniversary throughout 2022 with a variety of giveaways and promotions, some of which centered around this year’s Derby.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Friday, April 28, 2023 8:30 AM
Fan or not, you’ve probably seen at least one mention of a Formula 1 Grand Prix recently. The sport has grown exponentially here in the U.S., bolstered by the Netflix docuseries “Drive to Survive,” which has been giving fans a dramatic, behind the scenes look at the sport and its athletes since 2019. Although F1 has always been on solid ground in Europe, Netflix helped propel it toward the mainstream in the U.S.—and go mainstream it has.
The Athletic reports that the 2022 Formula 1 season was the sport’s most-viewed season in the U.S. ever. So, there’s no denying the popularity of F1 among Americans and luckily for our industry, the Formula 1 paddock is a playground for eyewear fanatics because behind—or, rather, in front of—every handsome Formula 1 driver is a hot pair of sunglasses.
By Mary Kane
Friday, April 21, 2023 8:30 AM
For the last 53 years, we have been celebrating Earth Day and today Americans of all ages will take time out of their very busy lives to participate in events to increase public awareness of environmental concerns and to celebrate their respect for our somewhat fragile environment. Today, more than ever, we need this very important reminder as we are bombarded with headlines about powerful tornadoes and hurricanes, pollution to our oceans, lakes and rivers, and scientific evidence about the perils of climate change as our planet warms toward catastrophic levels. But before we look ahead to what’s in store for Earth Day, let’s take a look back at the history of the environmental observance.
By Sarah McGoldrick
Friday, April 14, 2023 8:30 AM
Professional development is the fastest and easiest way to stay ahead of trends and innovations in the optical industry. As new procedures and products hit the market, it is important to stay on-top of the latest advancements. Additionally, people who want to climb the corporate ladder or become better leaders understand how critical it is to develop new tools and strategies to help grow their company and the bottom line.
VMAIL Weekend asked a group of optical professionals from several sectors of the industry how they are planning to add to their skills this spring. Here’s what they had to say.
By Daniel Breeman
Friday, April 7, 2023 8:30 AM
Tick, tick, tick…what’s that unfamiliar sound at the ballpark? For both the lifelong baseball fan as well the newcomer to America’s pastime, some of the sights and sounds of the ballpark may not ring familiar this season. Sure, there will still be the sound of the home plate umpire bellowing out ball and strike calls, the call of hot dog vendors peddling their confections up and down the aisles, and the amplifying of a player’s favorite “walk-up” song to home plate. But the sound (be it silent) of a pitch clock? Read on for a summary of what the pitch clock and other new rules will mean for this year’s season as well as predictions from some optical industry baseball fans.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Friday, March 31, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—It was 1981 when Congress officially passed Pub. L. 97-28, which both authorized and requested that the President proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” As The Library of Congress reports on
www.womenshistorymonth.gov, the month grew over the next five years, and in 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 declaring March Women’s History Month. Each year, the sitting President issues their own proclamation in March, once again declaring Women’s History Month.
By Mary Kane
Friday, March 24, 2023 3:00 PM
Nearly three years to the day of when lockdowns began during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Javits Center opened its doors on March 17 to thousands of vendors, buyers, eyecare professionals and industry leaders. “This is the first year where it feels like the energy is back,” VSP Vision’s Stevie Mitchell keenly observed. Vision Expo East was the largest gathering of ophthalmic professionals in the U.S. in recent years. The Show, which ran from March 16 -19, welcomed thousands from the international vision care industry. Read on for a recap of some of Expo’s major highlights as well as photos of some of the many Show Floor events.
By Mary Kane
Friday, March 17, 2023 8:30 AM
Back in February of 2017, the sales and editorial team at
VM got the bright idea to put out a weekend edition and we called it, what else,
VMAIL Weekend. At the time, it seemed like a scary premise to add a 6th newsletter to our weekly news and feature-writing arsenal but in retrospect, it was a bold and rewarding move. Our biggest challenge with
Weekend has always been coming up with ideas for our anchor feature called Today’s Read. The TR was always meant to be a feature-driven story that readers could curl up with on a Saturday morning along with a cup of hot coffee. Six years later, it turns out the TRs have produced some of our most popular stories ever. So here are our top 5 most popular TR stories from
Weekend. Happy reading.
By Sarah McGoldrick
Friday, March 10, 2023 8:30 AM
Oscar time is here again, and it is not without debate. Many feel that films like “She Said,” “The Woman King” and “Nope” were overlooked, while films like “Avatar” and “Maverick” were more hype than intellect. But no matter where your allegiance lies this year, the Oscars always prove to be a reflection of the times we are living in.
VMAIL Weekend did a quick poll of some optical industry movie fans and here are their predictions for Best Picture Oscar winners.
By Mary Kane
Friday, March 3, 2023 8:30 AM
When 14-year old Harini Venkatesh’s younger sister visited the eye doctor for her first checkup and came home complaining that she hadn’t been able to tell what was blurry and what wasn’t when the doctor had asked, she thought to herself, there has to be a better way to do this. “It was jarring to realize that her experience at an optometrist’s office would be very different than mine.” So she set out to find a solution and ended up winning second place in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge with Discovery Education, for her prototype titled The Comptometrist: An Efficient Way to Determine Myopic Power.
By Daniel Breeman
Friday, February 24, 2023 8:30 AM
Founded in 2021 to help the Latino community navigate the optical industry,
Latinos En Optometry (LEO) was slowed by the pandemic but is now in the process of a full launch and currently seeking to expand membership, sponsorship, events and engagement in the year ahead, according to the group. The non-profit organization will support Latino optometry students, provide resources and communications for Latinos in optometry and the eyecare community who serve the Latino community. The group intends to act as a conduit between the Latino community and the eyecare industry, and provide continuing education to all of optometry.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Friday, February 17, 2023 8:30 AM
MILAN—
Mido reestablished its place as a firmly international show this year, one not to be missed if you can help it. And with its return to an early February time slot (this year’s show ran from Saturday, February 4 through Monday, February 6), the show has also solidified its place in the trend cycle. Many will see the coming year’s trends fully fleshed out for the first time at Mido, creating a landscape of what the year ahead will have in store. From international business meetings to trend spotting, there’s no denying that Milan becomes the center of the eyewear world for a few days each February.