So You Want to Be an Optometrist? New Survey Helps Chart a Path to a Career as an OD

By Mary Kane
Friday, November 8, 2024 8:30 AM When it comes to choosing a medical specialty, there are many factors to consider, including clinical interests, the price-tag and duration of an education, and of course, viable job opportunities. For those considering a career in optometry, new research now helps those individuals thoroughly evaluate their options and make a well-informed decision about entering the field. Nearly 325 optometrists participated in the “Career Considerations in Optometry” survey conducted by Jobson Research in conjunction with Latinos en Optometry and Transitions Optical Limited. In part two of this series, we will reveal survey findings about stress, technology, income satisfaction and the future of optometry.

Survey of ODs Provides Insights to Students Considering a Career in Optometry

By Mary Kane
Friday, November 1, 2024 8:30 AM BOYNTON BEACH, Fla.—Many factors go into choosing a medical specialty such as optometry, including personal history, clinical interests, duration of the training involved, career opportunities, and financial and work-life balance considerations. New research now provides individuals who might be considering becoming an optometrist with information about the profession and how it might fit into their interests, skills, career goals and lifestyle aspirations. Nearly 325 optometrists participated in the “Career Considerations in Optometry” survey conducted by Jobson Research in conjunction with Latinos en Optometry and Transitions Optical Limited.

Eyecare Professionals Caution Against the Use of Costume Contact Lenses at Halloween

By Sarah McGoldrick, Contributing Editor
Friday, October 25, 2024 8:30 AM Halloween is around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to remind patients about the importance of vision safety, especially since many party goers and trick or treaters will be opting to wear contact lenses to round out their costumes. While the month is well known for the spooky holiday, October is also contact lens safety awareness month, which gives ECPs a perfect opportunity to educate their patients about the dangers of wearing costume contact lenses without a prescription. To ensure patients' eyes are protected, ECPs and government agencies are stepping up their education efforts and resources, so patients can fully understand the dangers of using decorative contact lenses.

Should Myopia Be Classified as a Disease?

By Daniel Breeman
Friday, October 18, 2024 8:30 AM With the prevalence of myopia increasing at what some experts call an “epidemic rate,” a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), titled “Myopia: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment of an Increasingly Common Disease,” has recommended that myopia be classified as a disease. The report calls for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make the classification, which would require a medical diagnosis. In addition, the report recommends that children spend between one to two hours a day outdoors, stemming from studies that show that being outdoors stimulates the eye with light that is brighter, more varied and requires different eye movements and focus compared with light indoors.

Optical Community Rallies to Help Those in Need After Two Hurricanes Devastate Southeastern U.S.

By Daniel Breeman, Sarah McGoldrick
Friday, October 11, 2024 8:30 AM While residents of Florida braced for back-to-back devastating storms from Hurricanes Helene and Milton over the past few weeks, the optical community was busy taking steps to provide disaster relief to those affected by the natural disasters. Hurricane Helene’s devastation was felt primarily across six states, with more than 200 deaths reported from Florida to Tennessee. The death toll and damage from Hurricane Milton, which hit a major swath of Florida this past week, is still being assessed.

The IAPB Is Helping Everyone Play Their Part This World Sight Day

By Gwendolyn Plummer
Friday, October 4, 2024 8:30 AM NEW YORK—This coming Thursday, October 10, is World Sight Day, an annual day dedicated to the promotion of eyecare and overall eye health, as well as raising awareness for blindness and vision impairments around the world. For 2024 in particular, World Sight Day is shining a special light on the vision health of young people, aiming to ensure “a world where every child has eye health that is accessible, available and affordable,” the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness said. This year’s focus on children’s eye health for World Sight Day is coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) under its Love Your Eyes campaign banner.

A Busy Vision Expo West 2024 Wraps Up in Las Vegas

By Staff
Friday, September 27, 2024 8:30 AM LAS VEGAS, Nev.—Vision Expo West 2024, a four-day conference and exhibition held here at The Venetian Expo for eyewear and eyecare professionals, wrapped up its event on September 21, after drawing what organizers The Vision Council and RX estimate to be more than 10,000 industry professionals from 98 countries. Opening this year on September 18, Vision Expo West 2024 showcased the latest innovations across 103,000 square feet of exhibit space, and immersed attendees in cutting-edge advancements in lens technology, diagnostic tools and practice management solutions throughout the Show.

What’s New in the World of Smart Eyewear

By Evra Taylor, Contributing Editor
Friday, September 20, 2024 8:30 AM Google X coined the term “glass explorers” when it released its Google Glass prototype in 2013, allowing wearers to communicate with the internet using voice commands. Since then, the smart glasses sector has become conspicuous for its rate of invention and iteration. What has emerged is a plethora of devices, proving it’s not only the technology that matters, it’s how you interpret it. Today’s smart glasses feature augmented reality displays, voice assistant-equipped headphones and live-streaming cameras, allowing users to answer phone calls, listen to music, reply to messages and enable a voice assistant. These days, the question isn’t “What can smart glasses do?” as much as “What can’t they do?”

How to Stop the Spread of Viruses as Trade Show Season Kicks Into High Gear

By Sarah McGoldrick, Contributing Editor
Friday, September 13, 2024 8:30 AM Fall will officially arrive on September 22, heralding the beginning of the conference and trade show season. As the business travel season begins and people start to gather in large numbers indoors, the risk of getting infected with influenza (flu), COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) increases. So what’s a trade show attendee to do? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a new national campaign to inform the public about common respiratory viruses and available vaccines. The campaign, aptly titled Risk Less. Do More., aims to increase the awareness of vaccines that reduce serious illness and limit the spread of these viruses among all Americans, HHS said.

ODs Weigh In on the Importance of Sports Eye Safety and Sports Vision Training

By Daniel Breeman
Friday, September 6, 2024 8:30 AM With the new school year underway and the fall sports season kicking into high gear, athletes of all ages are preparing to give their best on the field and maximize their performance. Keeping athletes safe and well-protected remains paramount, with eye safety at the top of the list. Similar to team sports, this task of protecting the eye health of athletes, whether amateur or professional, is a group effort, with optometrists playing a key role. “First and foremost, (ODs can) recommend sports eyewear and/or contact lenses whenever appropriate. Secondly, we should be educating our patients, coaches and trainers on the importance of sports eye safety,” said Fred Edmunds, OD, FAAO, who runs a sports vision only practice devoted to the visual performance enhancement of athletes.

September Brings Sports Eye Safety Month, With Help and Resources From Prevent Blindness

By Gwendolyn Plummer
Friday, August 30, 2024 8:30 AM CHICAGO—September is here, bringing with it cooler nights, back-to-school business, and, of course, the fall sports season. In recognition of this, Prevent Blindness has again declared September as Sports Eye Safety Month, in order to educate the public on the risk of painful and potentially blinding eye injuries that can occur while playing sports without the proper eye protection. According to new data from the organization, there were more than 32,600 sports-related eye injuries treated in the United States in 2023, underscoring the importance of sharing this information.

Quest Vision Care Specialty Lab Celebrates 20 Years of Doing the Impossible

By Julie Bos, Contributing Editor
Friday, August 23, 2024 8:30 AM When Michael Walach retired from his 30-year optical career at age 57, the last thing he expected was to start another business. Yet he followed an opportunity and his intuition—and today, countless full-service labs around the world are certainly glad he did. In 2004, Walach started Quest Vision Care Specialty Lab, a unique and highly specialized “lab’s lab” that has earned its claim to fame for making prescriptions that are either too tough or simply out of range for other labs. Today, as Quest Vision Care Specialty Lab celebrates its 20th anniversary, the lab deserves every ounce of pride for what they’ve accomplished as they continue serving full-service wholesale labs from more than 17 countries around the world. Here’s a look at some of the lab’s major accomplishments over the last 20 years.

Seniors With Vision Loss Are at a Greater Risk of Secondary Health Issues

By Sarah McGoldrick, Contributing Editor
Friday, August 16, 2024 8:30 AM Healthy Aging Month is almost here, and with it comes calls for those over 65 years old to get a thorough eye exam. As people age, several vision health concerns begin to emerge such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. Not only can these vision problems lead to loss of sight, but they can also make day-to-day activities more difficult. According to the BrightFocus Foundation, macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older. As the senior population continues to grow, the number of older patients requiring vision care for common ailments will also begin to rise.

The Fall Eye Allergy Season Will Be Here Sooner Than You Think

By Daniel Breeman
Friday, August 9, 2024 8:30 AM With the middle of August comes the final few weeks of the summer season, a look ahead to Labor Day, the start of another school year and a busier time in general for most of us. But mid-August can also mean something else for allergy sufferers: an early start to the “fall allergy” season—a time when eye allergies can negatively impact the last few weeks of summer fun. “When fall allergies start really depends upon the location, climate and individual reactions to pollen levels and types,” said Susan A. Primo, OD, MPH, FAAO, director of Optometry and Vision Rehabilitation Services, program coordinator, Optometric Residency, Emory Eye Center and professor of ophthalmology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Meet VM’s 2024 ‘Class’ of Most Influential Women in Optical

By Mary Kane
Friday, August 2, 2024 8:30 AM NEWARK, N.J.—The 22nd edition of Vision Monday’s Most Influential Women in Optical feature brings a class of leaders, changemakers and trailblazers who are as impressive and exciting as it gets. This past week, Vision Monday announced its 2024 roster of 40 women of accomplishment who were selected by VM’s editors from several hundred submissions. For this year’s Annual Report, VM considered women who are making a difference in the following five categories: Executive Suite, Rising Stars, Mentors, Innovators and Above & Beyond.