BUSINESS: Suppliers Vision Monday and 20/20 Magazine Announce EyeVote Readers’ Choice Awards By Staff Monday, December 12, 2011 12:00 AM NEW YORK—Vision Monday and 20/20 Magazine are pleased to announce the selections in the third annual EyeVote Readers’ Choice Awards, a special survey aimed at identifying readers’ favorite products and companies of the year. Optical retailers and ECP readers of the two Jobson Medical Information publications were asked to identify their “favorite” products in eight distinct categories: optical frames, spectacle lenses, sunglasses, contact lenses, optical equipment, diagnostic equipment. Two new categories, practice management software and online ordering, were added to the list of categories for this year. Selected companies were chosen based on both brand and company choices supplied by readers. This year’s survey also spanned a wider range of product brands and product groups. A total of 533 voters took part in the survey. The 2011 EyeVote Readers’ Choice selections were as follows: Optical Frames • Readers’ Choice, Company: Marchon • Readers’ Choice, Frame Brand, Men: Nike • Readers’ Choice, Frame Brand, Women: Gucci • Readers’ Choice, Frame Brand, Teen: Juicy Couture • Readers’ Choice, Frame Brand, Kids: Disney • Readers’ Choice, Frame Brand, New Launch: Marc Ecko Sunglasses • Readers’ Choice, Company: Maui Jim • Readers’ Choice, Sport Brand, Men: Oakley • Readers’ Choice, Fashion Brand, Men: Ray-Ban • Readers’ Choice, Sport Brand, Women: Maui Jim • Readers’ Choice, Fashion Brand, Women: Coach Spectacle Lenses • Readers’ Choice, Company: Essilor • Readers’ Choice, Lens Brand: Varilux • Readers’ Choice, Lens Treatment Brand: TD2 • Readers’ Choice, Lens Anti-Reflective Coating Brand: Crizal Avance • Readers’ Choice, Lens Personalized Progressive Brand: Varilux Physio • Readers’ Choice, Lens Photochromic Brand: Transitions Contact Lenses • Readers’ Choice, Company: Vistakon/J&J VisionCare • Readers’ Choice, Toric Brand: Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism • Readers’ Choice, Daily Disposable Brand: 1-Day Acuvue TruEye • Readers’ Choice, Extended Wear Disposable Brand: Air Optix Night & Day • Readers’ Choice, Multifocal Brand: Air Optix Multifocal Optical Equipment & Supplies • Readers’ Choice, Company: Hilco • Readers’ Choice, Brand for Finishing: Santinelli • Readers’ Choice, Brand for Surfacing: Gerber Coburn/Coburn Technologies • Readers’ Choice, Brand for Supplies/Consumables: Hilco • Readers’ Choice, Brand for Dispensing Tools: Hilco Diagnostic Equipment • Readers’ Choice, Company: Carl Zeiss Meditec • Readers’ Choice, Brand for Equipment: Topcon Practice Management Software • Readers’ Choice, Company: Eyefinity/OfficeMate Online Ordering • Readers’ Choice, Company Website: VisionWeb EyeVote was conducted from Sept. 30, 2011 to Oct. 31, 2011. Respondents were contacted by email invitation to take the survey and links were posted on 2020mag.com and VisionMonday.com. An incentive of a chance to win a trip (air fare and lodging) to New York City for Vision Expo East 2012 or a $500 American Express Gift Card was offered to encourage respondents to answer the survey. Two runner-up prizes were also offered and they included a Kindle Fire® and a $250 Morton’s Steakhouse gift card. In tallying the votes, only one response per respondent per category was counted. Votes from manufacturers were considered ineligible and removed from the final counts. The winner of the Grand Prize was Kay Cohernour, a dispensing optician from Mather Vision Group in Lafayette, Ind. Since joining the practice in January of 2011, Cohernour has been busy familiarizing herself with products, patients and updating the optical area of the practice. When asked what prompted her to participate in the survey, Cohernour said, “Since I am fairly new to the industry I have been working hard to learn as much as possible and the survey proved to be a great learning opportunity for me.” Mather Vision Group, located in the downtown area of Lafayette, borders Purdue University and has been in existence since 1946. The staff of 9 includes two doctors, dispensing opticians and support staff offering a wide range of quality eyecare services. ■