DALLAS—Essilor of America will host a national discussion at 6:30 p.m. Central Time on Monday, Dec. 10. The webinar will be led by Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, and senior vice president of customer development at Essilor, to provide independent ECPs with an overview of the industry and to engage participants in discussions about the challenges and opportunities they face today. Essilor will be joined by VSP Vision Care’s Dan Mannen, OD, FAAO, who will offer insights from a Bain & Company study commissioned by VSP on the state of independent optometry.

To access the webinar, ECPs can go to www.optometry2020.com and click the “register” link at the top of the page.

“Clearly, the industry is evolving, and independent practitioners want to be part of the solution to preserve and enhance their business, in the wake of new competition, business expenses, and hiring challenges,” said Purcell. “Over the last few months, Essilor has engaged with independent ECPs to hear about these issues and brainstorm ways to face the changing wave of optometry.”

As a means to inform independent ECPs about the dynamics of the industry today, to gather input and generate discussion, Essilor of America launched www.optometry2020.com earlier this year. The site features news about the independent eyecare industry, a section for practitioners to write in with observations and recommendations, and a blog written by Purcell, who shares his thoughts on the industry.