Well, it’s been almost four weeks…so the immediate reaction to the news about the Essilor and Luxottica merger has somewhat subsided, although the reverberations of this long-rumored combination continue to pulse and swirl.

With a prospective deal valued at some €50 billion, between two players that have touchpoints with virtually all participants in the vision business in the U.S. and around the world, it’s not hard to view the Jan. 16 announcement as rather seismic. It’s one thing to speculate. It’s another to see it happen.

An estimated $15 billion in combined sales, creating “an integrated player dedicated to visual health and superior consumer experience” is the stated goal of the group.

Executives stressed that the deal will take about a year to close, and that with a governance that proposes two boards operating within a holding company framework, it will be several years before certain, going-forward operating decisions will be made.

All of this will unfold as the two giant companies also explore immediate and longer-term ways of building business with each other as well as to their outside customers, including independent ECPs which, yes, compose a significant portion of their total sales.

To this observer, the more near-term impact of such a merger is the fuel it will give to other combinations and partnerships. We are not done. It is not finished.

Private equity’s investment in the optical market has been building in significant ways for the past three years. The visibility of such a deal with Essilor and Luxottica will further propel interest in the vision category. Investors will look to create their own platforms of efficiency, size and clout. This means more deals, here and abroad.

But the merger is also spurring more of a reality check among independents and smaller, independent suppliers and la bs to look to each other in new ways. They are interested in gaining leverage in operations, systems expertise and responsiveness.

And let’s not forget (how could we?) it’s a digital world; brick-and-mortar offices and companies absolutely must gain know-how and find resources to be more efficient. Yes, there is strength in numbers and nothing but opportunity ahead for those with an independent view to cultivate and maintain points of differentiation to the consumer.

The deal is major. But “major” doesn’t mean “over.” It’s the beginning of a newer, modern era as the optical industry revisits how it will operate and how it will impact the vision and eyewear needs of consumers everywhere. n

maxelrad@jobson.com