NEW YORK—The Help has turned into one of 2011’s most buzzed about movies and has already won several awards. As we approach the Oscars, it is still top of mind, especially in this week’s latest installment of Bold Face. In Help With The Help, VM features three of the film’s stars with some tips to help figure out how to get their award-winning looks as they sport eyewear styles from Cutler and Gross, Marchon and Luxottica.

As buying groups evolve to offer more than just vendor discounts and ECP alliances increase in prominence throughout the country, the benefits to eyecare professionals continue to grow. VM asked a small sample of members of these organizations to describe exactly how belonging to these groups helps improve their practices. Hear what they had to say about these groups’ advantages in VM Web EXCLUSIVE: "Membership Has Its Benefits."  For more on this topic, see the cover story from our Feb. 13 issue, available on VisionMonday.com.