By Staff
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 10:55 AM
NEW YORK—The Accessories Council hosted its annual Accessories Council Excellence Awards (ACE) Awards on May 7, 2024, at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. The organization also celebrated its 30th anniversary at the sold-out gala, marking three decades of recognizing individuals and companies who have made great strides in raising awareness of the accessories industry. The 2024 event honored ACE Award recipients across 11 categories, spotlighting global brands and pioneers and positioning them at the forefront of the fashion industry. In the eyewear industry, Foster Grant was awarded the Legacy Award.
Read More
By Staff
Tuesday, May 14, 2024 10:37 AM
On May 2, Athena Brasfield, OD, received a Woman of the Year award for her congressional district, for her efforts to make eyecare accessible to all. Dr. Brasfield began her career in the high-tech Silicon Valley area of California, but when she found an opportunity to purchase a practice in the desert Coachella Valley of southern California, it turned around her life’s work and mission. Coachella Valley Optometry now has two locations, one in Indio and one in Coachella. She is planning to add a third in a region where there is currently one provider for 30,000 people. She serves primarily Medicaid and Medi-Cal patients, and hers is one of the few practices in the region to do so.
Read More
By Staff
Monday, May 13, 2024 11:30 AM
The numbers are overwhelming and still climbing. Myopia is growing around the world, with a recent study estimating that on average, 30 percent of the world is currently myopic, and by 2050 almost 50 percent (5 billion people) will be myopic, according to the International Myopia Institute. Myopia prevalence is also rising in the U.S., with a reported prevalence of 42 percent, a number that has almost doubled in three decades. The week of May 13-19 has been designated as Myopia Awareness Week 2024, a global event that aims to raise awareness about juvenile-onset myopia and encourage eyecare professionals to take necessary actions.
Read More
By Staff
Monday, May 13, 2024 11:20 AM
The highlights from
20/20’s newly released 2024 L&T Premium Lens MarketPulse Survey provide key metrics that can help you benchmark your practice’s sales. For instance, 63 percent of the retailers surveyed said that spectacle lenses and treatments made up a larger percentage of their location’s total gross dollar sales in 2023, compared to three years ago. Seventy-three percent said pricing on spectacle lenses and treatments has increased compared to three years ago, and 40 percent said that Rx sun lenses as a percentage of total dollar sales increased over the same period.
Read More
By Staff
Friday, May 10, 2024 3:36 PM
NEW YORK—Warby Parker Inc. (NYSE: WRBY), has announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024. Net revenue increased $28.0 million, or 16.3 percent, to $200.0 million, as compared with the prior-year period. The company also announced that average revenue per customer increased 9.6 percent year-over-year to $296 with increased active customer growth of 3.2 percent to 2.36 million. “We anticipate that active customer growth will continue,” said co-founder and co-CEO Neil Blumental in a conference call. The company also opened eight net new stores during the quarter, ending Q1 with 245 stores, and is on track for 40 new store openings this year, according to company executives.
Read More
By Staff
Friday, May 10, 2024 3:25 PM
Marchon Italia has announced that it has achieved gender equality certification according to the international standard Uni/Pdr 125:2022, confirmed after an evaluation process conducted by Bureau Veritas, a world leader in inspection, compliance verification and certification services. The company states that the certification marks an important milestone for the group as tangible proof of their ongoing dedication to promoting diversity, equality and inclusion. The evaluation process was based on six key indicators: from HR processes to gender pay equity, from parenting support programs to company culture and inclusion strategy. The company exceeded the required targets on each indicator.
Read More
By Staff
Thursday, May 9, 2024 11:20 AM
DULUTH, Ga.—National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), one of the largest optical retail companies in the U.S., reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 30, 2024. Net revenue increased 4.2 percent to $542.5 million compared with the first quarter of 2023 and was primarily driven by growth from new store sales, higher revenue from the company’s AC Lens business, and the effect of unearned revenue compared with the prior-year period. Net revenue includes a 0.5 percent impact from the timing of unearned revenue in the current-year period compared with the prior-year period, according to an announcement from the company.
Read More
By Staff
Thursday, May 9, 2024 11:10 AM
New research found that more than 70 percent of patients receiving an initial glaucoma evaluation in the United States do not have record of gonioscopy. In this retrospective, case-control study, researchers assessed patterns in gonioscopy during initial glaucoma evaluations in the United States. Subjects with a diagnosis of glaucoma suspect, anatomical narrow angle (ANA) or primary/secondary glaucoma were included. Among the 198,995 patients (56 percent female, 44 percent male) in this analysis, 20.4 percent had a recorded gonioscopy on the day of diagnosis and 29.5 percent within six months. There was no gender difference noted in gonioscopy rates.
Read More
By Staff
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 2:01 PM
PADUA—The board of directors of Safilo Group S.p.A. reviewed and approved Q1 2024 economic and financial key performance indicators, according to an announcement from the company. Angelo Trocchia, Safilo’s chief executive officer, said, “In a business environment which is still complex and uncertain, it was again a positive start to the year for our European business, supported by the brilliant growth of Carrera, which has made its debut in our main markets with a brand new women's collection that is gathering excellent feedback, and David Beckham, which continued to register strong progress in the global premium segment."
Read More
By Staff
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 1:47 PM
With the rise of digital technology, children are now exposed to various devices from a young age. In fact, 95 percent of American teenagers own a smartphone, and 85 percent of the U.K. population aged 12 to 15 years uses smartphones daily. Closer viewing distances during any near visual tasks have been associated with myopia. It has been reported that children tend to hold smartphones or tablets at much shorter viewing distances compared to computer use and reading printed books. Prolonged exposure to smartphone or tablet screens with shorter viewing distances during childhood may disrupt the accommodation and vergence demands, which can result in axial elongation.
Read More
By Staff
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 3:53 PM
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.—VSP Vision has announced that it has been certified by Great Place to Work, an award based on what current employees say about their experience working at the company. VSP Vision also announced that it has been selected as 2024 U.S. Best Managed Company gold standard winner for the fourth consecutive year. In recognition of the Great Place to Work certification, 81 percent of employees said VSP Vision is a great place to work—24 points higher than the average U.S. company, according to the announcement. Great Place to Work identifies itself as the global benchmark for workplace culture, employee experience and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation.
Read More
By Staff
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 3:43 PM
Self-treatment with glaucoma medication has long been associated with adherence challenges, given the condition’s asymptomatic nature and the self-effort necessary. Poor medication adherence in patients with glaucoma has been linked with factors such as difficulty with eye drop administration, high costs of medication, side effects, not being physically able to apply the drops themselves and difficulties in remembering taking the medication at the right dose at the right time. Researchers in Denmark investigated patterns in medication adherence in patients with glaucoma to investigate whether adherence in the early phase of the disease is associated with long-term adherence.
Read More
By Staff
Monday, May 6, 2024 1:18 PM
ST. LOUIS—EyeCare Partners, a provider of clinically integrated eyecare, has announced that Joel Day has been named executive vice president, finance, and will take the chief financial officer role with the company, effective June 1, 2024. He will have responsibility for the strategic planning, implementation and management of all EyeCare Partners finance activities, including accounting, business planning, budgeting, forecasting, revenue cycle management (RCM) and procurement. Day will succeed Bob Gold, who has shared his intent to depart the organization, effective May 31.
Read More
By Staff
Monday, May 6, 2024 1:10 PM
Recently, I had the pleasure of leading a lecture on an exciting topic that’s buzzing in the tech world—artificial intelligence, specifically how ChatGPT can be integrated into our optometric practices. This isn’t just about automating responses or streamlining e-mails; it’s about revolutionizing how we handle patient charting and more. The feedback from the lecture was overwhelmingly positive, with many attendees eager to explore ChatGPT’s potential beyond the basics. However, not everyone is sold on the idea just yet. Here’s the thing about using something as sophisticated as ChatGPT in your practice: it requires finesse. It’s crucial to ask good questions—a skill that demands a decent grasp of the subject at hand.
Read More
By Staff
Friday, May 3, 2024 4:32 PM
A cross-disciplinary team of researchers and doctors at the University of Waterloo (UW) are developing a new contact lens material that could change the way eyecare providers treat corneal wounds. The team, from the Centre for Ocular Research and Education (CORE), located within the School of Optometry & Vision Science and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University, believe the new material, acting as a bandage for corneal wounds, could release drugs in a controlled manner to help the eye heal faster.
Read More