The Promise of the Vaccine

This past Wednesday, there were 3,157 COVID-19 deaths reported across the U.S.—an all-time high since the pandemic began. Wednesday’s death toll surpassed the number of people killed in the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said the next few months of the COVID-19 pandemic will be among “the most difficult in the public health history of this nation.” A very sobering milestone and a dire prediction from one of the country’s leading health care officials. But the past few weeks have also brought us some very positive news. It seems there is a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, and unlike a lot of things in 2020, it’s not a train heading our way. That bright and very hopeful light is the long-awaited vaccine for COVID-19.

CooperCompanies Reports ‘Solid’ Q4 Results and Notes Market-Share Gains in Contact Lens Segment

SAN RAMON, Calif.—CooperCompanies (NYSE: COO) on Thursday reported that its fourth-quarter revenue fell 1 percent year-over-year to $681.6 million. In its business units, CooperVision (CVI) revenue dipped 1 percent to $506.3 million, and CooperSurgical (CSI) revenue fell 4 percent to $175.3 million. For the fiscal year, which ended Oct. 31, 2020, revenue totaled $2.430 billion, a decrease of 8 percent from fiscal 2019 (also down 8 percent at constant currency). CVI revenue totaled $1.843 billion, down 7 percent from fiscal 2019 (down 6 percent at constant currency).

Upswing in COVID Cases Leads to Greater Concerns Among Independents

NEW YORK—In close to nine months since the advent of the COVID-19 virus to certain parts of the country in mid-March, now much more widely spread throughout the U.S., ECPs have learned to cope with the impacts of the pandemic on their patients, their staff, their exam room and dispensary operations in different ways. In general, with upswings in the number of cases in most states in late October/November, priorities toward cleaning and sanitation have taken hold and as many as 88 percent of respondents to the Nov. 24-30 Jobson Coronavirus ECP Survey say they believe hygiene protocols will continue post-COVID.

Click to view a PDF of the full survey results.

Optical Sales Throughout the U.S. Experience a Substantial Decline

NEW YORK—Optical sales throughout the U.S. experienced a substantial decrease over the course of last week (Nov. 23-29) in all service/product categories. Due to the entire four-day Thanksgiving Day weekend being within the seven days for which optical sales were most recently tracked, the downturn ranged from -26 index points for contact lenses to -34 index points for gross revenue. The other three categories—exams/refractions, frame units, and lens pairs—declined at rates of index points in the low 30s.

Noha Abdalla Joins MyEyeDr. Leadership Team as Chief Marketing Officer

VIENNA, Va.—MyEyeDr. has announced the newest member of its leadership team, Noha Abdalla, who joined the company as chief marketing officer on Nov. 30. Sue Downes, MyEyeDr. CEO, said, “I am excited to have Noha’s talents on our team and the opportunity to work closely with her to lead our marketing innovation and digitization efforts. We know that her skills and talents will accelerate our efforts in creating the next generation patient experience.” Downes added, “Noha brings to MyEyeDr. strong functional leadership, a focus on service experiences, significant experience building teams and running marketing efforts.”