Andrew Karp, Group Editor, Lenses & Technology
Andrew has reported on many facets of the optical industry for
Vision Monday and
20/20 Magazine since 1987. He specializes in covering the latest developments in ophthalmic dispensing, spectacle lenses and treatments, lens processing technology, optical laboratories and wearable technology. Andrew contributes daily briefings to
VMAIL LaunchPad, that spotlights new products, software and online applications for labs and dispensers. He also helps plan and produce
Vision Monday’s annual Global Leadership Summit. Contact Andrew at
akarp@jobson.com.
By Andrew Karp
Friday, October 13, 2023 8:30 AM
When sunlight strikes the lens of our eyes, some of the energy absorbed is converted into heat. But some of that “absorbed energy” is also converted into light. It’s a blue-green “glow” that is responsible for much of the visual discomfort that we call glare. However, later in life, our lens emits a new, red light “glow” (fluorescence) that may repair the retina. A U.S. patent was recently issued to
Photoprotective Technologies, Inc. that mimics the details of the red fluorescence of the human lens.
By Andrew Karp
Sunday, April 23, 2023 12:21 AM
NEW YORK—The emergence of online refractions and low-cost portable devices for measuring and tracking visual performance has ushered in the era of consumer-driven vision care. Steven Lee, OD, MBA, an entrepreneur with a medical and engineering background, and Amel Youssef, OD, from Acuitis in Las Vegas and New Jersey, discussed how innovative products, from the Apple Watch to Fitbit—and in the vision care field, EyeQue—are enabling health-conscious consumers to monitor their wellness. These products and other devices are helping patients to capture and analyze their biometric data which they can then share with health care professionals.
By Andrew Karp
Thursday, December 29, 2022 9:30 AM
Researchers from
ETH Zurich have developed an ultrathin, gold-based transparent coating that is able to convert sunlight into heat. It can be applied to glass and other surfaces to prevent them from fogging. Applications for the new coating include eyewear. Yet this remarkable new coating triggered a case of writer’s fog for
VM’s Andrew Karp. How did that happen?
By Andrew Karp
Friday, December 2, 2022 8:30 AM
In discussions of optical industry history, Arthur Lemay’s name doesn’t often come up. Unlike celebrated figures like Bernard Maitenaz, who invented the Varilux lens, or Noel Roscrow, Robert Graham and Rene Grandperret, who played key roles in the development of plastic lenses, or O.W. Coburn, who helped commercialize automated surface generators, Arthur Lemay is relatively unknown. Joe Santinelli has made it his mission to change that. For the past 30 years Joe, the founder of lens finishing equipment maker, Santinelli International, has been waging a one-man campaign to get Arthur Lemay the belated recognition he fervently believes Lemay deserves.
By Andrew Karp
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 2:02 AM
It’s been 31 months since I last set foot in our office in New York City. Driven out by COVID-19, I’ve been working from home, like the rest of our VM team. Fortunately, the threat of COVID-19 has receded in many parts of the U.S. Death rates have fallen, as have infection rates. For many of us, life has begun returning to “normal.”
By Andrew Karp
Friday, October 28, 2022 8:30 AM
Like many magazine editors, I’m also magazine fan. I read some of them online, but I still enjoy reading, and feeling, the print edition of the
New Yorker,
Guitar Player and a few other favorites. Honestly, I can’t wait to get my hands on it. When a new issue arrives, I start thumbing through it as I walk from the mailbox to my house. Last month, I discovered a magazine I hadn’t seen before, despite the fact that it’s been published for ages. It’s the
Marine Corps Times, which bills itself as “the oldest and most trusted source for news and information about U.S. Marines, the military and the DoD.” One of the magazine’s article featured a headline that grabbed my attention: “How the U.S. Military Adopted its Famous ‘Birth Control Glasses.”
By Andrew Karp
Tuesday, October 11, 2022 12:38 AM
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Singer Optical Co. (www.singeroptical.com), a 74-year-old independent laboratory located here, has transitioned to its third generation of Singer family ownership. The company has changed ownership from founder Fred Singer to Fred’s two sons Roger and Martin, to now Martin and his son, Ben Singer.
By Andrew Karp
Friday, September 16, 2022 8:30 AM
When Erik Ritchie took over in early 2021 as CEO of
EnChroma, he told me that he saw a huge opportunity to grow the company’s share of the market for color blindness eyewear, as well grow the market overall. “Just in the U.S. alone there are 13 million people who suffer from color blindness, and that market has traditionally been underserved,” he said in a
VMAIL interview. “One of my goals is to make sure we get the word out and raise awareness of not only the issue, but the solutions to that issue, and that we do that both in the U.S. and globally.”
By Andrew Karp
Friday, August 19, 2022 8:30 AM
What makes Stu Gleich tick? This seems like a reasonable question to ask about a dedicated horologist—someone who studies and often buys, sells and collects wristwatches and other timepieces. So, I decided to find out more about the man and what motivates him in his personal and professional pursuits. Here’s what I learned. Although Gleich makes his living in optical sales, horology is a consuming interest. However, he approaches both with a similar attitude. For Gleich, the search for that special watch, along with the transactions that are part of the experience, is not just about the thrill of the hunt and the pleasure of owning a beautiful object. It’s also about the relationships he forms along the way.
By Andrew Karp
Tuesday, July 26, 2022 1:00 PM
Diagnosed prevalent cases of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the seven major markets—U.S., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, U.K., and Japan—combined is expected to increase from 33.66 million cases in 2021 to 40.32 million in 2031, at an annual growth rate (AGR) of 1.98 percent, according to
GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. AMD is a progressive eye condition that is characterized by the gradual deterioration of the macula, which is the area of the retina responsible for central vision.
By Andrew Karp
Friday, July 22, 2022 8:30 AM
A retinal exam may be able to predict a person’s risk of heart attack, when combined with other information, according to a recent study. Researchers found that the pattern of blood vessels in the retina could help identify those who are likely to experience heart problems, according to
The Guardian. In a recent article posted on
WebMD, writer Carolyn Crist reported that the researchers used data from
UK Biobank, which contains medical and lifestyle records for 500,000 people, to calculate a measure known as fractal dimension. The research team then studied people in the database who had experienced a heart attack, or myocardial infarction, after retinal images had been collected, Crist said.
By Andrew Karp
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 1:30 AM
Along with receding hairlines, crow’s feet and sagging skin, presbyopia is one of the least welcome physical changes we experience as we age. The gradual loss of our eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects, a result of the stiffening of the crystalline lens, is an inevitable condition for most of us who are middle aged and older. In fact, you could even add presbyopia to the familiar litany of death and taxes. And it only gets worse with time.