By By Marge Axelrad, Andrew Karp, Mark Tosh and Brian Dunleavy
Monday, November 11, 2019 12:30 AM
NEW YORK—We are living in an age of specialization. Today we can get virtually anything we want from a business whose only business is delivering a certain type of product or service, whether it’s a vegan restaurant or Victoria’s Secret. Optometry, like many medical professions, is being reshaped by the specialization trend. Modern living has changed the way we use our eyes, and many optometrists, particularly those in private practice, have responded by developing specialties to address specific patient needs. Some specialties, such as pediatrics and low vision, have been long established in optometry, while others, like dry eye management and neuro-optometry are more recent additions. Yet all seem to be benefitting from the advent of new technologies and treatment methods which are bringing exciting changes to vision care.
By Andrew Karp and Brian Dunleavy
Monday, September 16, 2019 12:30 AM
NEW YORK—The optical lab business, at its most elemental, has always been a numbers game.
Running a lab, though, is a complex undertaking that involves more than simply dollars and cents. It also about the number of prescription jobs per day it can produce, and the percentage of those jobs that are rejected because they don’t meet quality control standards. It’s about maintaining a job average that’s calculated based upon production yields and the average price per job. It’s about the cost of capital equipment, consumables, overhead, labor and dozens of other budget line items.
By Brian Dunleavy, Contributing Editor
Monday, June 11, 2018 12:00 AM
TEMECULA, Calif.—Lab executives from California and the western states gathered here from April 26 to 27 for the COLA (California Optical Laboratories Association) annual spring meeting.
By Brian Dunleavy
Monday, June 19, 2017 12:00 AM
TEMECULA, Calif.—Lab executives and industry leaders gathered here April 27 and 28 for the 2017 meeting of the California Optical Laboratories Association (COLA). Now affiliated with the Lab Division of The Vision Council, COLA, which was founded in 1957, has provided its members with a venue for education and networking and, since 1981, recognized local lab leaders with its annual Goodfellow Award.