By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, November 30, 2023 8:30 AM
VAUGHAN, Ontario—On November 15, 2023, also known as America Recycles Day, Bausch + Lomb announced that its One by One and Biotrue Eye Care
recycling programs have collected a total of 76,645,000 million units, or 464,100 pounds, of used contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials in the United States. This is equal to the weight of 140 hippos.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Thanksgiving has come and gone and there’s no denying it anymore: we are officially in the holiday season. Holiday shopping has already kicked off, and this year is shaping up to be one of the biggest yet, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). In early November, the NRF
reported that holiday spending was expected to reach record levels throughout November and December, growing between 3 percent and 4 percent over 2022. Spending is expected to reach between $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion. Although consumers are expecting to spend more this year, most are still making sure they get some serious bang for their buck.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Monday, November 20, 2023 8:30 AM
MOUNT PLEASANT, South Carolina—In 2019, Jake Sunkin, OD, achieved a long-held dream of opening up his own, independent eyecare practice. When
Independent Optical debuted in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina that June, things were looking bright and exciting—Dr. Sunkin’s dad, Chris, retired from a 25-year career in the industrial equipment industry and took on the challenge of opening a practice from the ground up alongside his son. The two documented every step of their process, from construction through to opening day, on
Instagram, and in an interview with
The Independent Eye that
summer.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Monday, November 6, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—For independent ECPs taking their practice to the next level, private label eyewear is often a logical and exciting step, allowing ECPs to flex their creative muscles, lean into the design world and connect with their patients in a new and unique way. Now, with the launch of a new program from
Frames Data, in conjunction with private label supplier
Your Brand Eyewear, that integration has become even more seamless. The new program offers practices the ability to display their private label frames from Your Brand Eyewear in an online gallery, but under a custom brand name that is exclusive to the practice. Previously, private label eyewear could only be displayed under the name Your Brand.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Friday, October 27, 2023 9:30 AM
NEW YORK—We are just a few short days away from Halloween, and preparations are in full swing. Whether you’re an early planner who’s had a costume since the summer, or are throwing things together last minute, there’s one thing all of the optical community can agree on: messing around with costume contact lenses can only lead to trouble.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Friday, October 27, 2023 8:30 AM
JUPITER, Fla.—
Costa Sunglasses go hand in hand with life on the water for millions of people worldwide—a fact that the team behind Costa does not take for granted. The brand has long been committed to protecting the Earth’s waterways through various means, from beach cleanups to groundbreaking recycling programs—but its most recent project, the Marlin Fly Project, took this commitment somewhere totally new.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, October 19, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—On October 12, members of the optical community all around the world came together to celebrate World Sight Day. This year, according to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), and as
reported in
VMAIL, the 200+ member groups and companies’ efforts generated more than 13 million eye test pledges, well above the group’s target goal of 10 million for the day, which emphasized the Love Your Eyes at Work theme this year. And, of course, ECPs all around the world did their part, too, this World Sight Day. We’re taking a look at how some indies celebrated World Sight Day on social media, spreading the word to their followers everywhere.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, October 12, 2023 8:30 AM
PARIS—At
Silmo 2023, which was held in Paris from September 29 through October 2,
Mykita was awarded the show’s first-ever “Responsible Company” prize, which recognized the eyewear brand’s progress in social and environmental responsibility. The category was assessed by an independent CSR expert jury, and was open to all who exhibited at Silmo Paris this year.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, October 5, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—
Hispanic Heritage Month, which is observed from September 15 through October 15 every year, provides an opportunity for all Americans to celebrate Hispanic Americans who have made an impact on our country. Enacted into law on August 17, 1988, Hispanic Heritage Month’s 30-day span covers a number of important days for Hispanic Americans: September 15 is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. September 16 is Mexico’s independence day, while September 18 is Chile’s. Dia de la Raza is on October 12.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, September 21, 2023 8:30 AM
BANGKOK—Approaching sustainability in-office is a task that requires coming at it from all angles. From small, family-owned and operated, independent ECPs to large, multi-national eyewear and eyecare corporations, all members of the optical community who are dedicated to sustainability will understand that their efforts must span different areas and departments in order to be truly holistic. For large companies like
Hoya Vision Care, a full, dedicated platform helps make this overarching goal more achievable.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—For sports lovers, Fall is an exciting time. Many sport seasons restart in the Fall, both professional and amateur—which also makes this season the perfect time to talk to patients about keeping their eyes safe while getting active. This Sports Eye Safety Month, Prevent Blindness shared new data that shows more than 32,000 sports-related eye injuries were treated in the U.S. last year—an
increase of nearly 20 percent from the previous year.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, September 14, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Jennifer Tsai, OD, founder and owner of
Line of Sight in New York City, created her practice to be a unique environment with a boutique, concierge feel, blending eyecare and wellness in a holistic way. As she explained to
VM, “We have an exceptional team that works hard to keep the practice running smoothly to help patients with vision care and promote eye health. I specialize in specialty contact lens and offer an array of other services including dry eye treatments, vision therapies, ocular aesthetics and myopia control solutions.”
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Friday, September 8, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—September is Healthy Aging Month, 30 days dedicated to promoting healthy habits as people age. Staying healthy as you get older is an all hands on deck activity, of course, involving healthy eating, regular exercise, visits to the doctor, and keeping your eye health at the forefront of your mind. Older adults are at higher risk for a number of eye diseases including AMD, glaucoma and cataract, but, as the National Eye Institute (NEI) said, “getting older does not have to mean losing your vision.” As members of the eyecare community it is part of our duties this month to make that reminder clear—and to ensure older adults have all the resources they need to keep their eyes healthy as they age.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, September 7, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—For many of us, the COVID lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 provided some time to slow down, to reassess and to try to get some rest—but for Idriss and Federica Nestor, the opposite was true. Instead, the married couple used that time to develop
OPR Eyewear, their home-grown, family-owned eyewear business in New York City. Idriss told
The Independent Eye, “My wife and I have always been very passionate about glasses until one day, during COVID, we decided to finally invest in our dream and create our own brand. I had a consulting company while Federica had a legal background—very different worlds that, nevertheless, prepared us for what we were about to create.”
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Sunday, September 3, 2023 1:00 AM
NEW YORK—If there’s one constant in a post-2020 world, it’s change. The economy, labor market, retail landscape and overall world we live in has been in constant flux since March 2020, teaching us all how to be adaptive and inventive in everything we do. For many consumers, products labeled as “Made in the USA” have long been preferable—from giving back to the local economy to lowering your carbon footprint, there are plenty of reasons that Americans want to buy homegrown products. That has not changed—though inflation has put a slight damper on what Americans are willing to spend.