Alcon Launches Its Innovator Program to Collaborate With ECPs and Address Unmet Needs Within the Contact Lens Industry

By Staff
Friday, October 11, 2024 12:24 AM FORT WORTH, Texas—Alcon, a global leader in eyecare, has announced the introduction of the Alcon Innovator Program, an initiative to partner with influential eyecare professionals to identify gaps in contact lens offerings and address the market’s unmet needs. As part of the inaugural program in the U.S., Alcon said it selected 20 innovators to receive and offer their patients exclusive access to upcoming Alcon product launches. Through this partnership, innovators shared both practice and patient insights gained from fitting patients in new Alcon contact lenses, as well as developed social and editorial content that highlighted their experience with the latest innovation, according to the announcement.

SUNY College of Optometry Foundation to Host Inaugural ‘Value of Vision’ Breakfast

By Staff
Friday, October 11, 2024 12:21 AM NEW YORK—SUNY College of Optometry Foundation has announced that it will be hosting the first annual Value of Vision Breakfast on November 19, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. This complimentary, invitation-only event will serve as a tribute to several individuals who have transformed and championed health care and vision care through leadership, advocacy, philanthropy and visibility. The full list of honorees will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the announcement from the college.

Lighthouse Guild Appoints New Members to Its Board of Directors

By Staff
Friday, October 11, 2024 12:18 AM NEW YORK—Lighthouse Guild, a not-for-profit vision and health care organization, has appointed two new people to its board of directors. Valerie Chianuri, general counsel and head of people and operations at the computational design and engineering software company, nTopology Inc. (nTop), and Sarah Kramer, global and U.S. CEO of Spark Foundry, part of Publicis Groupe, are the newest appointees to the board, according to the announcement. A legal and operational expert with more than two decades of experience in the financial and technology industries, Chianuri is responsible for strategy and oversight of the legal, compliance, information security and people operations functions at nTop. Prior to nTop, she held similar roles at several high-growth technology companies.

Time Is Running Out—Cast Your Votes for Jobson's 2024 EyeVote Readers' Choice Awards, Nominations Close Tonight

By Staff
Friday, October 11, 2024 12:15 AM NEW YORK—Vision Monday and 20/20 are hosting the 16th annual EyeVote Readers' Choice Awards to identify the optical industry’s favorite products and companies this year. But time is running out—the EyeVote survey closes tonight at 11:59 p.m. EST. These two Jobson Medical Information publications are teaming up once again this fall to get readers’ opinions by asking optical retailers and ECPs to identify their favorite products in 22 distinct categories.

Legal Industry Is on Board With AI, New Survey Finds

By Staff
Thursday, October 10, 2024 5:04 PM More law firms are relying on artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency, according to a new report from Clio, a provider of cloud-based technology for the legal industry. The ninth edition Clio’s Legal Trends Report explores how AI adoption is shaping the direction of the legal industry. 

New data shows that 79 percent of legal professionals now incorporate AI tools into their daily work, compared with 19 percent in 2023. Clients are also on board with this shift, with 70 percent reporting they either prefer its use or are neutral toward firms that utilize AI.

This adoption also affects how law firms bill for their time. Data shows that up to 74 percent of hourly billable tasks, such as information gathering and data analysis, could be automated with AI. Something, Newton noted, should be prompting law firms to move away from hourly billing in favor of more flexible options like flat fees to preserve profitability while benefiting from the increased efficiencies AI brings to legal workflows. 

The survey found that 81 percent of legal secretaries and administrative assistants' tasks could be made automatable, compared with 57 percent of lawyers' tasks.

As a result, 34 percent of law firms are charging a flat fee for most of their cases, something 71 percent of clients are in favor of for their entire case. Meanwhile, 51 percent of respondents said they prefer a flat fee for individual activities performed by legal guidance.

Silmo Paris 2024, the International Showcase for the Optics Sector

By Staff
Thursday, October 10, 2024 9:05 AM Silmo Paris 2024 once again established itself as a key event for the optical industry, offering a rich panorama of emerging trends and immersive experiences. For four intense days, the show was the focal point for inspiring encounters, cutting-edge innovations and enriching exchanges, captivating industry professionals.

Indies Get Behind Contact Lens Safety This October

By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, October 10, 2024 8:30 AM NEW YORK—Prevent Blindness has once again declared October as Contact Lens Safety Month, with the goal of educating the public on the proper use of contact lenses, both prescription and cosmetic. With Halloween on the horizon and some costumes calling for a change in eye color, October is an ideal time to reinforce the importance of proper and safe contact lens use; to do so, Prevent Blindness is offering a variety of resources including fact sheets, social media graphics and dedicated webpages. In addition, the nonprofit has shared a special Contact Lens Safety video as part of its Focus on Eye Health Expert Series, featuring Prevent Blindness president and CEO Jeff Todd alongside Dr. Thomas L. Steinemann, professor of ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University.

Eyes on Fremont

By Staff
Thursday, October 10, 2024 8:25 AM The team at Eyes on Fremont in Seattle and Bellingham, Wash., is raising awareness for breast cancer this October.

Silmo d’Or Awards Recognize Indie Designers

By Staff
Thursday, October 10, 2024 8:20 AM PARIS—The 2024 edition of the Silmo d’Or Awards, chaired by fashion designer Alexis Mabille, recognized impactful design from the past year—as always, these recognitions included a number of independent designers. This year’s categories were: Children, Sport, Vision, Vision — Optical System, Material & Equipment, Optical Frame — Brands and Labels, Sunglasses — Brands & Labels, Technological Innovation in Eyewear, Technological Innovation in Eyewear — Connected Products, Optical Frame — Eyewear Designer, Sunglasses — Eyewear Designer and the Jury’s Special Award.

Small Business Administration Cohosts Education Initiatives for Women Entrepreneurs

By Staff
Thursday, October 10, 2024 8:15 AM NEWARK, N.J.—The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced that it is cohosting two education events this fall aimed at women entrepreneurs as a continuation of the 2024 National ChallengeHER road tour. The SBA will partner with Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) and American Express (AMEX) on the education initiatives.

The National Average for Gross Revenue at ECP Locations Increased for the Week of September 30–October 6, Jobson’s Latest Practice Performance Tracker Shows

By Staff
Thursday, October 10, 2024 12:24 AM NEW YORK—The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations increased last week, September 30–October 6, when compared with the previous week, at a rate of 1 index point. That places gross revenue at a level 16 index points above where it was at this point in time (Week 40) when compared with last year (2023), 19 points above the same period in 2022, 26 points above 2021, 19 points above 2020 and 30 points above 2019, according to Jobson’s most recent Practice Performance Tracker.

Mido Opens 2025 Registration, Debuts ‘Refocusing on Humans’ Campaign

By Staff
Thursday, October 10, 2024 12:21 AM MILAN, Italy—Mido has announced the opening of press and visitor registration for its next edition in Milan, scheduled for February 8 through 10, 2025, at Fiera Milano Rho. Mido is also unveiling “Refocusing on Humans,” its new campaign dedicated to “refocusing its priority on people and celebrating the return of value (and to the values) of human creativity,” show organizers said.

National Vision Opens 2024-2025 Scholarship Program, Highlighting AI’s Role in the Future of Eyecare

By Staff
Thursday, October 10, 2024 12:18 AM DULUTH, Ga.—National Vision, Inc., one of the nation’s largest optical retailers, has announced that its annual scholarship program is open for entries, offering eligible optometry students the opportunity to win up to $7,500.

MyEyeDr. Teams Up With WNBA Star Allisha Gray for ExamJam Event, Supporting Eye Health for Students

By Staff
Thursday, October 10, 2024 12:15 AM ATLANTA—MyEyeDr., a leading provider of eye health services, announced that it recently teamed up with two-time WNBA All-Star and 2020 3x3 basketball gold medalist, Allisha Gray, to promote the importance of eye health in youth.

Unemployment Rate Remains Stable in September

By Staff
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 2:43 PM The unemployment rate showed little change in September, holding steady at 4.1 percent, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employment increased by 254,000 new jobs in September with the biggest growth seen in food services and drinking establishments, health care, government, social assistance and construction sectors. 

The number of unemployed people also held steady in September, remaining mostly unchanged at 6.8 million people. In a statement, the BLS noted that these measures are higher than a year earlier, when the jobless rate was 3.8 percent, and the number of unemployed people was 6.3 million. 

For the third consecutive month, the labor force participation rate was 62.7 percent and the employment-population ratio remained at approximately 60 percent.

The number of people employed part-time for economic reasons increased to 4.6 million in September compared with 4.1 million a year earlier. According to BLS, these individuals would have preferred full-time employment but were working part-time because their hours had been reduced, or they could not find full-time jobs.

The number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job also remained relatively unchanged at 5.7 million. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job. 

The number of people not in the labor force who wanted a job increased by 204,000 to 1.6 million.