By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, March 23, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Last week, thousands of members of the optical community arrived at New York City's Javits Center to attend Vision Expo East 2023. From some of the biggest companies in the world to mom-and-pop shops in small towns, Vision Expo offered something for everyone—and indies were well represented at this year’s show. Here, we’re taking a look at social media to see how Vision Expo East shaped up for some of the visiting independent ECPs.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, March 9, 2023 2:45 PM
NEW YORK—On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, billions of people around the world took the time to celebrate International Women’s Day in their own way. First officially
recognized by the UN in 1977, International Women’s Day recognizes the achievements and struggles of all women around the world. From protests to parties and everything in between, there are countless ways to celebrate and honor International Women’s Day. This week, we’re taking a look at how the optical community honored women this International Women’s Day.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, March 2, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Diane Hilal-Campo, MD, knew she wanted to be an ophthalmologist from a young age—but she had no idea that she wanted to be the founder of a makeup brand called
twenty/twenty beauty. Her father, neuroradiologist Sadek Hilal, MD, influenced her desire to enter the medical field in some way, but, as she tells
VM, “it was as a young girl, when I first visited ophthalmologist Dr. Stephen Trokel, one of the inventors of the excimer laser that is used to perform Lasik, that I became fascinated by ocular health. He prescribed me my first pair of glasses, and being able to see the beauty of the world with such clarity changed my life.”
By Marge Axelrad
Thursday, February 23, 2023 8:30 AM
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—A leading optometric innovator has brought several elevated eyecare and patient experience concepts to her newest location in Southern California. Nikki Iravani, OD, the founder and CEO of
eyeXam Optometry in Silicon Valley’s Santa Clara, Calif. opened a bright, bold second luxury practice in the Crystal Cove Shopping Center in upscale Newport Beach in Orange County last fall.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—On January 22, billions of people around the world celebrated the Lunar New Year, saying goodbye to the Year of the Tiger and ringing in the Year of the Rabbit. The holiday, which is celebrated by about 2 billion people worldwide, will last until February 5 in some countries—a full cycle from one new moon to the next full moon,
USA Today reported.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, January 18, 2023 7:30 AM
NEW YORK—Now that the new year is fully in swing and people are back to work, it’s time for ECPs everywhere to remind patients about scheduling their annual eye exam for 2023. January just so happens to be Glaucoma Awareness Month at Prevent Blindness, too—providing the perfect reason to bring up the importance of eye exams. Via the CDC, Prevent Blindness
reports that about three million Americans have glaucoma, which is also the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. For many, the “sneak thief of sight” is a scary concept—but patients can keep their eye health in check with their annual eye exam, and there’s no better time than now to remind them about that.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, December 29, 2022 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—The holiday season is full of social events, from family gatherings to Friends-Mas to, of course, the world holiday party. No matter what you celebrate this time of year and no matter what your line of work, an office holiday party is a special chance to spend time with your colleagues without discussing work or feeling deadline-induced stress. Instead, it’s a few hours to enjoy some holiday treats and get to know your co-workers in a new way—let’s face it, we spend almost as much time with our co-workers as we do our family and friends.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 3:00 PM
NEW YORK—For many of us, a sizable chunk of December is dedicated to gifting: giving gifts, receiving gifts, brainstorming gifts and even returning gifts. When we think about gifts in December, we often think about material things such as clothes, tech and food, but this year, ECPs everywhere are encouraging patients to expand their idea of what a gift can be and instead give the gift of sight this December. What it means to give the gift of sight can range from monetarily supporting sight-saving nonprofits to purchasing a pair of eyewear for someone you love—what matters is the impact.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Tuesday, November 22, 2022 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—On October 31, President Biden released a statement declaring November 2022 as National Diabetes Month. In the statement, the President
said, “Over 10 percent of Americans have Type 1, Type 2, or gestational diabetes, and tens of millions more remain at risk of developing this chronic condition… I call upon all Americans, school systems, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, health care providers, research institutions, and other interested groups to join in activities that raise diabetes awareness and help prevent, treat and manage this disease.”
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Monday, November 14, 2022 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—We’re hurtling toward the end of the year, which means, of course, that we’re firmly in the “use it or lose it” season for HSA/FSA benefits. This time of year is often a busy season for everyone—from the holidays to wrapping up work for the year—and it’s easy for things to fall through the cracks or get pushed off until sometime in the new year. As 2022 begins to wrap up, independent ECPs across the country are taking a moment to remind patients to use up their HSA/FSA benefits, encouraging them to schedule their annual appointment or pick out a new pair of frames before these benefits expire.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Monday, October 31, 2022 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Happy Halloween! This week is a time to chow down on candy, stock up on scary movies and just generally enjoy the spookiest night of the year before we head into the overwhelming holiday season head first. This week, we’re taking a look at how some indies are celebrating this final day of October. Celebrations across the country ran the gamut from pumpkin decorating contests to in office trick or treat events to spooky decors.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, October 13, 2022 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Each year, the team at A Child’s Eyes, a pediatric practice, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, hosts the
Pumpkin Patch Project, a community event to help spread awareness for amblyopia and vision impairment in children. The project involves patching one eye of a jack-o-lantern, and the goal is to designate homes with patched pumpkins as “scary free zones,” where children can trick-or-treat knowing there will be no jump scares. In addition, those taking part in the project can share their patched pumpkins on social media to spread awareness—both about vision impairment in children and the project itself.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Monday, September 26, 2022 8:30 AM
LAS VEGAS—Last week, thousands of members of the optical community from all around the world congregated in Las Vegas for the 2022 edition of Vision Expo West. As always, the show was a successful mix of education, product, networking and celebration—a worthy reunion for an industry that has been through so much over the past two years. Of course, it’s the people that make Vision Expo great—especially the ECPs, who travel from far and wide to attend the show. This week, we’re taking a look at some social media moments from Vision Expo West 2022 shared by the indie ECPs that make the show so special.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, September 14, 2022 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Prevent Blindness has declared September Sports Eye Safety Month to help educate the public on the importance of wearing the proper eye protection while playing sports. Annual data from Prevent Blindness
shows that there were more than 26,000 sports-related eye injuries treated in the U.S. last year. The new data also showed that the category of “non-powder guns, darts, arrows and slingshots” had the overall highest rate of eye injuries for the previous year.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, August 31, 2022 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—The back-to-school season has officially arrived, with kids and teachers all around the country heading back into the classroom full time. Of course, there’s no better time than now for an annual back to school eye exam—and no better time to pick up a new pair of glasses, too. Here, we are taking a look at how some Indies are showcasing the children’s frames they keep in stock as the back-to-school bell rings.