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
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 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
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 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
Thursday, August 24, 2023 8:30 AM
MEMPHIS, Tenn.—
Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee, has recognized three young alumni with the Hayes Center for Practice Excellence Award—an award which recognizes a graduate of the past 10 years who owns and operates a private optometry practice. This year’s recipients are: Autumn Adams, OD, for the Practice Acquisition Award; Derek Hennig, OD, for the Partnership Award; and Andrew Bradbury, OD, for the New Practice Award.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, August 10, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—This week, the "Barbie" movie officially made over $1 billion at the box office. Director Greta Gerwig has become the first and only woman with sole director’s credit for a billion dollar movie,
NPR reported, and the film’s popularity has taken the world by storm. On social media in particular, the "Barbie" movie has generated countless trends that users are enjoying—from meme templates to full-hearted reminiscing on childhood memories with Barbie dolls.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, July 26, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Earlier this month, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, officially launched Threads, its brand new Twitter competitor. Threads is designed to look and operate similarly to Twitter, with a feed of mostly text posts that other users can reply to or repost. Users can also attach images and videos to their Threads posts, and the posts themselves have a 500 character limit. In its first week,
CNN reported, Threads received 100 million signups, with many celebrities and other public figures migrating over to the new platform. So what does the optical community need to know about Threads? Should ECPs be rushing to sign up?
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, July 6, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—For an independent ECP, few things are more important than standing out from the crowd. In much of the U.S., consumers are spoiled when it comes to choice—and this includes their options for eyewear and eyecare. Independent ECPs offer unique experiences and eyewear options for patients, but they also face unique challenges when it comes to creating and building their businesses and brands. There are countless creative and special ways for independent ECPs to stand out, and many have found creating private label eyewear collections to be the perfect addition to their practice.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Monday, June 26, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—In 2021, President Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday, firmly cementing the importance of this holiday that has long been celebrated in the U.S. Juneteenth, which falls on June 19 each year, commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.—it does not mark the day that President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but rather the day two years later when Union Army Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and informed enslaved people there of their freedom,
CNN reported.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, June 8, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—On June 6, members of the optical community and eyewear fans everywhere took some time to celebrate National Eyewear Day. Founded by
Zyloware in 2016, National Eyewear Day offers an opportunity to bring awareness to overall eye health and the importance of an annual comprehensive eye exam—all while showing off how fashionable, fun and full of personality our frames are. While large businesses and multinational companies celebrated National Eyewear Day with sales, free exams and more, indies and small businesses stepped up to do their part, too. We’re taking a look at how some indies celebrated National Eyewear Day 2023.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, May 25, 2023 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—May is Healthy Vision Month, 30 days set aside by the Centers for disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Eye Institute (NEI) to promote the importance of taking care of the eyes—from annual, comprehensive eye exams to everyday habits that will protect eye health. Through its Vision Heath Initiative, the CDC has made a number of
resources available for free to all, including information about the basics of eye health, prevention and risk management and more. Infographics are also available for
download, which can be posted online or in the office.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, May 11, 2023 8:30 AM
MIAMI—For the first weekend in May, Miami turned into the racing capital of the world. The Formula 1 World Championship descended on the south Florida city, bringing thousands of racing fans to the Magic City.
Sports Business Journal reported an attendance of over 90,000 for the race on Sunday, May 7, with about 90,000 attending qualifying sessions on Saturday, and about 89,000 at practice sessions on Friday, too. In addition to racing fans, the Grand Prix brought celebrities galore to Miami: Tom Cruise, Shakira, Patrick Mahomes, Vin Diesel, J Balvin, Maluma, Queen Latifah, the Williams sisters, Roger Federer, and so many more strutted through the Formula 1 paddock.
By Staff
Thursday, May 11, 2023 8:28 AM
Watch now! Ray-Ban brought their Ferrari partnership to life for independent practices in Miami ahead of last weekend’s Grand Prix at an exclusive event. Complete with once-in-a-lifetime immersive brand experiences and the opportunity to elevate the Ray-Ban x Ferrari presence in their practice, customers were treated to a day that prepared them to meet consumer demand for all things F1 around the race. Learn more and get the limited-edition Ray-Ban x Scuderia Ferrari collection in your practice by visiting
My.EssilorLuxottica.com today!