By Staff
Friday, October 23, 2020 2:22 PM
We’d initially seen a downturn around February, along the early Covid-19 outbreak impacting our China factory. However, starting in April and May, new customer acquisition and retention exceeded projections. That’s when order volume went up by more than 54 percent year-over-year, and we saw a 35 percent growth in overall unit sales. With so many optometrist locations still only open at a limited capacity, customers are finding more reasons to turn to an affordable e-commerce alternative.
By Staff
Thursday, October 22, 2020 12:30 AM
In Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, a character asks someone, “How did you go bankrupt?” The other replies, “Two ways: gradually, then suddenly.” The passage is famous for its terse articulation of how it feels to realize a behavior that had been slowly working its way through one’s life has become inescapably dominant, seemingly overnight. A lot of 2020 has felt that way, in both good and bad ways. Leaving aside hot-button issues of cultural and political import, much of day-to-day life is getting a major overhaul. Working from home, once a rare indulgence, became a necessity for white-collar employees, and many companies will keep generous flex time policies even when there’s no longer a health-related imperative.
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By Staff
Wednesday, October 21, 2020 3:30 PM
NEW YORK—As the COVID-19 virus continues to affect our everyday activities, Jobson continues its salute to the industry's health care workers, especially ECPs, for continuing to provide essential eyecare during the pandemic. This week, we honor five more Eyecare Heroes in our online gallery located at the
Eyecare Heroes site. Dr. Mark Keyes and Dr. Kaitlin Keyes,
Accomac Optometric, Accomac, Va.; Dr. Terry Null,
VisionQuest EyeCare, McCordsville, Ind.; Dr. Trent McKinney,
Oasis Eye Care, Venice Fla.; and Shawne Gillies, director of Facilities & Campus Planning,
New England College of Optometry, Boston, Mass. ECPs in the Gallery were selected from among the nominations submitted by readers of
Vision Monday and
20/20.
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By Staff
Wednesday, October 21, 2020 12:42 PM
Of course, there’s one big determining factor in all of this and that’s reimbursement. If telehealth reimbursement doesn’t figure out the payments so that the same service provided through telehealth is reimbursed at the same rate as in-person, then we could see an even bigger falloff of telehealth. If reimbursement is wrong, I could see us falling into the low single-digit office visits. That would be sad to see and would no doubt anger many patients who grew fond of telehealth during COVID.
By Staff
Tuesday, October 20, 2020 9:38 AM
14-year-old Anika Chebrolu might just help us cure COVID-19. The teenager recently discovered "a lead molecule that can selectively bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus,"
CNN reports. This discovery could lead to an effective treatment for the virus. Head over to
CNN to learn more about Chebrolu's research and what it means for the medical field moving forward.
By Staff
Friday, October 16, 2020 4:21 PM
It is unfortunate because [this is] such a sacred part of American tradition, the family gathering around Thanksgiving. You may have to bite the bullet and sacrifice that social gathering.
By Staff
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 3:46 PM
Many of the rent relief agreements negotiated between landlords and tenants in Q2, which are mostly rent deferrals and not abatements, are coming due in Q4 and Q1, 2021. This represents overhang that could create rent collections pressure at end of the year.
By Staff
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 11:30 AM
NEW YORK—Leading experts from innovative medical, retail and eyecare companies described how new healthcare business models are delivering convenience, greater access and more affordable and personalized medicine during a wide-ranging program at the latest session of the Vision Monday Global Leadership Summit. The speakers offered diverse points of view on the program’s theme, “Who Are the New Gatekeepers? What’s Vision’s Role?” Collectively, they exemplified a new approach to vision care that is wider in scope, more accessible and more fully integrated into the broader healthcare matrix. The Summit program, held October 7, was the second in the four-part virtual series "AFTERSHOCKS: Remaking Healthcare's Future, Vision Beyond 2020," the VM Summit's major theme.
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By Staff
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 12:21 AM
NEW YORK—Memories of a "larger than life" personality, an industry leader, mentor and friend to so many poured in earlier this week about the late Henry Shyer, vice-chairman of Zyloware, who passed away last weekend on Oct. 10, as
VMAIL reported. Services were held by the Shyer family (and live streamed via Zoom and Facebook) for Shyer, who was recognized by suppliers, laboratory executives, his company team and associates, retailers and distributors for his contributions to the modern eyewear industry and his funny and fierce sense of humor and friendship.
By Staff
Tuesday, October 13, 2020 9:26 AM
The old rulebook of how we understand and interact within the real world no longer applies, and in many mays the pandemic has been a catalyst for this digital transformation. Physical retail must evolve in response, and AR has proven that it can add enormous value for consumers in the shopping journey. Now is the time for business leaders and brands to not only reimagine retail, but to catapult these immersive shopping experiences into the future.
By Staff
Friday, October 9, 2020 2:50 PM
NEW YORK—On Thursday, members of the optical community from all around the world came together for one purpose: World Sight Day. The annual holiday is one of the most important days for fundraising and education regarding eye health and advocacy, and this year was no exception. Even with COVID-10 putting a hold on large gatherings and social events, the optical community was able to adapt and change for a safe—and mostly virtual—World Sight Day, taking the message online as well as into our own communities.
By Staff
Wednesday, October 7, 2020 2:07 PM
In the mood for some good news? You can now get paid to see
SNL live—if you get in, that is. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in New York State, you can't see a show live unless you're a paid employee. So, the team over at SNL is handing out $150 to the lucky few who get in to see the show. Head over to
Vulture for the full story.
By Staff
Wednesday, October 7, 2020 10:08 AM
I'm getting people in their 20s who've lost their jobs and are moving back to their parents. I'm getting families with small children who are tired of California's high cost of living. They can work from home now—which means anywhere. And I'm getting people in their 40s, especially if they have elderly parents back East who need help.
By Staff
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 5:14 PM
We were already a computer-savvy society but the pandemic just took it to the next level.
By Staff
Friday, October 2, 2020 4:43 PM
Six months since the United States declared the coronavirus pandemic a state of emergency, millions of isolated Americans are at their wits' end, exhausted from making a seemingly endless series of health and safety decisions for themselves and their loved ones. There's a name for this phenomenon, and researchers call it decision fatigue.