By Staff
Tuesday, September 8, 2020 12:15 AM
ATLANTA—SECO International, the annual conference providing eyecare professionals with educational opportunities since 1923, has announced a partnership with the
National Academy of Opticianry (NAO) to expand virtual education opportunities for opticians via the
SECOUniversity.com platform. The NAO, founded in 1963, represents over 4,000 opticians worldwide and is committed to providing opticianry education and training in a variety of formats. Their mission is dedicated solely to education and training of all opticians. “The NAO’s core values are rooted in providing all opticians, beginning to advanced, the educational resources they need to succeed with quality, relevant content delivered by key thought leaders,” NAO president Russ Tolar said in the announcement. “SECO’s mission is aligned with these values, and we are confident that our members will benefit from the partnership.”
By Staff
Friday, August 28, 2020 12:15 AM
NEW YORK—Jobson Research’s 2020 Eye Care Professional Income study is now
available. The annual study provides the average income for optometrists, opticians/dispensers and optical office managers in the U.S. based on their 2019 earnings.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 23, 2020 12:21 AM
JAMAICA, N.Y.—New York optician apprentices and students can enhance their knowledge of the field and improve their preparation for the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) written exam with the ABO review course, Sunday, July 26, at the JFK Airport Crowne Plaza Hotel in Jamaica, N.Y.
By Staff
Thursday, March 19, 2020 12:24 AM
NEW YORK—In a note to its members yesterday, the
Opticians Association of America (OAA) provided an update on available resources to help opticians in the COVID-19 crisis. The message from Dibby Bartlett, president of the OAA, also acknowledged that while many national and regional education seminars have been canceled or postponed, that OAA will continually update its website’s
calendar, as information is received, in order to give you the latest live education opportunities. Barlett pointed out, "If your state allows online continuing education credits, there are many opportunities available for you. OAA offers online continuing education offerings on our
website.
By Staff
Thursday, March 19, 2020 12:18 AM
NEW YORK—ECPs across the country still have time to take part in the second wave of the Jobson Research Coronavirus ECP survey today. Respondents have until 8:00 p.m. EST tonight, Thursday, March 19, to complete the survey, which is posted
here. Jobson is continuing to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and seeking the viewa of eyecare professionals about the coronavirus' impact on their practices and optical businesses. The survey asks ECPs to provide responses on a range of topics connected to the pandemic.
By Staff
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 12:27 AM
NEW YORK—Building on the strong response to its first outreach earlier this week to eyecare professionals across the U.S. seeking their views about the coronavirus' impact on their practices and optical businesses, Jobson Research is continuing to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and is issuing the second wave of its Coronavirus ECP survey today. The survey, which asks ECPs to provide responses on a range of topics connected to the pandemic, is open today at this
link. In addition to Jobson Research's own distribution, the survey is being made available through
VMAIL, Review of Optometric Business, Women In Optometry, and
Review of Myopia Management over the course of the next two days.
By Staff
Thursday, March 5, 2020 12:27 AM
NORWALK, Conn.—This year’s IDOC National Conference, The Connection 2020, with an emphasis on business data and analytics, attracted over 725 IDOC members, sponsor representatives, and other industry professionals from across the country, the largest gathering in IDOC’s 20-year history, the company said. As a leading optometric alliance,
IDOC provides customized business and practice services to over 3,000 optometrists. The prevailing theme for this year’s conference was the growing importance of metrics as a vital practice management tool and a key differentiator in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
By Staff
Thursday, January 30, 2020 12:21 AM
ATLANTA—
SECO 20/20, the leading annual conference providing the optometric profession outstanding educational opportunities, will bring the optometric community together by partnering with 10 affiliate and associated organizations to host co-located events during this year’s annual meeting, according to a
SECO announcement earlier this week. From March 4-8 in Atlanta, SECO 20/20—along with the 10 partner organizations—will convene optometric professionals from across the U.S. and from around the world to learn about the latest research, innovations, and techniques in the optometric profession, all in a single meeting place.
By Staff
Monday, January 27, 2020 12:18 AM
NEW YORK—A new study about Canadian ECPs’ views on myopia examined their understanding of myopia and the various myopia management treatments available to reduce the progression of the eye condition among children. Conducted by
Jobson Research and
VuePoint IDS Inc., the study is titled “Myopia Control: Usage and Attitudes of Canadian ECPs.” The good news is that ECPs are getting the message about myopia progression in children. Nearly 60 percent of the ECPs surveyed indicate they intend to increase their level of engagement in managing myopia in children in the next 12 months.
By Staff
Tuesday, February 19, 2019 12:15 AM
NEW YORK—The results of the second annual Canadian Frame Market internet study, jointly conducted by VuePoint IDS and Jobson Optical Research, are now available. The 2018 study, building upon the inaugural research conducted in 2017, reveals that eyecare professionals are choosing to be more selective and do business with fewer frame suppliers, according to an announcement from VuePoint IDS. The distribution strength of the top players shows signs of weakening compared to the previous year. Only 2 of the top 10 companies showed gains in distribution.
By Staff
Wednesday, August 22, 2018 12:15 AM
RUIDOSO, N.M.—The
Society to Advance Opticianry (SAO) has named Sam Johnson as the 2018 ophthalmic optician of the year. To be considered for this honor an individual must be a member of the Society to Advance Opticianry, cannot be a voting member of the society’s board and must have shown leadership in advancing the scope of practice of opticiary during the prior year. During the past year, Johnson served as the chairman of the SAO’s refraction committee where he brought the certification of opticians as “ophthalmic refractionist” to be a potential future certification through the ABO/NCLE.
By Staff
Thursday, February 8, 2018 12:15 AM
LONDON—The
Federation of Manufacturing Opticians (FMO), a U.K.-based association, announced the upcoming retirement of Bryony Pawinska, its chief executive, effective at the end of May. Pawinska joined FMO in January 2016 to work as part-time CEO following her retirement from full-time employment as chief executive of the College of Optometrists. Andy Yorke, FMO chair said, “We will be very sorry to see Bryony go although we understand her desire to retire after a long and successful career.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 17, 2018 12:27 AM
TORONTO—A Canadian judge has ruled in favor of two Ontario regulatory colleges that have filed lawsuit seeking to prevent Essilor’s Canadian online retail company,
Clearly, from dispensing prescription eyewear over the internet. The
College of Optometrists and the
College of Opticians, both located here, jointly filed the application in December 2016. A hearing was held on Oct.11, 2017, and Justice Thomas Lederer delivered his decision on Jan. 11, 2018. In a message to its members, The College of Optometrists said, “Although we are still reviewing the decision in detail, we are pleased that the court has agreed with the position of the colleges on the questions we brought forward.
By Jamie Wilson
Monday, December 18, 2017 12:10 AM
TORONTO, Ontario—Sister duo Gina Dressler-Kay and Alison Dressler-Adler, co-owners of Cristall Opticians, an independent boutique located here, hosted their first trunk show 30 years ago and are still going strong. With over 60 years of experience in the optical industry between the both of them, Gina and Alison understand the importance of not only providing top quality optics to their customers, but also a personalized experience for their clientele.