To say that 2020 was a monumental year for news is an understatement. Let’s just say there was a lot going on. But through it all, Vision Monday was able to bring you a little relief from the constant barrage of news and current events with our weekly VMAIL Weekend editions. Now that 2020 is officially over, we here at Weekend thought it might be a good time to look back at some of our most popular features from our 2020 Today’s Read archives. So here they are, 10 of Vision Monday's readers' Most Read Today’s Reads from 2020. Although it was a year many of us would like to forget, the VM staff did manage to provide some respite and relief from the tumultuous events that were the hallmark of 2020.

#1
The Fog Is Starting to Lift
By Andrew Karp




The other day I was rummaging around in my desk drawer searching for Cat Crap. Before you say, “Yecch,” let me explain. Cat Crap—an attention-getting brand name if there ever was one—is a wax-like product that you apply to eyeglass lenses to prevent them from fogging up. My glasses tend to fog up when I put on my face mask and venture outside, a problem many of us are encountering since the pandemic began. I figured a dab of Cat Crap would do the trick, and indeed it did, as you can see. It’s no surprise, then, that Cat Crap, which has long been popular with skiers, swimmers and other goggle-wearers, is now being discovered by vast numbers of people looking for a way to de-fog their eyeglasses and face shields. Read More


#2
Five Questions for Kerry Gelb, OD Star of ‘Open Your Eyes’ Documentary
By Gwendolyn Plummer




NEW YORK—On March 27, Vision Expo East was planning to host the world premiere of “Open Your Eyes,” a documentary that aims to highlight the importance of optometric testing in preventive medicine. Created by Emmy Award winning filmmaker Wayne Chester and the ALLDocs Association, (the Association of Leasholding LensCrafters Doctors) the documentary follows Kerry Gelb, OD, a practicing optometrist and president of ALLDocs, and podcast host Chris Maraboli as they travel across North America, Europe and Costa Rica to show how eye tests can tip doctors off to other diseases. As part of the documentary, Dr. Gelb travels to Nicoya, Costa Rica to learn about how centenarians have maintained their eye health over the course of a century. Read More


#3
There Are Doctors in the House, and Eye Doctors in the Senate
By Andrew Karp




Medical doctors have always been part of American political life, from the founding of our nation to the present day. Many physicians have held public office throughout the years on the local, state and national level. A total of 52 physicians have served in the U.S. Senate to date, according to the official Senate website, Senate.gov. Many others have served in the House of Representatives. Currently, there are 18 doctors serving in the 116th Congress, including four who are Senators. This is significant since doctors, particularly those who become lawmakers, can be influential voices in battles over federal health care legislation, one of the most urgent and contentious topics of debate in this election year. Read More


#4
Let’s Sing a Song of 20/20… in 2020
By Andrew Karp




Welcome to 2020, The Year of Vision. We’re only four days in, and already countless companies and organizations, both optical and non-optical, have used the happy coincidence between the calendar year and 20/20, the standard measure of visual acuity in the U.S., as a messaging platform. (It doesn’t translate in metric countries, though, where visual acuity is measured as 6/6). Seeing clearly is clearly a priority for everyone, everywhere. Yet there’s another dimension to 20/20 vision that seems to be overlooked: the connection between visual acuity and lost love. And it’s best viewed through the lens of country music. Read More


#5
The Dad Factor
By VM Staff




I’m a writer and magazine editor, as VMAIL Weekend regulars know. My father, Marvin Karp, was a writer and magazine editor, too. Yet I’ve never thought of myself as being “a chip off the old block” or “following in his footsteps.” Those outdated phrases don’t capture the essence of our relationship as writers. We had different interests, and took very different paths in our careers. But if it hadn’t been for Dad, I might not have considered trying to make a living slinging words on a page, or screen. With Father’s Day coming up next week, the Weekend team thought it would be interesting to ask some fathers, sons and daughters who work in optical to tell us about their experiences working together. Here’s what we learned. Read More


#6
Eight Things (Some Free) to Keep You Distracted From Thinking About That Other Thing
By Mark Tosh




NEW YORK—Good morning. It’s Saturday, in case you’ve lost track. The start of the weekend and time to take a break and relax. Yes, in fact, it might be a good day to get out and ….. oh, wait. We’re not doing that now. If you’re in New York, New Jersey, New Orleans or many other places around the nation, what you need is a distraction—a fun and tranquil diversion—to get you through the weekend. So here are eight things that we believe will carry you through the weekend and take your mind off that other stuff going on out there. At least it’s a start on what to talk about on your next Zoom happy hour. Read More


#7
Saving Your Sanity
By Gwendolyn Plummer




NEW YORK—For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic means we’re spending more time at home than we’re probably used to. We all know that this, fundamentally, is an act of love—we’re staying home so that hospitals don’t get overwhelmed, so that we don’t accidentally get our friends, family, and strangers sick, and so healthcare professionals can do their jobs with as little interference as possible. We all know we’re making a sacrifice to do a good thing—but, honestly, that doesn’t really make it any less of a difficult, unhappy situation. Self-isolation and a global pandemic can be anxiety inducing for anyone. We’re enduring a collective trauma in real-time, and it’s really hard to find respite anywhere in that. But, as impossible as it may feel, we have to find moments of safety and serenity right now, because those moments will help us get through to the other side of this. Read More


#8
Five NYC Ophthalmology Residents Answer the Ultimate Call to Duty
By Mary Kane




On March 14, when New York City went into lockdown mode due to the spread of COVID-19, people’s lives were up-ended in ways thought to be unimaginable. Businesses shut down, schools closed and everyone was instructed to shelter in place. As the emergency rooms began filling up, it became apparent that the health care systems in New York City were in danger of becoming stretched to capacity, straining the hospitals and the health care workers manning the frontlines. While many health care workers were encouraged to come out of retirement to aid in the fight, there was another untapped potential source of workers—medical students. Five ophthalmology residents from Mount Sinai volunteered to be redeployed to Elmhurst Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital. Here is their story. Read More


#9
#WFH Is Our New Normal: Views From the Home Office
By Mary Kane




A mere month ago, the idea of working from home seemed like a sought after luxury—no commute to deal with, 7 to 8 hours of golden silence to write, edit, or brainstorm in the comfort of my sunny kitchen, happily work away. The old adage, be careful what you wish for, is now front and center in my newfound world. And in an eerie way, the concept of working remotely is no longer something that is looked upon as an option—it’s a directive that’s been thrust upon us. Today, a large swath of the U.S. population is working from home (WFH) and have been doing so for a month or more. The pandemic has changed everything, even the way we work. I have been wondering how other people are faring with being at home so I reached out to a few optical industry folks to get their take on WFH. Here’s what they had to say. Read More


#10
The Promise of the Vaccine
By Mary Kane




This past Wednesday, there were 3,157 COVID-19 deaths reported across the U.S.—an all-time high since the pandemic began. Wednesday’s death toll surpassed the number of people killed in the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said the next few months of the COVID-19 pandemic will be among “the most difficult in the public health history of this nation.” A very sobering milestone and a dire prediction from one of the country’s leading health care officials. But the past few weeks have also brought us some very positive news. It seems there is a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, and unlike a lot of things in 2020, it’s not a train heading our way. That bright and very hopeful light is the long-awaited vaccine for COVID-19. Read More


Top News Story of 2020
By Mark Tosh

#1 FTC Announces Final Amendments to Controversial Contact Lens Rule
SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Federal Trade Commission voted 5-0 yesterday to approve a Final Rule amending the agency’s Contact Lens Rule, which facilitates shopping for contact lenses by requiring prescribers to automatically provide a copy of a patient’s prescription to the patient and to verify or provide prescriptions to third-party sellers. The Final Rule, known as 16 CFR Part 315, requires prescribers to request that their patients confirm that they have received their prescription, and allows flexibility in the way the prescription and confirmation are provided, the FTC said in a statement. Read More


Editor’s Note: Don’t miss the January/February issue of Vision Monday where we will list our top news stories of the year as well as our most popular features from The Independent Eye newsletter. Look for the Digital Edition coming your way on Feb. 1 via VisionMonday.com.