If you’ll be attending International Vision Expo this week, be sure to get into the Zone. No, I’m not asking you to focus your mind like an athlete before a game. I’m talking about visiting Vision Monday’s Eye2 Zone.

As VM readers know, Eye2 is our term for vision technology raised to the next power. In other words, technologies that can expand or enhance our visual capabilities, restore vision or add new dimensions to vision care. We cover these technologies in VM’s Eye2 section as well as in our monthly Eye2 newsletter.

At Vision Expo, we bring these technologies to life in The Eye2 Zone, a special exhibit showcasing some of the newest, most innovative vision products on the planet. As the Zone’s curator, I’ve selected products that should impress vision care professionals, such as a smartphone with a built-in autorefractor and a retinal telescope implant that can improve vision for patients with end-stage AMD.

I’ve also picked products that should wow patients when they walk into an optical store or dispensary, such as smart glasses, augmented or virtual reality eyewear, Bluetooth- and video-enabled sunglasses, 3D-printed frames and computer vision glasses.

Patients may not expect to see some of these products in an optical store, but once they do, they’re likely to be intrigued. The best way to engage them is to explain how a certain product can enhance a particular activity, such as sports, gaming, entertainment or work. Think of it as lifestyle dispensing for the wearable tech age.

When it comes to selling wearables, vision care professionals should leverage their expertise as vision experts. Once patients know they can find their favorite wearables at their local optical shop or eye doctor’s office—and talk to a vision expert—they may not be as quick to buy them online or from an electronics retailer.

akarp@jobson.com