By Staff
Thursday, April 25, 2024 11:07 AM
PADUA, Italy—Safilo Group S.p.A. (SFLG.MI) has announced that shareholders have approved the company's 2023 financial statements and the board of directors’ report during their annual meeting, and viewed consolidated financial statements. In addition, a new board of directors was appointed, and as its first action confirmed that Angelo Trocchia, who has served as chief executive officer since April 2018, would continue in this role. Eugenio Razelli has been named chairman of the board of directors, according to the announcement, and director Jeffrey A. Cole is no longer serving on the board.
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By Staff
Thursday, April 25, 2024 11:00 AM
Anika Ramolia, OD, spent more than a decade working for corporate and private ODs. But two years ago, a health scare and a strong need to spend more time with her two young children started her thinking more seriously about taking a leap of faith to open her own practice. In April 2023, she found a space less than two miles away from her home in Carlsbad, California. The 1,000-square-foot space was one of 15 units in a newly renovated plaza, 13 of which were already operating as female-owned local businesses. Feeling the positive buzz of community in the plaza, she signed her lease in June 2023 and started construction right away. Beacon Optometry had its grand opening March 15, 2024.
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By Staff
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 10:40 AM
PARIS—Kering Eyewear, part of the global luxury group Kering, has reported revenue of €463 million in the first quarter of 2024, up 8 percent on a comparable basis. Overall, revenue from the Kering Eyewear and Corporate segment amounted to €536 million, up 24 percent as reported and up 9 percent on a comparable basis, the company announced. However, Kering Group’s revenue for the first quarter of 2024 was down 11 percent as reported and down 10 percent on a comparable basis to €4.5 billion, the company reported. The revenue drop includes a negative currency effect of 3 percent and a positive scope effect of 2 percent, resulting from the consolidation of Creed.
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By Staff
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 10:30 AM
The editors at
20/20 have been on Team Sport Eyewear for a good part of our 50-year history. A category once dominated by sport specialty stores, sport eyewear continues to score winning strides with retailers in the optical channel. It truly takes a team to accomplish this—sport eyewear manufacturers consistently innovate sport frames with high-tech performance features and design details, while
20/20 communicates the trends and the sport messaging. Most importantly, YOU, the eyecare pros, bring them into play for your customers thirsty for the performance and tech factors, the Rx capabilities, and the coveted styling that makes this category so desirable.
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By Staff
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 10:55 AM
LOMBARDY, Italy—Sergio Luigi Cereda, influential eyewear designer and industry visionary, passed away on April 18, 2024, following a long illness, his family announced. Cereda was 88 years old and surrounded by family at his home in Castiglione Olona, Lombardy, Italy, when he passed. He is survived by his wife Ivana, daughters Caterina and Stefania and grandchildren Edoardo, Jordan Nicolo’ and Giada Grazia. Born on June 21, 1935, in Lombardy, Cereda’s career in the eyewear industry began at Mazzucchelli 1849 and soon grew.
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By Staff
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 10:45 AM
As you know, preservatives are a mixed blessing. The Food and Drug Administration requires that multidose bottles of medications include a preservative to kill bacteria and fungi that may contaminate the fluid in the bottle; as a result, for several decades our medications have contained preservatives specifically designed to keep the medications sterile during patient use and the life cycle of the bottle. Unfortunately, while these preservatives are very effective against pathogens, they were not specifically designed to be friendly to the eye. They tend to consist of harsh chemicals that stop bacterial growth but also harm corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells. After chronic use of medications containing these preservatives, the deleterious effect on anterior segment epithelial cells leads to poor production and maintenance of the tear film, resulting in problems such as dry-eye syndrome.
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By Staff
Monday, April 22, 2024 6:45 PM
Just how valuable are a pair of reading glasses? According to a recent study, having access to a pair of readers can make all the difference, especially if you are presbyopic and live in a part of the world with limited access to eyecare and eyewear products. This past week, VisionSpring, a nonprofit provider of affordable eyeglasses to people in need, BRAC, an international development organization that works with marginalized communities, and Queen’s University Belfast released the findings of their collaborative THRIVE study, which found that a pair of reading glasses increases the earnings of people in low-income communities by 33 percent. Ella Gudwin, CEO of VisionSpring, summed it up best when she said, “THRIVE strengthens the case that it’s not about the eyeglasses—it’s about everything that comes after.”
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By Staff
Monday, April 22, 2024 6:42 PM
In today’s practice environment, we have many treatment choices at our disposal, whether they be on-label or off-label. But let’s pause here for a moment because there is more to these distinctions than we might be considering. Everything approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. market has a specified indication for use, making it on-label for a particular purpose. The FDA specifically labels this indication, categorizing something as “on-label” after a rigorous process to ensure safety and efficacy. A physician’s clinical decision to use a medical device or drug off-label for its original indication should be evidence-based and well-thought-out.
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By Staff
Friday, April 19, 2024 4:28 PM
CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France—EssilorLuxottica announced yesterday that consolidated revenue for the first quarter of 2024 was €6,335 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.5 percent at constant exchange rates compared with the first quarter of 2023. Francesco Milleri, chairman and CEO, and Paul du Saillant, deputy CEO at EssilorLuxottica commented, “We’re pleased to report another solid start to the year for the company, with every geography and business contributing to the positive performance.” The initial quarter of 2024 grew mid-single digit in line with the company’s long-term guidance.
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By Staff
Friday, April 19, 2024 4:25 PM
A wide array of corneal conditions are encountered on a daily basis in most optometric practices and appropriate diagnosis and management are vital to ensure good vision and promote ocular health. While many can be managed by practicing OD in their offices, a variety will require surgical intervention or at least a consult with a cornea or oculoplastics subspecialist. In such cases, prompt referral may be critical to ensuring successful outcomes. Here, we will detail commonly encountered corneal conditions, summarize management and underline when to consider referral.
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By Staff
Thursday, April 18, 2024 11:49 AM
NEW YORK—The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations decreased last week, April 8–14, when compared with the previous week at a rate of -4 index points. That places gross revenue at a level 2 index points above where it was at this point in time (Week 15) when compared with last year (2023), 1 point above the same period in 2022, 6 points above 2021, 101 points above 2020 and 15 points above 2019, according to Jobson’s most recent Practice Performance Tracker.
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By Staff
Thursday, April 18, 2024 11:30 AM
When you have a great team in place you want to keep them for as long as possible. I purchased a 10-year-old practice in 2020, around the start of the pandemic. The first years of my practice also coincided with what some have called the Great Resignation, when it became much more difficult than it had been in the past to recruit and retain employees. Revenue growth can be difficult to correlate to one specific cause, especially staffing. In my case, I added multiple additional services, but clinical culture and ability to delegate tasks to staff definitely aided in our revenue growth. Here are the benefits I offer to my employees that attract a great, long-lasting support team that has contributed to our profitability.
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By Staff
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 11:29 AM
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.—Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) has announced financial results for the first quarter of 2024, with reported sales growth of 2.3 percent to $21.4 billion, operational growth of 3.9 percent, and adjusted operational growth of 4.0 percent. Sales in the U.S. increased 7.8 percent for the first quarter. “Johnson & Johnson’s solid first quarter performance reflects our sharpened focus and the progress in our portfolio and pipeline,” said Joaquin Duato, chairman and chief executive officer. “Our impact across the full spectrum of health care is unique in our industry, and the milestones achieved this quarter reinforce our position as an innovation powerhouse.”
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By Staff
Wednesday, April 17, 2024 11:15 AM
More than 500 optometrists and students gathered for the American Optometric Association’s AOA on the Hill on April 15 and 16 to advocate for the profession. AOA president Ronald Benner, OD, of Laurel, Montana, said that this is one of the largest groups ever assembled for the event. Dr. Benner, who will hand the leadership gavel to Stephen Reed, OD, at Optometry’s Meeting in June, said that he is proud that the organization has become more forward-looking and more direct in calling out those organizations that are trying to block the profession’s progress. “It not about pointing fingers but creating dialogue. That’s not always easy or comfortable, nor do we always get the results we want, but we’re not walking away from it,” he said.
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By Staff
Tuesday, April 16, 2024 1:55 PM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Vision Council released its latest research report, Focused inSights Eyewear Accessories, providing comprehensive data into American adults' behaviors, preferences and purchasing patterns related to eyewear accessories. The report sheds light on the usage and maintenance habits surrounding various eyewear accessories and underscores the importance of proper care and storage of eyewear products to ensure optimal vision, according to the announcement from The Vision Council. The survey highlights a variety of eyewear accessories, including eyeglasses cases, eyeglass chains/lanyards, microfiber cloths, eyeglasses replacement/sizing nose pads, lens cleaning wipes, lens cleaning solution, contact lens cases, contact lens solution and lubricant eye drops.
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