As Vaccines Roll Out, ECPs Get in Line

NEW YORK—Across the country, COVID-19 vaccine rollout has kicked off. Most states are still in the early phases of vaccination, which usually includes older, more vulnerable members of the population, and certain frontline and health care workers. In many states, those health care workers include ECPs. For many, receiving a COVID-19 vaccine is a cause for hope, joy and celebration. Here we’re taking a look at the Vaccination Selfie, aka the Vaxxie in the optical community.

James Reid Named CEO of Versant Health, a MetLife Company, as Kirk Rothrock Announces Retirement

Versant Health names new CEO, Aflac adds vision and dental insurance, optical sales continue resurgence, EyeSouth Partners expands network and EyeCare Partners adds Texas practices all topped this week’s VMAIL news feed. Click on the headlines below to catch up on anything you might have missed.

Optical Sales Across the U.S. Continued a Resurgence for Week of Jan. 4-10, Jobson Practice Performance Tracker Says

NEW YORK—U.S. optical sales continued their nationwide resurgence last week (Jan. 4-10) following the New Year and Christmas holidays. All categories, except exams/refractions, surged to numbers well above even pre-Thanksgiving levels. In fact, all categories, except exams/refractions, returned to sales rates comparable to pre-pandemic levels, and were even higher in the case of contact lenses, according to the latest Jobson Practice Performance Tracker.

EyeSouth Partners Expands Network to Include 28 Doctors in Ohio and Kentucky Through Affiliation with Midwest Eye Center

ATLANTA—EyeSouth Partners announced Monday that is has completed an affiliation with Midwest Eye Center (MWEC). The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The affiliation represents Atlanta-based EyeSouth’s first in the states of Ohio and Kentucky. EyeSouth is an eyecare-focused management services organization backed by Shore Capital Partners, and it is committed to partnering with leading physicians to build a premier network of eyecare services in the U.S.

Essilor and Luxottica Launch First Commercial Joint Product Offering in U.S., Ray-Ban Authentic, Enhanced With Essilor Technology

DALLAS and NEW YORK—EssilorLuxottica is launching the first commercial product leveraging the strength of the new Group by strategically combining the expertise of Essilor and Luxottica and tapping the brand appeal of its most popular lines. The company's senior executives said that its latest edition of Ray-Ban Authentic "represents the perfect match of Ray-Ban’s legendary style and Essilor’s expertise in sight."