By Staff
Friday, February 7, 2025 8:05 AM
Bausch + Lomb ends third-party sales process; Nuance Audio to launch in U.S. and European markets; The optical industry responds to looming tariffs; Hoya reports revenue growth for Q3 2024; and EssilorLuxottica receives FDA clearance and EU certifications for Nuance Audio Glasses all topped this week’s
VMAIL news feed. Click on the headlines below to catch up on anything you might have missed.
By Staff
Thursday, February 6, 2025 12:27 AM
ORLANDO, Fla.—Following the recent U.S. FDA
approval of
EssilorLuxottica's (Euronext: EL) over-the-counter
Nuance Audio Glasses, the company has wasted little time in ensuring product is available to meet demands. On Wedneday, the company told
VMAIL that it shipped its first 25,000 units of Nuance Audio overnight to the U.S. once the approval came in, with additional shipments on the way. This news was also shared with audience members at the company's recent
Transitions Academy, held this week in Orlando, Florida.
By Evra Taylor and Anne Cooper
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 12:24 AM
The optical industry continues to marshal resources and adapt as it assesses the impact that tariffs ordered by the Trump administration may have on revenue, materials, products and staffing. With President Trump having inked executive orders over the weekend that were slated to take effect on February 4 that imposed 25 percent tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada, with a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy products, and a 10 percent tariff on imports from China, reliable news outlets reported that U.S. consumers and businesses could expect costs to rise on products ranging from groceries to gasoline to technology, leaving few sectors unaffected.
By Staff
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 12:24 AM
TOKYO—
Hoya Corporation (7741:Tokyo) has announced consolidated revenue of 220.8 billion yen for the third quarter ending December 31, 2024, up 13 percent from year-ago, and up 11 percent on a constant currency basis. Pretax profit rose to 65.2 billion yen, a 31 percent increase compared with the year-ago period, up 28 percent with the constant currency effect. Operating profit increased 17 percent to 66.1 billion yen compared with the prior-year period, an increase of 13 percent in constant currency, according to Hoya.
By Staff
Monday, February 3, 2025 2:05 AM
PARIS—
EssilorLuxottica (Euronext: EL) announced on Feb. 3 that it had received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its over-the-counter Nuance Audio Glasses. The group has simultaneously achieved the CE marking under the medical devices regulation in the European Union, alongside the development of an ISO Quality Management System certification dedicated to hearing aids, which will allow Nuance Audio to launch in Europe, the company reported. Nuance Audio Hearing Aid Software is now the first FDA-cleared, preset software as medical device in the U.S., the company emphasized, delivering an open-ear hearing solution that is integrated into a pair of smart glasses. To read more about how EssilorLuxottica is rolling out Nuance Audio in the U.S. and European markets, click
here.
By Staff
Friday, January 31, 2025 8:05 AM
Inspecs Group reports mixed 2024 preliminary financial results; Contact Lens Institute names 2025 Visionaries; Safilo reports preliminary net sales loss for FY 2024; CooperVision appoints Steven Robins as president, Americas; and Optical lab and manufacturing veteran Jim Grootegoed passes away all topped this week’s
VMAIL news feed. Click on the headlines below to catch up on anything you might have missed.
By Staff
Thursday, January 30, 2025 12:24 AM
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The
Contact Lens Institute has named 18 established and emerging leaders in the eyecare community as 2025 Visionaries. The diverse group represents a range of practice settings, research interests and specializations from across the United States and Canada, according to the announcement. The honorees were selected based on their dedication to increasing awareness and promoting the advantages of soft contact lenses for both patients and practices. These individuals were also chosen for their ability to motivate and engage with their peers.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 12:24 AM
PADUA, Italy—
Safilo Group S.p.A. (SFLG.MI) has reported preliminary key performance indicators for the financial year ended December 31, 2024. In 2024, Safilo's preliminary net sales amounted to €993.2 million, a decrease of 2.3 percent at constant exchange rates and 3.1 percent at current exchange rates compared with 2023. According to the company, the decline is due to the end of the Jimmy Choo license. Net of this impact, the trend in sales was slightly positive, the company stated, driven by the resilience of the European business. The North American market declined, however, marked by the disappointing performance of sunglasses and the sports business.
By Staff
Tuesday, January 28, 2025 12:24 AM
ROCHESTER, N.Y.—
CooperVision announced it has appointed Steven Robins as president, Americas, effective immediately. Alex Wilkes was previously in the role, but left in August 2024 to accept a new role as president of National Vision. The position has been vacant since then, according to CooperVision. “Since my first foray into ocular health almost 20 years ago, I have known that there’s something special about this industry, shown by the way its professionals and products come together to make the world better for millions of people every day," said Robins. "There are big opportunities in vision care, and CooperVision is a clear leader in several."
By Staff
Monday, January 27, 2025 12:24 AM
SURPRISE, Ariz.—Longtime optical industry veteran Jim Grootegoed died here on January 8, 2025, after a brief illness. He was 85 years-old. According to colleagues, Grootegoed was well-known and well-respected during his four decades in the optical industry. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Los Angeles where he earned a bachelor of arts degree from California State University Los Angeles. Grootegoed’s early career began in pharmaceutical hospital sales and sales management for Geigy Pharmaceuticals.
By Staff
Friday, January 24, 2025 8:05 AM
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals completes the sale of its Avenova eyecare business to PRN; Dan Torgersen passes away at 76; VSP Vision completes the acquisition of Eyemart Express; The Vision Council releases Consumer inSights Q4 2024; and Gregory Moore, OD, joins speaker lineup at VM Leadership Summit all topped this week’s
VMAIL news feed. Click on the headlines below to catch up on anything you might have missed.
By Staff
Friday, January 24, 2025 12:18 AM
RIVER FALLS, Wis.—Dan Torgersen, an optical industry veteran, passed away at his home here on January 18, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was 76 years old.
By Staff
Thursday, January 23, 2025 12:24 AM
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.—
VSP Vision announced that it has completed the acquisition of national optical retailer
Eyemart Express from FFL Partners and Leonard Green & Partners. As
reported in
VMAIL, the companies first entered into a definitive agreement in October of 2024. “This purposeful investment offers our clients and members more network choice and will help meet patient needs in rural and underserved communities,” said VSP Vision president and CEO Michael Guyette.
By Staff
Wednesday, January 22, 2025 12:24 AM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—
The Vision Council has released
Consumer inSights Q4 2024, a new report examining the views and behaviors of U.S. adults in relation to vision correction, managed vision care, eye exams, prescription eyewear, reading glasses and non-prescription sunglasses. The findings from the last quarter of 2024 offer an updated, comprehensive overview of the optical industry based on consumer choices and habits, according to the association. “Through our final Consumer inSights survey of 2024, we found that the majority of U.S. consumers remained largely consistent with how they approach eye exams and prioritize their vision health throughout the year,” said Alysse Henkel, vice president of research and inSights at The Vision Council.
By Staff
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 12:24 AM
NEWARK, N.J.—Gregory Moore, OD, has been added to the lineup of speakers for the
2025 VM Leadership Summit in Orlando on February 19 to explore the topic of "Elevating Vision Care's Superpowers." Jeffrey Krall, OD, creator of Neurolens, Steven J. Ferguson, OD, the founder and director of Dunes Eye Consultants and Dunes LASIK Center and Dr. Moore will all be part of a panel discussion led by Paul M. Karpecki, OD, FAAO, director of Cornea and External Disease for the
Kentucky Eye Institute in Lexington Ky., and chief medical editor of Jobson’s
Review of Optometry. The panel will explore how collaboration between optical companies and the application of new technological advancements are revolutionizing the eyecare industry, empowering professionals to offer a broader scope of services.