By Staff
Friday, June 28, 2024 8:05 AM
National Vision hosts Annual Continuing Education Symposium; FTC announces final updates to “Eyeglass Rule”; Highland Rim Capital acquires I-Deal Optics; IAPB kicks off 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE in Mexico; and Optometry’s Meeting 2024 wraps up 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, June 27, 2024 1:15 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Concluding a comprehensive multi-year review, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced final updates to its
Ophthalmic Practice Rules, known as the Eyeglass Rule, aimed at promoting competition and consumer choice. According to the FTC, the updates are designed to increase compliance with the rule’s long-standing requirement that ophthalmologists and optometrists provide patients with a free copy of their prescription immediately following a refractive eye exam. The changes announced on Thursday require that prescribers, after providing the prescription, request that their patients sign a statement confirming they received their prescription and keep a record of such confirmation for at least three years.
By Staff
Wednesday, June 26, 2024 12:27 AM
OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.—
I-Deal Optics, Inc., a Troy, Mich.-based portfolio company of
Main Street Capital Holdings and a marketer and value-added distributor of prescription eyewear and sunwear frames, has been acquired by Nashville-based private equity firm Highland Rim Capital. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Prairie Capital Advisors, which announced the deal late last week, acted as the exclusive financial advisor in this transaction for I-Deal Optics and its shareholders. “In conjunction with a dedicated management team, we have continued to build the strong reputation of I-Deal in the marketplace as a compelling, one-stop-shop value proposition to private practices,” said Ryan Davis, partner at Main Street Capital Holdings.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 12:24 AM
MEXICO CITY—The
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is kicking off
2030 IN SIGHT LIVE today, a global, 3-day event slated to run through June 27 both online and live in Mexico City. The initiative,
launched in 2021, unites stakeholders across the eye health sector with the singular goal of eradicating avoidable sight loss by 2030. “2030 IN SIGHT LIVE fosters a collaborative environment where shared knowledge, discussion, and unwavering commitment can be catalysts to eliminating avoidable blindness,” said Peter Holland, IAPB chief executive officer.
By Staff
Monday, June 24, 2024 12:24 AM
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Last week,
Optometry’s Meeting 2024 welcomed more than 4,500 doctors, students, paraoptometric staff and industry supporters to Nashville. Marking the 127th Annual American Optometric Association (AOA) Congress and 56th Annual American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) Conference, the annual four-day education, governance and networking event focused on optometry’s essential and expanding role in health care and saw its largest gathering of AOA doctors since 2018, the organization announced. The show attracted 4,674 attendees, the AOA said. Eye Care Square opened on Wednesday evening and featured 159 exhibitors and a sold-out exhibit floor, numbers not seen since before the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the group.
By Staff
Friday, June 21, 2024 8:05 AM
Alcon highlights WaterInnovations contact lens portfolio and intros MARLO App for Android; CooperVision holds Best Practices roundtable; Marco Healthcare and Lombart Healthcare combine to form Marco Lombart; CooperVision promotes Dr. Michele Andrews and Melissa Kiewe; and ClearVision Optical and the OWA announce ClearVision-Adira grant winners 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, June 20, 2024 12:27 AM
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Recent best practice honorees and student award recipients weighed in on hot topics relevant to the optical industry and profession on Wednesday during a roundtable discussion hosted by
CooperVision at
Optometry’s Meeting here. Topics selected by the honorees and discussed included new and emerging technologies, contact lenses and myopia management, according to CooperVision. Back in March, as
reported by
VMAIL, CooperVision announced its 2024 Best Practices honorees and student award recipients.
By Staff
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 2:30 AM
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—
Advancing Eyecare (AEC), a partnership of companies in the eyecare instrumentation and equipment marketplace, and a provider of ophthalmic instruments, has announced that two of its leading business units, Marco Healthcare and Lombart Healthcare, will combine to form a new business named Marco Lombart. Effective July 1, 2024, Marco Lombart will offer a broad portfolio of eyecare equipment, products and services, as well as advanced technologies, the announcement stated. The combination will also bring together two teams to create a unified sales force with extensive eyecare experience and expertise, as well as knowledge of Marco Lombart’s range of new and pre-owned solutions.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 12:24 AM
ROCHESTER, N.Y.—
CooperVision, a division of CooperCompanies (NASDAQ:COO) and leading manufacturer of contact lenses, has announced the promotion of two of its senior executives, Michele Andrews, OD, and Melissa Kiewe, into new leadership roles. According to the announcement, Dr. Andrews has been promoted to vice president, marketing and professional affairs, Americas. Kiewe, who previously served as vice president of marketing, Americas, has been promoted to vice president, global strategy and planning.
By Staff
Monday, June 17, 2024 12:24 AM
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.—
ClearVision Optical and the
Optical Women’s Association (OWA) have jointly announced the winners of the inaugural ClearVision-Adira grant program. This initiative is designed to support personal and professional development for women in the optical industry, according to the announcement. Danielle D. Crull, owner, master optician, A Child’s Eyes, and Michelle Kelley, director of ophthalmic services and materials, Southern College of Optometry, have been selected as winners of the first round of grants.
By Staff
Friday, June 14, 2024 8:05 AM
EyeCare Partners announces new appointments to executive leadership team; ECPs’ gross revenue increased, Jobson Tracker says; Hoya Vision Care calls for action to address childhood myopia; New report highlights usage and benefits of sports sunglasses; and Fielmann Group acquires Shopko Optical 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, June 13, 2024 12:24 AM
NEW YORK—The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations increased last week, June 3–9, when compared with the previous week, at a rate of 23 index points. That places gross revenue at a level 30 index points above where it was at this point in time (Week 23) when compared with last year (2023), 37 points above the same period in 2022, 42 points above 2021, 25 points above 2020 and 25 points above 2019, according to Jobson’s most recent Practice Performance Tracker.
By Staff
Wednesday, June 12, 2024 12:24 AM
TOKYO—
Hoya Vision Care, an ophthalmic lens technology company, announced that it has joined industry leaders at the Global Health Summit 2024 to call for urgent action to improve early detection and reduce the burden of myopia in children. The company said it has called on governments and public health bodies to act collectively to ensure early detection, increase education and awareness of myopia. The urgency to prioritize myopia stems from the multi-faceted impact on patients, communities and health care systems, the company said.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 12:24 AM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—
The Vision Council has released the findings from its recent survey on adults’ sports sunglass usage and preferences. The report, titled Focused inSights 2024: Sports Sunglasses, explores sunglasses designed specifically for outdoor sports and physical activities, and reveals insights into the demographics, purchasing habits and product characteristics that matter most to sports sunglasses users, according to an announcement from The Vision Council. The survey results were released ahead of
National Sunglasses Day on June 27, The Vision Council’s annual commemorative day dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of wearing sunglasses to protect eyes from the sun’s powerful rays.
By Staff
Monday, June 10, 2024 11:15 AM
HAMBURG, Germany and GREEN BAY, Wis.—The
Fielmann Group, a global eyewear provider, has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement in which its U.S. subsidiary, Fielmann USA, will acquire 100 percent equity ownership in
Shopko Optical, an optical retailer based in Green Bay, Wis., from
Monarch Alternative Capital LP. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of this year, the group said, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Shopko Optical operates more than 140 stores across 13 states and generated $168 million in sales in 2023, according to the announcement.