Indies Look to the Skies for the Eclipse

NEW YORK—Last week, millions of North Americans turned their eyes to the skies for a solar eclipse—total for some, partial for others, but special for all. Leading up to the big day, ECPs spent months educating their communities on how to watch the eclipse safely, and when the eclipse finally arrived, they were able to enjoy watching the astronomical phenomenon with proper eye protection. Here, we’re taking a look back at how indies watched the solar eclipse.

Jackson Davenport Vision Center

Office mascot Tag is ready to welcome patients at Jackson Davenport Vision Center in Charleston, S.C.

Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month on Social Media

NEW YORK—April is Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month, offering 30 days to focus on the eye health-related issues that women around the world face. As reported in VMAIL, more women than men live with vision loss, and women have a higher prevalence of age-related macular degeneration, cataract, dry eye, glaucoma, refractive error and thyroid eye disease. As always, Prevent Blindness is offering free resources, including fact sheets, shareable social media graphics, educational videos and web pages, on a range of eye health issues that predominantly affect women this month. On the local level, many ECPs use social media to spread important eyecare messages to women.

U.S. Small Business Administration Launches Digital Hub to Connect Small Businesses With Major Funding

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the launch of the SBA’s new Investing in America Small Business Hub, a digital portal that provides industry-specific resources to help small businesses tap into new and existing opportunities. “The SBA’s new Investing in America Small Business Hub will help more small businesses connect to the resources, funding opportunities, and support they need to capitalize on these opportunities and strengthen their businesses,” said administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the SBA.

Indies Celebrate World Optometry Day

NEW YORK—The week of March 17–23, 2024 was World Optometry Week, culminating in World Optometry Day on March 23. With the theme “Advancing Optometry’s Commitment to Global Eye Care,” World Optometry Day aims to shine an annual spotlight on the profession of optometry and the contribution of optometrists worldwide to increasing access to eye health care as a human right, as reported in VMAIL. Here, we’re recapping how some independent optometrists across the country celebrated their profession’s special day.