By Staff
Thursday, February 6, 2025 8:30 AM
DAKOTA DUNES, S.D.—When we think of AI in health care, we often think of it on the large scale—how the biggest, most technologically advanced are using it with vast swathes of patients. And while that does happen, AI is not out of reach, or out of the realm of possibility, for independent ECPs either. As reported in
Vision Monday’s recent cover story
“The AI Connection With Eyecare,” the team at
Dunes Eye Consultants in Dakota Dunes, S.D., are on the verge of adopting AI technology to help streamline patient scheduling tasks—and there’s more to come. Practice owner Steven Ferguson, OD, spoke to
VM’s Stefani Kim.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, January 23, 2025 8:30 AM
PINELLAS PARK, Fla.—
Transitions Optical has announced the finalists for its annual Transitions Innovation Awards program, which recognizes individuals and organizations from North America who have shown commitment to implementing innovative programs and technologies over the past year. Drew Smith, senior director, North America channels, Transitions Optical, said, “We are proud to recognize the exceptional achievements of this year’s finalists. They have set new standards of excellence in our industry while demonstrating commitment to our core values of quality, education, service and innovation, and we look forward to celebrating their incredible work at Transitions Academy in February.”
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, January 16, 2025 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, an initiative to provide patients, care partners and professionals with education surrounding glaucoma, and to spread awareness within the general public. As
reported in
VMAIL, Prevent Blindness is taking an active role in Glaucoma Awareness Month by providing a collection of free educational resources including fact sheets, information about financial assistance organizations, social media graphics, a dedicated webpage and more. On a grassroots scale, independent ECPs are also doing their part to raise awareness this month, and to encourage patients to get their eyes checked.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—The end of the year is upon us—but 2024 is not over yet. Before we head into the new year, there’s still some time left to make the most out of the year behind us. There’s no better time than now to remind patients and our communities about the importance of taking care of eye health—and how HSA and FSA dollars can help us do just that. Here, we’re taking a look at how some independent ECPs are reminding patients to put their HSA and FSA dollars to work before they lose them—and how you can do the same.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, December 5, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—This past Tuesday marked
Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to charitable giving and generosity as the holiday season kicks off. There are of course countless ways to celebrate Giving Tuesday both big and small, from monetary donations to volunteer work and everything in between—and for the optical industry Giving Tuesday offers a great opportunity to remind both the public and ourselves about the importance of the gift of sight. This week, we take a look at how some indies, both ECPs and eyewear brands, took part in Giving Tuesday.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, November 21, 2024 8:30 AM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—
Costa Sunglasses, part of EssilorLuxottica, has begun its Florida OneCoast Tour, a series of donation events and community support efforts along Florida’s west coast in response to the impact from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The tour runs through November 24, visiting select retailers form Fort Myers to Crystal River. Along this route, Costa will raise funds for hurricane relief and provide direct assistance to the Worldwide Anglers Relief Fund (WARF), a project started by Costa and the International Game Fish Association to provide financial support to recreational angling communities in the wake of major natural disasters.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, November 7, 2024 8:30 AM
CHICAGO—
Prevent Blindness has declared November as Diabetes-Related Eye Disease Awareness Month, dedicated to spreading awareness about the importance of early detection and treatment of diabetes due to the risk of developing significant vision loss and blindness. To further this goal of educating the public, including parents and care partners of those with diabetes and allied health professionals, Prevent Blindness is offering free resources. A full list of resources is available
here. As November continues, there’s plenty of time for ECPs to get involved and educate their communities this Diabetes-Related Eye Disease Awareness Month.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, October 24, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—On October 10, people worldwide, both within and outside of the optical industry, took the time to recognize and celebrate World Sight Day. A day dedicated to the promotion of eyecare and overall eye health, this year’s World Sight Day celebrations were specifically directed at shining a light on eyecare for children. As
reported in
VMAIL, many of the industry’s largest companies and organizations stepped up for World Sight Day—but they aren’t the only ones who made a difference. The work many ECPs do on a local level and in their own communities is just as impactful. Here, we take a look at how some indies recognized this important day for our industry.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, October 10, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—
Prevent Blindness has once again declared October as Contact Lens Safety Month, with the goal of educating the public on the proper use of contact lenses, both prescription and cosmetic. With Halloween on the horizon and some costumes calling for a change in eye color, October is an ideal time to reinforce the importance of proper and safe contact lens use; to do so, Prevent Blindness is offering a variety of resources including fact sheets, social media graphics and
dedicated webpages. For ECPs, there are plenty of ways to prioritize contact lens safety this month. Here, we’re taking a look at the social media push that some indies are using to spread the word.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Friday, September 13, 2024 7:30 AM
NEWARK, N.J.—Jobson Optical Research released its annual
ECP Income Study this month, offering new insights into what ECPs across the country are earning. This extensive study includes the average income for optometrists, opticians/dispensers and optical office managers in the U.S—these metrics include independent ECPs, offering a helpful guidepost for other independents. In addition, a full comparison of males vs. females is broken out across all demographics.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, September 5, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—
Women In Optometry has announced that it will award nine women ODs with a Theia Award of Excellence on Thursday, November 7, 2024, during the American Academy of Optometry’s Academy 2024 in Indianapolis, Ind., according to an announcement from
WO. This is the ninth year for this annual awards ceremony. Each year,
Women In Optometry asks readers and friends to submit the names of women who have been extraordinarily influential in the industry. This year, more than 200 nominations were submitted; the
WO advisory board votes for the winners.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, August 21, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—The back-to-school season is officially upon us. Across the country, students are headed back to the classroom; some have already started the fall semester, while others are in the last few days of their summer breaks, but either way, a large portion of Americans are thinking about the upcoming school year. As teachers, families and students get organized, it’s an important time for the optical community to remind them how important eye health is for a successful academic year. Here, we’re taking a look at what some independent ECPs are doing to get into gear for the school year.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Thursday, August 8, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—Prevent Blindness has again declared August as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, with the goal of educating parents, caregivers, professionals and policymakers on the important role vision and eye health plays in children’s development. As reported in
VMAIL, Prevent Blindness is marking this month with free materials on children’s vision, including fact sheets, social media graphics,
toolkits, videos and webpages on a variety of topics about children’s vision from infancy through adolescence. The NCCVEH provides
resources on getting children ready for school, taking a child to an eye doctor, preparing a child for wearing glasses or contact lenses and tips for preventing eye injuries.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—It’s summertime and the weather is warm, which means many of us are spending more time than usual outside and in the sun—and that the sun is at its strongest. In recognition of this, July is recognized as UV Safety month across the industry, providing another opportunity for ECPs to educate patients and communities about the importance of keeping their eyes protected from UV rays. To close out July, we are taking a look at how some ECPs have used UV Safety Month to shed some light on UV light.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—On June 27, sunwear and summer enthusiasts alike celebrated National Sunglasses Day by breaking out their favorite pair of sunnies, snapping a selfie and posting on social media. National Sunglasses Day, which occurs on June 27 every year, is a fun and interactive holiday for everyone—but, most importantly, it creates the perfect opportunity for ECPs to remind patients and their communities just how important it is to keep our eyes protected from the sun. This National Sunglasses Day, independent ECPs took to local news stations, social media and more to educate the public and spread some sunny fun.