By Evra Taylor / Contributing Editor
Sunday, November 17, 2024 1:00 AM
In the fast-changing world of recruitment, hiring and firing in the eyecare sector, a few things hold true: gone are the days when a competitive salary, bonus plan and matching 401K contributions were sufficient to attract and retain employees. These days, ECP practices and clinics have to sweeten the pot with incentives that address both hard and soft skill needs.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Sunday, October 27, 2024 1:00 AM
NEW YORK—There are countless roles in the optical industry—dozens of different job titles, daily workflows, expectations and callings—but we all have one common goal: to get eyecare to everyone who needs it, in one way or another. In large part, achieving that goal comes down to removing barriers to eyecare access—and one crucial way to remove those barriers is to physically bring eyecare to those who need it, to meet patients where they are.
By Evra Taylor / Contributing Editor
Sunday, September 1, 2024 1:00 AM
Google X coined the term “glass explorers” when it released its Google Glass prototype in 2013, allowing wearers to communicate with the internet using voice commands. Since then, the smart glasses sector has become conspicuous for its rate of invention and iteration. What has emerged is a plethora of devices, proving it’s not only the technology that matters, it’s how you interpret it.
By Staff
Sunday, July 21, 2024 1:00 AM
This 22nd edition of our Most Influential Women in Optical feature brings a class of leaders, changemakers and trailblazers who are as impressive and exciting as it gets. These are women who are continuing to shape the face of our industry from every angle; they are ECPs, executives, sales and marketing professionals, teachers and so much more. But above all, they are women who have had and continue to have profound impacts on the lives and careers of those around them. And they change our industry for the better while doing it.
By Staff
Sunday, June 16, 2024 1:00 AM
Staff retention, continued inflation and the capability to provide a better patient experience were just a few of the challenges that eyecare professionals and optical retailers faced in 2023. The 2024 VM Top 50 U.S. Optical Retailers report is based on calendar year 2023 locations and sales provided by companies along with
VM’s estimates.
VM's research with retailers revealed that upgrades and investments in operations and technology, including remote and telehealth equipment, continued to gain traction among the Top 50 in 2023.
By Evra Taylor, Contributing Editor
Thursday, May 23, 2024 2:30 AM
Originating from basic teleconferencing models, technology-enabled tele-optometry has revolutionized the optical industry creating both a more patient-centric model of care and expanding ECPs’ practices in a quintessential win-win. With remote eye testing, optical companies are focusing their gaze on a novel approach—involving the consumer in their own health care journey, increasing their access to eyecare and reducing wait times, two major pain points in eyecare. In addition to self-administered, online visual acuity testing for prescription renewal, these companies are increasingly providing remote diagnostic services, expanding their reach into previously uncharted territory such as ultra-wide field digital retinal imaging. At the same time, eyecare providers have established effective guardrails to protect patients’ eye health, ensuring patient referrals to a specialist when needed, for example.
By Staff
Thursday, May 23, 2024 1:00 AM
NEW YORK—There is no avoiding the fact that concern for the environment impacts every aspect of our daily lives. From decisions on how people commute to work, to what they eat, to who they vote for and, of course, how they shop—there is a sustainable choice in every decision we make. Retail is often at the forefront of these conversations about sustainability and everyday life, and for many people, changing the things they buy and the frequency with which they buy them is an easy first step toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
By Anne Cooper / Editorial Director
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 12:01 AM
As 2024 gets underway, investors remain optimistic about opportunities in the vision care space. The U.S. population continues to grow and age, creating a robust environment for optometry and optometric practices, according to industry experts. They note that a rising need for eyecare and eye health services, fueled by growth in the population of patients aged 65 years and older, continues to make the landscape a stable and attractive target for those who are looking to invest, or to grow their career.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, March 11, 2024 1:08 AM
Despite some perceptions to the contrary, overall, the global luxury sector had experienced some challenges in the past year or two, where growth was hard-fought. Some of the world’s leading luxury firms reported slight ups and downs, as customers around the world coped with inflationary pressures and higher interest rates, creating some headwinds around the category from high-end home purchases, to travel and tourism, to auto purchases and the fashion retail sectors.
By Daniel Breeman
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 1:00 AM
From the Silent Generation to Generation Alpha, consumer attitudes and priorities are consistently shifting as retailers attempt to gain a handle on what makes each group tick and what is important to them when searching for new products. Consumers as young as 10 years and under (Gen Alpha) have their own set of purchasing criteria, such as influencers on social media, while Millennials may presently represent the most powerful and influential consumer group overall.
By Marge Axelrad
Sunday, November 26, 2023 1:00 AM
NEW YORK—The embrace of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) this year has continued to expand among many businesses, large and small, public and private. In healthcare, too, and vision care in particular, DE&I has continued its evolution.
By Staff
Monday, October 30, 2023 1:00 AM
NEW YORK—Optometry has seen significant gains in the widening of its practice scope across most states in the U.S. and primary eyecare remains the focus of many practitioners. However, specialization, or the adoption of ‘subspecialties’, driven by new clinical and treatment options, the advent of innovative technologies and, importantly, changing priorities among new generations of ODs for how they want to build their experience and service as optometrists, have been driving a growing interest in specialties.
By Gwendolyn Plummer
Sunday, September 3, 2023 1:00 AM
NEW YORK—If there’s one constant in a post-2020 world, it’s change. The economy, labor market, retail landscape and overall world we live in has been in constant flux since March 2020, teaching us all how to be adaptive and inventive in everything we do. For many consumers, products labeled as “Made in the USA” have long been preferable—from giving back to the local economy to lowering your carbon footprint, there are plenty of reasons that Americans want to buy homegrown products. That has not changed—though inflation has put a slight damper on what Americans are willing to spend.
By Staff
Sunday, July 23, 2023 1:00 AM
Collaborative. Confident. Accomplished. Supportive. These are the characteristics that describe this year’s “class” of Vision Monday’s Most Influential Women. Having finally emerged from the shadows of the pandemic, this 2023 group of honorees are at long last looking forward to a brighter and more promising future. Their positivity and can-do attitudes are apparent as they tell us their stories of success in an ever-changing optical industry.