By Staff
Thursday, July 16, 2020 12:33 AM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The
Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety (APS) said Wednesday the U.S. House's Committee on Appropriations is moving to delay the effective date and enforcement of the amendments in the recently finalized Contact Lens Rule. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released its updated CL rule late last month, as
VMAIL reported. A number of other companies and optical organizations, including the
American Optometric Association, also have publicly declared their opposition to the FTC's updated CL rule, as
VMAIL reported.
By Staff
Thursday, July 16, 2020 12:30 AM
Jacqueline Evans, OD, has skillfully integrated telehealth into her independent optometric practice in Denver. Colo. In a wide-ranging video interview with
VM's Andrew Karp, Dr. Evans explains how she utilizes ocular telehealth technology to provide comprehensive eye exams remotely, what types of patients are best suited for telehealth and what the learning curve is like for optometrists who want to add virtual vision care to their practice.
By Staff
Wednesday, July 15, 2020 12:21 AM
WATERLOO, Ontario—For the first time, the premier searchable contact lens database for eyecare practitioners (ECPs)—the Contact Lens Compendium—is accessible in the U.S. With the launch of the
U.S. version, ECPs now have free access to the most up-to-date listing of contact lens products.
By Staff
Friday, July 10, 2020 12:21 AM
SAN RAMON, Calif.—
CooperVision is encouraging the optometry, ophthalmology, vision science and public health communities to participate in the 9th annual
Focus on Eye Health National Summit, presented by Prevent Blindness on Wednesday, July 15. The summit’s online format and no-cost registration will allow broad attendance, helping advance discussions surrounding some of the most important topics in ocular health, including the rising severity and prevalence of myopia, CooperVision said in an announcement. According to a study published in Clinical Ophthalmology in August 2018, 41.9 percent of U.S. children ages 5-19 are myopic. More information and registration details are available at
https://eyesummit.vfairs.com/
By Staff
Thursday, July 9, 2020 12:15 AM
DALLAS—Connor Christensen from the
University of Houston College of Optometrytook home top honors at the 29th Annual AOSA Optometry Student Bowl, held here June 25. Originally scheduled for Optometry’s Meeting, which was canceled due to COVID-19, the Student Bowl was turned into a virtual event that was broadcast on June 25, 2020 from the Dallas headquarters of
Essilor, its longtime sponsor. More than 1500 attendees tuned in to watch the contestants, students from all 25 schools and colleges of optometry, answer optometry-related questions.
By Staff
Wednesday, July 8, 2020 12:24 AM
DALLAS—
AEG Vision, an owner and operator of more than 150 leading optometry practices, has successfully reopened all locations after temporarily closing during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Staff
Thursday, July 2, 2020 12:21 AM
BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—Keplr Vision, a management organization that offers a comprehensive operational and support platform for optometric practices, announced on Wednesday a series of transactions involving eyecare practices in the Pacific Northwest. Among the transactions are the acquisition of the practices operated by optometric industry leaders Dr. Bradley Smith and Dr. David Wolf.
By Staff
Wednesday, July 1, 2020 12:24 AM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—The Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety (APS) on Tuesday raised concerns about the final Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Contact Lens Rule, which was issued last week, as
VMAIL reported. The Alliance, in its statement, said the FTC’s final contact lens rule “fails to adequately address the dangerous practice of utilizing computer-generated voice calls to verify contact lens prescriptions and places significant burdens on doctors,” among other shortcomings cited by the Alliance for Patient Safety.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 12:27 AM
ST. LOUIS—
EyeCare Partners (ECP), one of the leading optical retail groups in the U.S., has acquired
Arizona Eye Institute & Cosmetic Laser Center (Arizona Eye), a leading ophthalmology group based in the northwest Phoenix market. The deal, in which Physician Growth Partners (PGP) acted as adviser to Arizona Eye, was completed earlier this month, according to EyeCare Partners. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. EyeCare Partners is backed by the global investment firm Partners Group.
By Staff
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 12:21 AM
DALLAS—
Eyemart Express is celebrating its 30th anniversary by recommitting to its founding mission, “Improving Lives by Helping People See Better,” and will engage with associates and customers to mark this milestone through several other programs, according to a recent announcement. These programs include offering customer giveaways, inviting store associates to participate in “Pay It Forward” programs, seeking to improve lives with charitable giving, and the launch of a commemorative eyewear collection, among other promotions.
By Staff
Monday, June 29, 2020 12:24 AM
BALTIMORE—In celebration of Healthy Vision Month in July,
Versant Health has launched a new resource center providing tools that enable people to take command of their vision health. This is an important, “but often overlooked, indicator of overall health and wellness,” Versant Health said.
By Staff
Friday, June 26, 2020 12:15 AM
PINELLAS PARK, Fla.—
Transitions Optical has launched a new online training resource, the Transitions Certification Program. This new Transitions Certification Program offers two ways to participate: one for individual eyecare professionals (ECPs) to become a Transitions Specialist and another for eyecare practices to become a Transitions Certified Provider, according to an announcement this week. ECPs can become a Transitions Specialist by completing the required online training and passing a quiz. Once completed, they will receive a certificate, a lapel pin and a social post they can use.
By Staff
Thursday, June 25, 2020 12:30 AM
SILVER SPRING, Md.—The
Federal Trade Commission voted 5-0 yesterday to approve a
Final Rule amending the agency’s Contact Lens Rule, which facilitates shopping for contact lenses by requiring prescribers to automatically provide a copy of a patient’s prescription to the patient and to verify or provide prescriptions to third-party sellers. The Final Rule, known as 16 CFR Part 315, requires prescribers to request that their patients confirm that they have received their prescription, and allows flexibility in the way the prescription and confirmation are provided, the FTC said in a statement.
By Staff
Thursday, June 25, 2020 12:24 AM
TAMPA and BOCA RATON, Fla.—
Healthy Eyes Advantage (HEA) and leading HIPAA compliance solution provider
Abyde have announced a partnership that will provide access for HEA’s 10,000-plus independent ECP members to Abyde’s complete HIPAA program.