By Staff
Wednesday, July 28, 2021 12:16 PM
For some Olympians, training and competing in their sport is a full time job—for others, it's something akin to a side hustle. Many Olympians around the world have
full time jobs outside their sport, including priests, teachers, doctors, lawyers, business owners and more. Head over to
BuzzFeed to learn more about Olympic athletes and their day jobs.
By Staff
Wednesday, July 28, 2021 9:03 AM
NEW YORK—Optical sales increased slightly last week, July 19-25, with most product/service categories on the upswing, according to Jobson’s most recent Practice Performance Tracker. The national average for gross revenue at ECP locations increased by 1 index point, bringing it to within 1 index point of the level it reached at this point last year and 3 index points above where it was in 2019. All optical sales categories, except contact lenses, experienced slight upticks last week. Exams/refractions had the largest increase of 3 index points, while contact lenses at the other end of the sales spectrum decreased by 1 index point. Rounding out the increases were lens pairs, which were up 2 index points and frame units, up 1 index point.
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By Staff
Wednesday, July 28, 2021 9:00 AM
Luxottica has issued a raft of new images of celebrities wearing their brands, including the iconic collection Ray-Ban, at the Cannes Film Festival this summer. Among the famous faces wearing the sunglasses were icons of the cinema: Sean Penn, Owen Wilson, Wes Anderson, Pedro Almodovar, Benicio del Toro and Sophie Marceau. Sean Penn and Owen Wilson wore the iconic Ray-Ban Aviator 3025, and Izabel Goulart—the Brazilian fashion model—was seen wearing Ray-Ban State Street, a larger sized frame for women offering a hot retro look. This style will be featured in the new You Are On campaign.
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By Staff
Tuesday, July 27, 2021 5:09 PM
PINELLAS PARK, Fla.—
Transitions Optical announced the finalists for its annual Transitions Innovation Awards program, which recognizes both individuals and companies for their innovative efforts to support the Transitions brand over the past year. The winners will be announced later this year and honored during Transitions Academy 2022, January 16-19. “2020 was a unique year, and it’s now more important than ever to focus on the highlights and celebrate our Innovation Award finalists and their achievements,” said Jose Alves, general manager, Americas, Transitions Optical.
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By Staff
Tuesday, July 27, 2021 11:14 AM
This year's Olympic games mark the first time that Paralympians will earn the
same amount of money as Olympians. According to
HuffPost, "athletes will now receive $37,500 for each gold medal earned at the Paralympics, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze." This is on par with what Olympians are paid, and "boosts compensation for some Paralympians by as much as 400 percent." Head over to
HuffPost to learn more about this important change.
By Staff
Monday, July 26, 2021 2:56 PM
Although three COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for emergency use in the United States, none of them are
fully FDA approved just yet. The vaccines are safe and effective, but it's plausible that many Americans are holding out on getting their shots until full FDA approval, and with the Delta variant increasing cases across the country, getting more shots in arms is more important than ever. Head over to
WebMD for more information on when we could expect that full approval to hit the news.
By Staff
Monday, July 26, 2021 2:55 PM
NEW YORK—
Mount Sinai researchers have uncovered a potential pathway for treatment that can prevent blindness. Gene therapy in mouse models showed promise in preventing vision loss or blindness from serious retinal injury including optic nerve damage, and from retinal disease including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, Mount Sinai researchers report. Their study, published in the July 22 online publication of
Cell, could transform treatment for those at risk of major vision loss from retinal degenerative diseases, which currently have no cure.
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By Staff
Monday, July 26, 2021 2:50 PM
As many of us know, examining some patients can be more demanding than others. Specifically, patients with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, intellectual disabilities, or anxiety, can be a particular challenge. But a few years ago, I stumbled upon a trick that made these exams much more enjoyable. Our service dog Penny. It didn’t take long for me to get Penny certified as a service dog. While there are different levels of service dogs, and some require intensive training, Penny was already fairly well trained, so I only had to go through minor steps to get her certified as an emotional support animal (ESA).
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By Staff
Friday, July 23, 2021 4:00 PM
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Registration is now open for
Vision Expo West 2021, taking place September 22-25 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. With Las Vegas fully reopened, the Show organizers, The Vision Council and RX, are planning a robust Show experience featuring several new neighborhoods, in addition to the return of The Suites, as well as extensive education opportunities and the return of the OptiCon @ Vision Expo program and hub. Students and young professionals can also look forward to The Career Zone and dedicated student programming.
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By Staff
Friday, July 23, 2021 3:55 PM
Over the next decade, the optometric workforce is projected to experience growth of 1.4 percent each year, a continued shift toward a female OD majority and a more limited additional capacity for the profession to expand than previously suggested, a recent national survey suggests. The investigation, based on 2017 data and published in
Optometry and Vision Science, also found a lack of diversity in the profession. Minorities are poorly represented in optometry, which the authors cite as concerning and a barrier to care. Specifically, only 3.8 percent of respondents self-identified as Hispanic or Latino, 0.4 percent as Black/African-American and 0.2 percent as Native American. “This is clearly much lower than the overall population’s makeup and hopefully is a wake-up call to our profession to encourage minority recruitment,” said Brian Chou, OD, of San Diego.
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By Staff
Friday, July 23, 2021 10:44 AM
Each Olympic cycle, the host nations go to incredible lengths to prepare to welcome athletes from all over the world to their country, and this often includes constructing new buildings and venues for sporting events or, even, the Opening Ceremony. But once the Games are over,
what happens to these structures that took so much time, money and manpower to create? Head over to
Sports Insider for a look at what a second life looks like for an Olympic venue, from complete abandonment to adaptation.
By Andrew Karp
Friday, July 23, 2021 8:30 AM
NEW YORK—
Mount Sinai researchers have uncovered a potential pathway for treatment that can prevent blindness. Gene therapy in mouse models showed promise in preventing vision loss or blindness from serious retinal injury including optic nerve damage, and from retinal disease including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, Mount Sinai researchers report. Their study, published in the July 22 online publication of
Cell, could transform treatment for those at risk of major vision loss from retinal degenerative diseases, which currently have no cure.
By Staff
Friday, July 23, 2021 8:20 AM
Did you follow the optical news this week? Take VM’s News Quiz to see how much you know. This week's quiz takes a look at expanding telehealth services, monitoring vaccine sentiments and a scholarship aimed at diversity.