By Staff
Friday, September 18, 2020 1:02 PM
Six months in, we know quite a bit more about COVID-19 than we did when the world screeched to a halt back in March, including the virus' most likely
modes of transportation. Head over to
Elemental, from Medium, to learn some of the new information we have, and how to keep yourself as safe as possible moving into fall and winter.
By Staff
Friday, September 18, 2020 11:30 AM
NEW YORK—For the third week in a row, optical sales experienced a decline on the national level. This past week’s substantial decreases in optical sales can be attributed to the Labor Day holiday, which was the first day of the most recent week for which metrics were tracked (Sept. 7-Sept. 13). All service/product categories were down by index points in the mid-teens, ranging from minus 14 index points for contact lenses to minus 17 index points for frame units and lens pairs. Overall ECP gross revenues and overall eye exams/refractions declined 16 index points, This follows declines of index points of only the single digits for the past couple of weeks.
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By Staff
Friday, September 18, 2020 7:00 AM
Every time I think of driving at night, I hear the song “Blinded by the Light” in my head. In truth, either too much light or too little is challenging when driving at night. Too much light from the shock of intense glare inducing bright blue LED headlight lamps is blinding. Moreover, too little light is bad because we need light to see, and twilight and nighttime illumination levels reduce illumination levels making it hard to see. Aging eyes experience age-induced eye changes that reduce light transmission to the retina while increasing scatter, blur and glare. With age, the pupil loses its ability to dilate to the same degree as a young eye. Therefore, less light reaches the retina of an aged eye.
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By Staff
Friday, September 18, 2020 12:21 AM
CHICAGO—A range of leading independent eyewear brands have joined forces to launch
The Suites at Midwest Best described by its organizer as "a socially distant optical experience," and a cooperative kick-off to the autumn eyewear season to be held Oct. 2 to 4 in Rosemont, Ill.
By Staff
Friday, September 18, 2020 12:00 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 a product collaboration between Facebook and EssilorLuxottica, VSP creates a new executive slot and why wearing glasses may cut your risk of catching the virus. Click
here to take the quiz for the week of September 13. VM's News Quiz is published every Saturday as part of
VMAIL Weekend.
By Andrew Karp
Thursday, September 17, 2020 1:47 PM
With millions of people worldwide who are blind or suffering from sight-robbing diseases, and millions more expected to lose their vision over the next few years, a growing number of private companies and research institutes are working to develop bionic eyes, artificial vision systems and advanced visual prostheses. One of the newest projects is being undertaken by
Illinois Institute of Technology. Researchers there were recently awarded $2.5 million by the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund the first year of a three-year project which involves clinical trials of a first-of-its-kind wireless visual prosthesis system which aims to provide some limited vision to people with profound blindness.
By Staff
Thursday, September 17, 2020 12:00 PM
NEW YORK—As the COVID-19 virus continues to affect our everyday activities, Jobson continues its salute to the industry's health care workers, especially ECPs, for continuing to provide essential eyecare during the pandemic. This week, we honor three more Eyecare Heroes in our online gallery located at the
Eyecare Heroes site. Dr. Gary Chu,
New England College of Optometry, Boston, Mass., Dr. Michael McGovern,
SUNY College of Optometry, New York, N.Y., and Dr. Eva Yan
Metro Optics, Bronx, N.Y. ECPs in the Gallery were selected from among the nominations submitted by readers of
Vision Monday and
20/20. Read More
By Staff
Thursday, September 17, 2020 6:30 AM
Appearing at the top of Google’s search engine results page (SERPs) can drastically change the amount of traffic that your optometry website receives and in turn increase the number of opportunities you get to convert those visitors to booked appointments at your practice. In order to gain this type of online visibility and work your way up the ranks on the results page, your optometry website must appeal to Google’s algorithm. And there’s no better way to accomplish this than to optimize your site. There is more than one way to optimize your website for search engine optimization (SEO) and we’re here to discuss 5 necessary steps you need to take to improve your site’s performance.
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By Staff
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 1:34 PM
MENLO PARK, California, and CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France—
Facebook, Inc. and
EssilorLuxottica just announced a multiyear collaboration to develop the next generation of smart glasses. The announcement was made by Mark Zuckerberg during Facebook Connect, an annual conference held virtually from California. The partnership will combine “Facebook apps and technologies, Luxottica’s category leadership and iconic brands, and Essilor’s advanced lens technology to help people stay better connected to their friends and family,” according to a joint announcement from Facebook and EssilorLuxottica that was issued on Sept. 16.
By Staff
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 11:48 AM
Finding the right combination of ocular health screening and patient convenience is the name of the game in contact lens fits—now more than ever with COVID-19 disrupting the traditional care model. But focusing too much on convenience at the expense of ocular and systemic health is not in the best interest of patients. Unfortunately, the recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruling may have shifted the balance in the wrong direction, potentially preventing the timely diagnosis of ocular and systemic disease.
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By Staff
Tuesday, September 15, 2020 11:34 AM
The show must go on—but it must also make some vital changes. This week is
New York Fashion Week, and although shows are going ahead, they look pretty different from what most fashion devotees are used to seeing. Instead of typical runway shows, this week has consisted of a mixture of virtual shows, socially distant shows, and other special experiences. Head over to the
New York Fashion Week website to learn more, and experience it for yourself.
By Staff
Tuesday, September 15, 2020 10:30 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
VM's upcoming virtual Summit, gridiron stars meet optical innovation and fun facts about doggie eyes. Click
here to take the quiz for the week of September 6. VM's News Quiz is published every Saturday as part of
VMAIL Weekend.
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By Staff
Tuesday, September 15, 2020 5:00 AM
Some optometrists have come up with dozens of excuses not to fit daily disposable multifocal contact lenses. Cost, time, difficulty, patient satisfaction and a reluctance to change, are just some of the barriers that many of us create for ourselves when it comes to fitting presbyopes into lenses that most of us agree are the best for patients. The daily disposable modality is perfect for presbyopes as they often struggle with dry eye syndrome. Sometimes we forget that we’re the doctor and patients are expecting us to offer them the best products and technology for their eyes and lifestyle. It takes effort, but the reward is increased patient satisfaction, increased patient referrals and increased revenue for more multifocal fits.
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By Mary Kane
Monday, September 14, 2020 12:29 PM
According to this feature from the National Retail Federation, “Princess Jenkins began her career as a fashion industry intern for Vera Maxwell in New York City’s Garment District in the late 1970s. She went on to sell fashion collections to retailers in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles—at the time one of the few Black women selling top designer fashion. Jenkins now owns
The Brownstonein New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, an upscale fashion boutique that calls itself ‘Harlem’s crown jewel.’”
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