By Staff
Wednesday, July 3, 2024 4:03 PM
DULUTH, Ga.—National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), one of the largest optical retail companies in the U.S., has announced the appointment of Mark Banner as the company’s new chief stores officer, effective July 8, 2024. Banner is transitioning into the role previously held by Sharon Petitt due to her planned retirement. A specialty retailer who joins the company after a seven-year tenure at Sleep Number, the company stated, Banner brings team leadership expertise in sales, sales operations, digital, promotion and real estate. Before Sleep Number, Banner dedicated 18 years to Signet Jewelers, a global specialty retailer jeweler.
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By Staff
Wednesday, July 3, 2024 4:00 PM
Despite advancements in the soft contact lens field, rigid contact lenses still play a major role in myopia control and in refractive correction for patients requiring a custom fit. A recent study published in
Contact Lens & Anterior Eye extended previous reports on contact lens prescribing trends worldwide. Data relating to 342,500 fits undertaken in 20 countries returning reliable longitudinal data were analyzed with respect to rigid lens fitting. The authors found a renewed interest in rigid lens fitting due to a repurposing of rigid lenses, with the growth of scleral/corneoscleral and myopia control/orthokeratology (ortho-K) lens fits essentially replacing conventional spherical corneal lens fits.
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By Staff
Tuesday, July 2, 2024 4:03 PM
HAMBURG, Germany, GREEN BAY, Wis. and DETROIT—The Fielmann Group, a global eyewear provider, announced yesterday that it had closed on its acquisition of Green Bay, Wis.-based retailer Shopko Optical. In the announcement, the company also upgraded its 2024 sales outlook and announced an addition to its executive team. The transaction was first signed on June 10, 2024, and calls for the group's U.S. subsidiary, Fielmann USA, to acquire 100 percent equity ownership in Shopko Optical from Monarch Alternative Capital LP, as reported in
VMAIL last month.
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By Staff
Tuesday, July 2, 2024 4:00 PM
So, what is inflation, how does it affect your practice and what can you do about it? The great Nobel Prize economist Milton Friedman said it best: “Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon, in the sense that it is and can be produced only by a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output.” In recent years, the M2 money supply expanded by approximately 40 percent, decreasing dollar purchasing power in kind. Additionally, the last time debt to GDP in the U.S. was at similar levels was after World War II when financial repression, inflation and illiquidity events took over 30 years to resolve. As a small business owner, it is vital to understand the current economy we find ourselves in, the time frame it can potentially last and what our options are to navigate it.
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By Staff
Monday, July 1, 2024 1:45 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Last week, as
reported in
VMAIL, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced final updates to its 10-year Ophthalmic Practice Rules, known as the Eyeglass Rule. According to the FTC, the updates, which are scheduled to take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, are designed to increase compliance with the rule’s long-standing requirement that ophthalmologists and optometrists who have a financial interest in selling prescription eyewear provide patients with a free copy of their prescription following a refractive eye exam.
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By Staff
Monday, July 1, 2024 1:35 PM
With the Olympic summer’s Paris games less than a month away, two decorated professional athletes are sharing how Lumenis OptiLIGHT technology has improved their symptoms of dry eye disease so they can get back to living their lives—and “going for gold.” For years, beach volleyball legend Kerri Walsh Jennings battled dry eyes on and off the court before finding the right treatment. The three-time gold medalist in the summer games partnered with Lumenis and shared her experience with OptiLIGHT on Instagram. Lumenis light therapy is the first and only FDA-approved option for dry eye management.
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By Staff
Friday, June 28, 2024 2:10 PM
DULUTH, Ga.—National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), one of the nation’s largest optical retailers, hosted more than 1,000 optometrists across two weekends for its Annual Continuing Education (CE) Symposium in Phoenix, Ariz., from June 1-4 and in Orlando from June 8-11. The conference was designed to empower doctors through education and camaraderie, giving them the tools they need to foster successful optometry careers, according to the company. “We are committed to empowering our network of optometrists to lead and innovate in their field," said National Vision chief medical officer Priti Patel, OD.
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By Staff
Friday, June 28, 2024 2:05 PM
Our world is ruled by the sun. It tells us when to rise and shine. It keeps us warm with its bright rays. It powers our need for sunglasses and the reasons we wear them. Just as the sun lights up the world, the impact of sunwear shines powerfully in our optical arena. It continues to reign as the most coveted frame category—today and for the past 50 years of
20/20’s history. In our eyes, sunwear is the dream accessory, protecting our sight while giving us the opportunity to make our own style statements. This month,
20/20 took up residence at the Dream Downtown hotel in NYC to play out their sunny daydreams. Here, they present to you their selection of sun specs to make all your sunwear ambitions and dreams come true.
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By Staff
Thursday, June 27, 2024 3:25 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Concluding a comprehensive multi-year review, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced final updates to its Ophthalmic Practice Rules, known as the Eyeglass Rule, aimed at promoting competition and consumer choice. According to the FTC, the updates are designed to increase compliance with the rule’s long-standing requirement that ophthalmologists and optometrists provide patients with a free copy of their prescription immediately following a refractive eye exam. The changes announced yesterday require that prescribers, after providing the prescription, request that their patients sign a statement confirming they received their prescription and keep a record of such confirmation for at least three years.
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By Staff
Thursday, June 27, 2024 3:17 PM
The Jura-based eyewear manufacturer Morel has announced a new step in its international development with the launch of Morel Baltic, its fourth subsidiary opened since the beginning of 2024 and its 19th subsidiary worldwide. The new branch will strengthen the company’s distribution network in Eastern Europe with an official presence in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Morel said the objective is to increase the visibility and notoriety of the French eyewear company locally. This new local service aligns with the brand’s ambition to become the preferred French eyewear manufacturer worldwide, the company said.
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By Staff
Wednesday, June 26, 2024 11:25 AM
OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.—I-Deal Optics, Inc., a Troy, Mich.-based portfolio company of Main Street Capital Holdings and a marketer and value-added distributor of prescription eyewear and sunwear frames, has been acquired by Nashville-based private equity firm Highland Rim Capital. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Prairie Capital Advisors, which announced the deal late last week, acted as the exclusive financial advisor in this transaction for I-Deal Optics and its shareholders. “In conjunction with a dedicated management team, we have continued to build the strong reputation of I-Deal in the marketplace as a compelling, one-stop-shop value proposition to private practices,” said Ryan Davis, partner at Main Street Capital Holdings.
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By Staff
Wednesday, June 26, 2024 11:15 AM
The Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have begun a cross-government public inquiry into “private-equity and other corporations’ increasing control over health care.” As part of the announcement, the government has opened a public comment period, where it’s invited people to notify them of their experiences with consolidation and/or private equity’s presence in medicine. The agencies are also interested in public comment regarding “transactions that would not be reported to the Justice Department or FTC for antitrust review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.”
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By Staff
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 11:53 AM
MEXICO CITY—The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) kicked off 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE on Tuesday, a global, 3-day event slated to run through June 27 both online and live in Mexico City. The initiative, launched in 2021, unites stakeholders across the eye health sector with the singular goal of eradicating avoidable sight loss by 2030. “2030 IN SIGHT LIVE fosters a collaborative environment where shared knowledge, discussion, and unwavering commitment can be catalysts to eliminating avoidable blindness,” said Peter Holland, IAPB chief executive officer.
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By Staff
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 11:38 AM
High myopia increases the risk of complications including retinal detachment, cataract, glaucoma and myopic maculopathy. These complications pose a particularly significant challenge to health practitioners and systems in the context of rising myopia prevalence. Myopic maculopathy is one of the most serious, vision-threatening consequences of high myopia. It is estimated that by 2050, 55.7 million people will have visual impairment from myopic maculopathy, of whom 18.5 million people will be legally blind. A recently published observational study, has highlighted that progression of myopic maculopathy is not limited to adults.
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By Staff
Monday, June 24, 2024 11:05 AM
NEW YORK—Juneteenth, our newest federal holiday, has its roots in Galveston, Texas, dating back to 1865. On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Galveston were informed of their freedom, which had been declared two years earlier when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Fast forward to 2021, when President Biden signed legislation that made Juneteenth a federal holiday. Now, June 19 is celebrated as Juneteenth nationwide with parades, parties, commemoration events and community gatherings. Here,
VMAIL Weekend takes a look at the rich history and growing importance of the Juneteenth holiday, including celebration posts from members of the optical community.
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