Friday, December 31, 2010
Optician's Great Promo
January Is National Glaucoma Month--Tell Your Customers/Patients
- African Americans over age 40
- Everyone over age 60, especially Mexican Americans
- People with a family history of the disease
NEI Needs Your Ideas
Fighting Mac D
ECPs "Rescue" Robbery Victim
Mario Simms was heading to the store on Monday afternoon. When he got to Dinwiddie Avenue, he was held up by two men who not only took his wallet, but his prescription glasses too." Read to find out why WTVR good came from it.
Jamaica Hub for Cuban Eye Program
Optical Checklist for Skiiers
- Wear goggles that can prevent snow and ice from obscuring vision during a descent, and they also can protect a skiier’s eyes from twigs or debris.
- Remember sunglasses. They block UV rays, and there's plenty of UV on the slopes. Think snow-blindness. Snow reflects the UV rays.
- Fog-proof your googles, sunglasses, and eyeglasses. Use an antifog spray or antifog towelette, like Defog It. If goggles lost their fog-blocking ability, an application of an antifog may fix it.
- If you wear eyeglasses, you might want to defog them as well when going from cold of the slopes to the warmth of the lodge.
Avoid Truckers after Snow/Ice Storms
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
PEG CLs Will Not Challenge SiHy's Any Time Soon
Floorball Athletes Risk Eye Injury
Soldiers Offered Surgery to Improve Aim
Hiatian Teacher/Student Regains Sight
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
A Great 2011 for Opticians?
Analysts offered several theories for the rebound in spending while the unemployment rate remained stubbornly high.
Stocks have soared to their highest levels in more than two years...
Pent-up demand is also showing up among middle-income shoppers: in government surveys, consumers have been expressing rising confidence for the last five months.
The luxury segment started heating up in late summer, said Joel Bines, a director in the global retail practice at AlixPartners....
The sales figures were bolstered by improved inventory controls among many retailers.
CL Sales Up
Monday, December 27, 2010
MyOnlineOptical Attracting ECPs
3D without Glasses
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Bionic Eye Coming as Experimental Surgery
"Jersey" Boy (Optician) Makes Good in Africa
Saturday, December 25, 2010
An Eye for an Eye--This Time in the Christmas Spirit
Friday, December 24, 2010
Keeping an Eye on Santa's Travels
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Retinal Eye Drug Gets Red Light from FDA
Gluing One's Eye Shut--Just Ask Zsa-Zsa's Hubby
The World's "Greenest" Glasses
High-Tech Glasses Conduct Searches
More Optical Diplomacy According to WikiLeak Documents
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Texas Dry Eye Capital
Swiss Lose Eye-Care Coverage
"Since the year 2000, health insurance companies have had to reimburse a part of people’s new glasses and contact lenses every five years. But as of next year this will no longer apply. The Interior Ministry’s recent reform is meant to make the price of health care drop, but at this point, it’s angering a lot of people. WRS’s Lucas Chambers has this story."
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Free Christmas Gift for Keratoconus Patients
Monday, December 20, 2010
B+L Extending Rebates for Lens Implants
Patients Avoid Eye Exams
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Film Star Hurts Eye
ECPs Help Diabetics
What Were Ophthalmologists Reading in 2010?
1. Retinal Vein Occlusions: Could Recent Developments Be Practice-Changing?
A commentary on retinal vein occlusion treatment includes recent clinical trial data and newly approved drug devices.2. Antiviral Treatment Thwarts Recurring Eye Problems From Herpes Simplex
Oral antiviral prophylaxis appeared to protect against recurrence of ocular herpes simplex virus.3. FDA Clears Laser System for Use in Cataract Surgery
The FDA approved a laser system for anterior capsulotomy during cataract surgery.A related article on this subject is also of interest: Femtosecond Laser Technology Applied to Lens-Based Surgery.4. FDA Panel Recommends Premarket Approval for Ocular Stent
A stent for reduction in intraocular pressure was reviewed for use in mild-to-moderate open-angle glaucoma.5. Does Anti-VEGF Therapy Cause Glaucoma?
Reports suggest that patients may experience increased IOP following anti-VEGF therapy.6. Perforating Eyelid Injury Extending to the Brain Stem in a 17-Year-Old Woman: A Case Report
An apparently superficial eye injury turns out to be far more severe than initial presentation would indicate.7. A 61-Year-Old Woman With Swelling of the Lower Eyelid
A 61-year-old woman presents with painful swelling of the left lower eyelid. What is your diagnosis?8. The Next Wave in Cataract Surgery: Intraoperative Measurement of Sphere, Cylinder, and Aberrations
We are beginning to envision a future where refractive cataract surgery can achieve LASIK-like outcomes.9. Incidence and Management of Acute Endophthalmitis After Intravitreal Bevacizumab (Avastin) Injection
What's the risk of acute endophthalmitis after intravitreal bevacizumab injection, and what can be done to lower the risk?10. Healthcare Reform Resource Center
The evolving debate was chronicled by Medscape throughout 2010. Bookmark this page so that you'll have access to the latest information as it becomes available.
In-Store Design, Moms, Optical Theories, and John Berger--Yes They All Relate at Josephson Opticians
007 Goes Optic OR More on the Optic Connection to WikiLeaks
Friday, December 17, 2010
19 Virginians Get Eye Care Christmas Present
Optician Helps the People of Nepal
The WikiLeaks Eye Care Connection
Thursday, December 16, 2010
From the Ghost of Optics Past
AAO with New Eye Apps
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
BBC Program Takes on Britain's Optometric Industry
Another B&L Recall--Not USA
Scientists Make Discovery Related to Corneal Thickness
Optician Jumps from Perfectly Good Plane
Alcon Now Part of Novartis--Finally
Forbes headlines the deal: "Novartis Is Eye-Care King After Acquiring Alcon."
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Optician Scales Kilimanjaro
Vision Products--Growing Field
Take Care Driving. Your Customers Ain't Wearing Their Glasses
Lazy Eye Solved with a Pin Prick
Bulgarian Opticians and Optometrist Protest
FTC Prohibits Claims of Eye Benefits
Monday, December 13, 2010
Eye for an Eye
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Taking Your Job for Granted? Think Twice!
CEO and CFO of ABO/NCLE Accused of Embezzling $1.5 Million
Mac D Preventable More Often
Friday, December 10, 2010
Optical Industry Lagging Behind General Retail
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Optic Nerve Key after Heart Attack
What delays brain damage in drowning victims? In an emergency can it be applied to heart attack victims? Dobkin's research pointed to yes. He believes brain damage that occurs when someone's heart stops beating can be delayed for up to an hour.It relates to the optic nerve. Read on.
New Vision Screening Software Released
CL Cartel? Someone Thinks So.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Size Does Matter, Says New Study!!!
Wellcome Trust scientists have shown for the first time that exactly how we see our environment depends on the size of the visual part of our brain.
We are all familiar with the idea that our thoughts and emotions differ from one person to another, but most people assume that how we perceive the visual world is usually very similar from person to person. However, the primary visual cortex - the area at the back of the brain responsible for processing what we see in the world around us - is known to differ in size by up to three times from one individual to the next.
Now, researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London) have shown for the first time that the size of this area affects how we perceive our environment. Their study is published online in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
New Way of "Seeing"? That's What He Said
Retailer Goes Private Label and....
Avoidable Eye Injuries Cost $300 Million Annually
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Online Optical Merchant Arrested by NYPD
Surgeon Goes with Retail Promotion
Wells Fargo Finance New Financing Provider for AOA Members
Monday, December 6, 2010
Aging Boomers Good for Optical Industry
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Monofocal Lens That Eliminates Multifocal Lens Out in a Year
Dementia and Sight Loss More Common Than Thought
More on Google Clamping Down on Online Retailers
To its credit, Internet giant Google Inc. said this week it had tweaked an algorithm to dissuade companies from purposefully mistreating their customers.
Curiouser and curiouser, it turns out the owner of an online eyeglasses company, DecorMyEyes.com, had said for publication in a New York Times article that he abused his customers from time to time because it would provoke negative reviews, which in turn would increase his revenue.
This worked because Google treated negative reviews as equals with positive reviews when it ranked companies for searches. That is to say a mention is a mention and there was, in fact, no such thing as bad publicity in this case.
DecorMyEyes.com's profitable unpleasantness turned out to be near-sighted. Google caught wind of the Times article and changed the formula for ranking companies in the same week the Federal Trade Commission issued a 79-page report on guidelines for companies and regulators dealing with Internet privacy.
Coastal Contacts Expanding Next Year
Saturday, December 4, 2010
EU Court OKs Online Sale of CLs
Economic Cost of Vision Loss in the U.S.--$51 Billion
- Approximately 14 million Americans aged 12 years and older have self-reported visual impairment defined as distance visual acuity of 20/50 or worse. Among them, more than 11 million Americans could have improved their vision to 20/40 or better with refractive correction.
- In 2002, the age—adjusted prevalence of self—reported visual impairment among Americans aged 50 years and older with and without diabetes was 23.5% and 12.4%, respectively.
- Approximately 11% of Americans aged 20 years and older with diabetes had some form of visual impairment (3.8% uncorrectable and 7.2% correctable). Among those without diabetes, 5.9% had some form of Visual Impairment (VI) (1.4% uncorrectable and 4.5% correctable).
- 3.4 million (3%) Americans aged 40 years and older are either blind (having visual acuity [VA] of 20/200 or less or a visual field of less than 20 degrees) or visually impaired (having VA of 20/40 or less).
- 1,600,000 Americans aged 50 years and older have age related macular degeneration
- 5.3 million people (about 2.5% of all people) aged 18 years and older have diabetic retinopathy.
- 20.5 million people have cataract (about 16%) among Americans aged 40 years and older
- 2.2 million people have glaucoma (about 2% ) among Americans aged 40 years and older
- Only half of the estimated 61 million adults in the U. S. classified as being at high risk for serious vision loss, visited an eye doctor in the past 12 months
- Approximately 8.2% of Americans with self-reported vision problems did not have health insurance. Only 4% of Americans without health insurance reported having optional vision insurance, compared with 58% of Americans with private health insurance, 44% of Americans with public health insurance, and 54% of Canadians.
- American without health insurance had the lowest age-adjusted rate of use of eye care services (42%) compared with Americans with private health insurance (67%) or public health insurance (55%) and Canadians (56%).
Lose an Eye, No Problem
Regenerating Optic Nerves Better and Faster
Jackie Chen Opens Eye Center
Friday, December 3, 2010
Golfer Successful with Performance Eyewear
Stem Cell Treatment for Juvenile MacD
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Advanced Cell Technology's investigational new drug application to launch the first clinical trial using retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells for treating Stargardt's macular dystrophy, the company announced in a press release, which appeared on theOSNSuperSite.
Eyewear Exec Gets 12 in Slammer
New CL Cures Dry Eyes
New Laser Surgery in Works
Opticians Give Up Eyes for Grapes and Porcelain
“Beads of sweat covered Lorraine Nedell’s forehead as ...[the former optician] bent over a cluster of merlot grapes one sunny fall morning at Sannino’s Bella Vita Vineyard in Peconic, N.Y., on Long Island. Inching along the row of vines, she grabbed the purple berries, snipped them with a clipper and dropped them, over and over, into a plastic bin.” Apparently this New York optician saw a new vision. Read more at NYTimes.s
Then there's the optician who crashed the China business: Helen Boehm was “a self-made businesswoman known as the Princess of Porcelain for her company’s elaborate sculptures, which have graced the coffee tables of royalty and heads of state for six decades,” so she was described in her obit by the NYTimes. She recently passed away at 89 died at her home in West Palm Beach, FL.
Coburn Goes Private
Gerber Scientific Inc. will sell Coburn Technologies to a Gerber board member and former Coburn officers, including Edward G. Jepsen, Alex Incera, and Wayne Labrecque. They will take the company private. So goes the report from CTNow, a Fox affiliate. Coburn Technologies makes equipment that makes eyeglass lenses.
Husband Wants His Eyeglass-Tattoo Parlor Back
According to Kens5 , Texans have an usual way of dispensing eyewear: “A local business owner accused of trying to have his wife killed is fighting to regain control of his shops. Since Michael Yuchnitz's arrest, his wife, Tina, has had control of their eyeglass and tattoo businesses.”
Another Eye Problem for Stroke Victims Isolated
Omega 3 Diets Fend Off MacD
Another First in Optical Retailing
Yearling "Eye Factory" Wins International Award for Design
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Altered Algorithm Puts Screws to Online Optician
A Most Wonderful Time of the Year--I Guess
According to a company press release, “this holiday season, consumers are invited to join Pearle in helping the world see by supporting OneSight, a family of charitable programs dedicated to preserving and restoring clear vision for those in need,” which is a part of the Luxottica Foundation which is connected to Luxottica, which owns Pearle. “During December, customers can donate their gently-used glasses and help raise money by 'Liking' Pearle's Facebook page. Pearle will donate $1 for every 'Like' (up to $5,000) and will give all glasses collected to OneSight.” So it will pay a dollar for a 'Like,' and every Facebook 'Like' benefits Pearle with some viral marketing, but it will not pay more than five grand—even if there are 100,000 'Likes.' It is a wonder that Pearle finds time to celebrate the holiday season.
Acuvue Recalled in Japan and Europe--Again
A WallStreetJournal wire story reports that “Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) has widened a recall of contact lenses in Japan and other countries because residual traces of an acid have caused stinging or pain in users' eyes...[It] recalled about 492,000 boxes of 1-Day Acuvue TruEye...This follows a recall of about 100,000 boxes of the same product announced in August...About 75% of the recalled products were distributed in Japan...Other countries in the latest recall included Australia, Hong Kong, U.K., France, Germany and Canada.”
Not Just Windows to Your Soul
“ By digitally photographing the tiny, hair-like blood vessels in the back of our eyes, researchers can now look directly at how small blood vessels like those that bring blood to the heart respond to air pollution,” according to MedicalNewsToday.
Eye Injury Stops Middleweight
BoxingNews reports that “WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (43-2, 32 KO’s) is still having problems with his injured right eye. Kessler, 31, dropped out of the Super Six tournament recently due to his complaints of not being able to see well out of his right eye, which he injured in his first Super Six tournament bout a year ago against American Andre Ward in November 2009.”