New Eyewear from Vogue

Adriana Lima

"Vogue Eyewear will launch its new Spring-Summer 2015 communication campaign with three glamorous international muses: Brazilian model Adriana Lima, Indian actress Deepika Padukone and Chinese actress Liu Shi-Shi," writes Midwest Lens. "The faces of the new campaign belong to three women known for their style, glamour and A-list reputation. Launching internationally in January, the campaign speaks to the young, curious and fashion forward female. The campaign images are playful and colorful, truly reflecting the essence of Vogue Eyewear." Read more.

1-800 Contacts Starts New Battle in Mississippi

About two weeks ago, 1-800 Contacts asked the stare legislature of Oregon to look into the pricing policies of contact lens suppliers. It's doing the same in Mississippi as reported in the Clarion-Ledger:

A major online seller of contact lenses wants Mississippi to adopt a law to prevent suppliers and manufacturers from setting a minimum price for them.

1-800-Contacts, a supporter of Senate Bill 2016, says Johnson & Johnson Vision Care implemented a new pricing strategy last year that requires a minimum price for some of their contact lenses.

The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee conducted a public hearing today on the bill, hearing from both 1-800-Contacts officials and officials of Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson & Johnson says the unilateral pricing policies will lead to lower prices for consumers.1-800-Contacts says the pricing strategy is leading to higher prices for consumers that will continue to increase.

Read more.

Cost of Living Rises 25% for People with Sight Loss

“People with sight loss can face at least 25% higher costs for everyday living than those who are fully sighted, according to a new study released by the sight loss charity Thomas Pocklington Trust,” reports Medical News Today. “For the first time, the methods used to calculate Minimum Income Standards (MIS) were applied to the living costs of people with disabilities. The research looked at sight loss and hearing loss and showed clearly that both impairments lead to substantial extra costs if a minimum acceptable standard of living is to be reached.” Read more.

OpticalCEUs to Host Its Annual Spring Continuing Education Program for Opticians

On Sunday, April 26th, OpticalCEUs will host its annual spring continuing education program for opticians at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino. The program, which is in its 16th year, has grown annually since it was founded by Linda Conlin. It attracts opticians from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire as well as from other states. Online registration will begin within the next month at www.OpticalCEU.com.

Prevent Blindness Launches Low-Vision Aid Purchasing Program Online

Visitors to Living Well with Low Vision, lowvision.preventblindness.org, can purchase low-vision aids and products through Enablemart.com. The company will donate 5% of every purchase made through lowvision.preventblindness.org to Prevent Blindness. Prevent Blindness launched Living Well with Low Vision to address the needs of individuals with low vision and their caregivers. The website was specifically developed from the point of view of individuals facing the challenges of vision loss. Read more.

New Eyewear Collection from Emilio Pucci

"Over sea bass, squid ravioli and truffled gnocchi, Emilio Pucci presented its first eyewear line with new partner Marcolin at the Italian Embassy in Paris on Monday night. Poppy Delevingne said she would 'basically be living in them.'” That's the word from Women's Wear Daily. Read more.

New Sunglasses from Eastern States Eyewear

"Eastern States Eyewear has announced the release of its 2015 Jaguar Sunglass collection. As always, the collection features a wide range of premium lens options including Polarized, Blue Blocker and Nano lenses with AR coatings. All protect against lateral glare and provide for clearer, crisper optics," says a Midwest Lens post. "This year also sees the addition of mirror lenses throughout the collection. Available in various shades including red, blue, and silver, these highly fashionable lenses are quality, performance driven and highly fashionable." Read more.

New Eyewear from Miu Miu

"Interplay between experimentation and creativity is the common thread in the new Miu Miu eyewear collection," writes Midwest Lens. "Miu Miu’s creative spirit infuses the entire collection, highlighting an intriguing mix of ironic experimentalism and attention to detail. Each new model strikes the perfect balance between symmetric shapes and irregular profiles, an understated design and precious decorations, slim metal elements and colorful acetate details. For its new special project, Miu Miu reinterprets, with a glamorous flair, two iconic models of the celebrated Rasoir and Noir eyewear collections. The new glasses stay true to their identity yet evolve, combining the irregular shape for which they are renowned with dazzling crystal detailing." Read more.

1-800 Contacts Fights in Oregon for No Minimum Pricing

"An Internet firm that sells contact lenses is trying to persuade Oregon legislators to stop manufacturers from setting a minimum price on their products," reports Oregon Online. "The Internet firm 1-800 Contacts says a new pricing strategy by major contact lens manufacturers is driving up prices to consumers. In recent weeks, the Utah-based firm has distributed $24,000 in political contributions to 19 Oregon legislators as part of a lobbying effort to change the law in about a dozen states and force the manufacturers to reverse course." Read more.

Studying the Blind to See the 21st Century

“Studying the brain activity of blind people, scientists are challenging the standard view of how the human brain specializes to perform different kinds of tasks, and shedding new light on how our brains can adapt to the rapid cultural and technological changes of the 21st Century.” That’s the abstract from Science Daily. Read more.

New Way of Examining a Toddler’s Eyes

“Picture a toddler getting his first eye exam. He's seated in a strange room, with strange instruments and strange bright lights. He can't sit still or open his eyes long enough for that diagnostic poof of air -- especially if he has trouble seeing anyway, as children with achromatopsia do,” reports Science Daily. “But according to research from the Baylor Visual Function Testing Center, future little ones might not have to squirm in their seats during routine eye exams. The research, which was published in JAMA Ophthalmology, explores a new non-invasive technology that's kind of like a handheld CT scanner for the eye. The technology, known as spectral-domain optical coherence tomographic imaging (SD-OCT), helps pediatric ophthalmologists detect achromatopsia by studying retina thickness. It can scan the structure of the eye from a distance, without getting too close to the young patient.” Read more.

Number of Individuals and Treatment Costs for AMD to Rise Dramatically by Middle of Century

The number of individuals with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will jump from two million to 3.4 million by 2032 and 4.4 million by 2050, according to the recent Prevent Blindness report called “Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems.” Treatment costs now run $4.9 billion a year, but they will increase to almost $10 billion in 2032 and $14 billion in 2050.The report notes that the current average age of AMD patients is 80. As a greater number individuals live beyond 80, the number of patients with AMD will increase. Whites and women, who are at higher risk for AMD than other groups, will continue to dominate the total affected population with AMD. Read more.

Intel Buys Swiss Smart Eyewear Startup

“Just as Google has stepped back from making networked eyewear, Intel is stepping into the gap with the purchase of Swiss startup Composyt Light Labs for an undisclosed amount,” according to a post on ZDNET. “A spinoff of the famous Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, known as the EPFL), the company creates smart glass technology that can work with any type of eyewear. For its initial designs, the startup uses an ultra-miniature laser projector (developed by another EPFL start-up Lemoptix) built into the frame of the glasses. This projects images onto a transparent lens, which has a holographic film coating that reflects the information towards the eye.” Read more.

New Eyewear from Esprit

“Esprit understands the importance of style, confidence and comfort when it comes to fashion and lifestyle. Since its founding in the late 1960s, this global brand has fused elements of its sunny Californian heritage with East Coast elegance and chic catwalk accents to create attractive looks that are at once on-trend and classic. Longevity and comfort are quintessential aspects of the Esprit creed. The highest quality standards are applied to ensure that each Esprit product fits well and is made to last,” writes Midwest Lens. “The designers of Esprit eyewear share these fundamental brand principles. This spring brings fresh trend influences to the latest frame profiles. Expressive looks capture next spring/summer’s hottest color directions with glimmering accents and unexpected bursts of color.” Read more.

Calcium Deposits Possible Source of Macular Degeneration (AMD)

"New research from scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) has found that tiny lumps of calcium phosphate may be an important triggering factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a degenerative eye disease that can cause severe vision loss and blindness," reports Medical News Today. "This is the first time these mineral deposits have been implicated in the disease, which affects more than 10 million Americans. The article appeared in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." Read more.

New Eyewear from Elle

"New Elle eyewear for spring summer 2015 conveys the femininity and classic French panache of the brand while infusing each frame with up-to-the-minute design inspirations," according to Midwest Lens. "Sprightly silhouettes are realized in a playful array of zesty spring-like colors and classic shades, in solid and translucent executions and combinations. Elegant profiles are tastefully embellished by Parisian-inspired decorative temples with textured 3-D effects." Read more.

New Eyewear from Prada

"Rigorous designs and geometric shapes, bold volumes and oversize frames. The new models of the Prada Eyewear Collection for women are an inspired blend of contrasting elements," reports Midwest Lens. "The new glasses for women evoke a retro flair, combining essential lines with a creative touch that is conveyed by the models’ original details and expert manufacturing techniques. Large, unmistakable geometric shapes do not leave room for stylistic irregularity, while the frames flaunt thick, bold profiles. Rigor blends with sensuality, giving life to skillfully crafted models. The Prada Machine special fashion show glasses feature perforated metal elements which are perfectly balanced by sinuous shapes, for a feminine yet contemporary style." Read more.

Gene Tied to Retinitis Pigmentosa Discovered

“An exhaustive hereditary analysis of a large Louisiana family with vision issues has uncovered a new gene tied to an incurable eye disorder called retinitis pigmentosa, according to an examination led by scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). It is a family of eye diseases that affects more than 200,000 in the United States and millions worldwide,” according to a Science Daily post.

“In the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, UTHealth's Stephen P. Daiger, Ph.D., and his colleagues report their discovery of a new gene tied to retinitis pigmentosa, which brings the total of genes associated with this sight-threatening disease to more than 60. The gene is called hexokinase 1 (HK1).” Read more.

New Eyewear from Dolce & Gabbana

"The new men’s eyewear collection by Dolce & Gabbana is a continuation of the Basalto theme with an updated, sophisticated construction," reports Midwest Lens. "In the new collection, the amazing technical features of the volcanic rock still ensure the same well-known comfort, lightness and flexibility, but also become a style detail that makes these models distinctive and sophisticated." Read more.

Eyewear Does Make You Look Smart

That’s the essence of a report that appeared a few days ago in the Wall Street Journal (see video). Here’s some of the text:

While trying to look intelligent, a lot of people do things that make them look dumb. For instance, people use big words or put on a poker face—tactics that can backfire for some, studies show. A growing amount of research is teasing out how people form first impressions of others’ intelligence—and how well it works when you try to manage those impressions. The cues people look for in assessing each other’s intelligence are simple. But they aren’t always easy to pull off under pressure. They include showing self-confidence, speaking clearly and smoothly, and responding thoughtfully to what others are saying, research shows. …Some simple stereotypes about intelligence can also shape others’ first impressions. Wearing eyeglasses can lead strangers to regard you as more intelligent, says a 2011 study in the Swiss Journal of Psychology.

The Atlantic Monthly ran a similar article back in August. You might want to give that a glance as well. Think of it as marketing research. With this type of information, which is all supported by social science research, you have more information to offer your patients and customers.