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AAO Announces 2024 Award Recipients

AAO American Academy of Optometry logo

Each year the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) recognizes distinguished individuals who have made countless important contributions to advancing the profession of optometry.

Inspiring Excellence in Eye Care: The Academy’s awardees are nominated by Fellows who were inspired by the amazing achievements each awardee attained in research, education, leadership, and/or service to our profession. Come join us in Indianapolis to celebrate and inspire the next generation of optometrists and vision scientists,” said Melissa D. Bailey, OD, PhD, FAAO, Awards Committee Chair.

The Academy is pleased to announce the 2024 award recipients:

Nathan Efron, PhD, DSc, FAAO

Charles F. Prentice Medal and Lecture Award

Geunyoung Yoon, PhD

Glenn A. Fry Award and Lecture (American Academy of Optometry Foundation Award)

Safal Khanal, OD, PhD, FAAO

Irvin M. and Beatrice Borish Award

Godwin Overseri-Ogbomo, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO, FNCO, FHEA

American Academy of Optometry – Essilor Award for Outstanding International Contributions to Optometry

Lotfi Merabet, PhD, OD, MPH

William Feinbloom Award

Barbara Cohn, OD, FAAO

Brien Holden Humanitarian Award

Lyndon W. Jones, DSc, PhD, FAAO

Carel C. Koch Memorial Medal Award

Andrew Rixon, OD, FAAO

Vincent Ellerbrock Clinician Educator Award

Sidney Parks

Julius F. Neumueller Award in Optics (American Academy of Optometry Foundation Award)

Vinita Henry, OD, FAAO Danica J. Marrelli, OD, FAAO

Michael G. Harris Family Award for Excellence in Optometric Education (American Academy of Optometry Foundation Award)

Ruth Y. Shoge, OD, MPH, FAAO

AAOF Excellence in Diversity Awareness and Education Award

Stuti Misra, PhD, BOptom, FAAO

AAOF Outstanding Emerging Leader Award

Barbara Caffery, OD, PhD, FAAO

Tony Adams Eminent Service Award

Lan G, Aglyamov SR, Larin KV, Twa MD.

In vivo human corneal shear-wave optical coherence elastography. OVS2021;98:58-63

Garland Clay Award

The Awards Ceremony will be Friday, November 8, at 8:00 am during Academy 2024 Indianapolis in Sagamore Ballroom 1&2 of the Indiana Convention Center. One hour of CE credit can be accrued during this two-hour event.

Awards of the Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies

James Wolffsohn, BSc, MBA, PhD, FAAO

Founders’ Award

Barbara Caffery, OD, PhD, FAAO

Max Schapero Memorial Lecture Award

The Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies Awards will be presented during the Section Awards Ceremony and Max Schapero Lecture on Wednesday, November 6, at 5:00 pm at the Indiana Convention Center. Half an hour of CE credit can be achieved during this one-hour session.

Award of the Public Health and Environmental Vision Section

Timothy A. Wingert, OD, FAAO

Henry B. Peters Award for Public Health and Environmental Vision

(American Academy of Optometry Foundation Award)

The Public Health and Environmental Vision Section will hold their Section Awards Ceremony and Henry

B. Peters Lecture on Thursday, November 7, at 5:00 pm at Indianapolis Marriott. Receive an hour of CE credit by attending this event!

Click HERE for the press release.

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Transitions® Showcases Gen S at Festival d’été de Quebec

Transitions GEN S

Transitions® showcased Gen STM at the Festival d’été de Québec from July 4 to July 14. Located on Grande Allée, the booth featured an eye-catching setup that attracted festivalgoers eager to explore the offerings.

Each evening from 4 PM to 10 PM, Transitions welcomed over 100 visitors eager to learn about the GEN S lenses, test them, try them out, and get their questions answered about Transitions. Launched earlier this year, Transitions GEN S is recognized as the fastest1 dark lens in the clear-to-dark photochromic category, transitioning from fully clear indoors to darkening in just seconds2 outdoors while adapting seamlessly to changing light conditions.

Key Features of Transitions GEN S:

  • GEN SPEED™: Ultra-responsive to light
    • Transitions GEN S is the fastest dark lens2 in the clear-to-dark photochromic category. It is fully clear indoors and darkens in seconds3 outdoors. It is ultra-responsive to light, reaching category three levels of darkness in 25 seconds4 and fading back in less than two minutes5. When asked, 88% of wearers agreed that Transitions GEN S lenses adapted so fast to light that they didn’t or barely noticed the change6.
  • GEN STYLE™: Spectacular colour palette
    • Transitions GEN S is available in eight exclusive colours, including a brand-new addition: Transitions GEN S ruby. All colours have been optimized to be true to tone at all stages, offering vibrant tints in any light. While being fully clear indoors and beautifully coloured outdoors, Transitions GEN S provides endless possibilities of pairing to complement any look.
  • GEN SMART™: HD vision at the speed of your life
    • Transitions GEN S offers better vision quality, faster to ensure a continuous visual experience 7A versus clear lenses. During fade back, tests have shown a 39.5% improvement in contrast sensitivity 7B and 40% faster vision recovery 7B versus the previous generation. Moreover, Transitions GEN S provides ultimate light protection, darkening outdoors, blocking 100 percent UVA & UVB rays and filtering up to 32 percent of blue violet light in the clear state and up to 85 percent when activated8.

Throughout the event, attendees participated in the “Connect with Transitions®” contest, sharing their experiences for a chance to win Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses featuring Transitions technology. Visitors also left the booth with branded materials, including educational brochures, lens cloths, and shoelaces that light up, all designed to create conversations surrounding the newly launched Gen S product.

Arnaud Rajchenbach, Marketing & sales Manager of Transitions Canada, said, “At Transitions, we believe in the power of connection. Our presence at the Festival d’été de Québec allowed us to directly engage with our audience, educate consumers on the Transitions brand and share our passion for eye health and stylish lens solutions in a vibrant setting.”

Click HERE for the press release.

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REFERENCES  

1. Vision quality improved in challenging light conditions, notably when moving from a bright to a darker environment (source B, Transitions® GEN S™ compared to Transitions Signature GEN 8), in bright to very bright light situations (source A, Transitions® GEN S™ compared to clear lenses) and in low light with peaky stray light (source A, Transitions® GEN S™ compared to clear lenses).

2. For gray lenses in the clear to dark (category 3) photochromic category. Transitions® GEN S™ lenses fade back faster to 70% transmission while achieving less than 14% transmission when activated at @ 23°C.   

3. For polycarbonate & CR39 lenses across colors achieving 18% transmission at 23°C.

4. For gray polycarbonate & CR39 lenses achieving 18% transmission @ 23°C.  

5. For gray polycarbonate & CR39 lenses with a premium anti-reflective coating fading back to 70% transmission @ 23°C.

6. Source: Wearers Test conducted by an external market research agency in the US in Q1, 2023 with 135 prescription lens wearers wearing 1.67 index lenses with a premium AR coating in gray Transitions® GEN S™.

7. A: Subject-masked cross-over randomized controlled investigation performed in 2023 on 30 healthy participants (19.2 ± 1.3 years). Testing light stress (discomfort and disability glare, photostress recovery) with the clear and darkest states of gray Transitions® GEN S™ 1.6 index lenses with a premium anti-reflective coating compared to clear 1.6 index lenses with a premium anti-reflective coating. Principal Investigator Prof Billy R. Hammond.

7. B: Subject-masked cross-over randomized controlled investigation performed in 2023 on 10 healthy pre-trained participants (29.5 ± 4.0 years). Testing contrast sensitivity during fade back with gray Transitions® GEN S™ 1.6 index lenses with a premium anti-reflective coating compared to gray Transitions Signature GEN 8 1.6 index lenses with a premium anti-reflective coating. Principal Investigator Prof Pablo Artal. Accepted abstract at ARVO 2024. Duarte-Toledo R, Mompeán J et al., A new photochromic lens improves contrast sensitivity during fade back.

8. For polycarbonate and CR39 lenses across colors. Blue-violet light is measured between 400nm and 455nm (ISO TR 20772:2018).  

Turboflex KIDS: Built with Kids in Mind

Aspex Turboflex

Being playful is part of being a kid, which is why Turboflex KIDS frames are perfect to withstand kids’ day to day lives. From sports to wrestling on the couch, these flexible and durable frames are powered by the 360-degree hinge to provide the best childproof frame around. Available in different colours and styles.

Featured model: EC692

Distributed by Aspex : www.aspexeyewear.com

About Aspex

Since its inception in 1965, Aspex Eyewear has established itself as one of the industry’s leaders in both eyewear design and advanced engineering. With head offices in Montreal, Miami, and Paris, this family-owned company is one of the world’s largest global distributors of quality eyewear and sun wear, serving markets in North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia.

Responsible for industry breakthroughs including EasyClip, the original magnetic clip-on technology, and EasyTwist memory metal eyewear, as well as its worldwide patented Turboflex 360 rotating hinge, Aspex continues to set the bar for innovation in eyewear technology.

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Optometry Giving Sight Launches New Year-Round Giving Campaign

Optometry Giving Sight logo a turquoise eye with black icons in the shape of people for the iris


Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) has launched a new program to provide optometry practices with ways to support OGS’s work on a year-round basis by integrating fundraising activities into their everyday business operations. The initiative is called TEAM OGSTogether Eyecare Achieves Miracles – and is available to all optometry practitioners in the United States and Canada.

Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to end preventable blindness and vision impairment globally. As “Optometry’s Charity,™” OGS raises funds from optometrists, optometry practices, and optometry-related businesses and corporations to award grants for sustainable, impactful projects that expand the profession and improve access to vision care in underserved areas of the world.

“Since the inception of OGS, the optometry community has generously supported our work, particularly through our annual World Sight Day Challenge, which began in 2007.”

Lois Schoenbrun ,OGS Executive Director, CAE (Ret.), FAAO

“The World Sight Day Challenge is, historically, our largest fundraising activity. But it runs only two months out of the year, explains Schoenbrun.  “Optometry practices began asking us for ways to raise funds throughout the year as well. So, TEAM OGS was born.”

“Optometrists and optometry practices are very generous and compassionate,” she adds.  “Most practices are quite involved in their local communities, whether they have formal corporate social responsibility programs in place or not. Their support of OGS – and participation in TEAM OGS – demonstrate their concern for people throughout the world who have little to no access to vision care.”

TEAM OGS A new way to give sight & change lives

Through TEAM OGS, practices can select from a variety of ways to raise funds for OGS through the normal course of doing business.  Options include: donating a day of eye exam fees each month; choosing to give a percentage of eyeglass frames or products sold; promoting vision care rebate and reward programs that benefit OGS; or engaging their patients in ways to give. There is no cost to join TEAM OGS, and all materials for the program are provided at no charge.

According to Schoenbrun, one of the primary considerations for selecting which fundraising activities to include in TEAM OGS was how easy it would be for optometry professionals to participate. “We know how busy optometrists and their staffs are,” she says, “and we wanted to make it easy for them to participate in TEAM OGS, so their focus can remain on caring for patients every day.”

Click HERE for the press release.

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Visionario’s “Breaking News” Campaign: A Tribute to Sunglasses

Mood Eyewear Visionario Vergara

Visionario’s new campaign, “Breaking News”, portays the celebrity-paparazzi relationship. International outlets promote these images on a daily basis, in which sunglasses play a key roll- an incognito accessory that at the same time is an element that stands out.

The Vergara model is from the Essentials collection. This frame is made of cellulose acetate and the lenses offer 100% UVA and UVB protection.

Distributed by Mood Eyewear: www.moodeyewear.com

About Mood Eyewear:

Mood Eyewear Inc is proud to lead in the latest European optical trends, integrating European fashion influences to enhance the visual experience. We consider it both a duty and an honor to support our business partners by providing personalized and efficient service. Our exclusive collections are carefully curated to blend creativity, innovation, art, design, craftsmanship, and cutting-edge technology.

Established in 2006, Mood Eyewear was founded with the aim of importing and offering prestigious optical and sunglass collections to the Canadian market. Our group ensures the distribution of renowned European brands, selected for their quality and distinctive aesthetics. 

We are the exclusive distributors in Canada for brands such as Blackfin, Woodys, Le Parc, Visionario, X-Ide, MIC, I-Man, Komono, and Kunoquist.

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