New Research Reveals More than One-Third of Eyewear Users Neglect Proper Care

The Vision Council releases its latest research report, Focused inSights Eyewear Accessories, providing comprehensive insights into American adults’ behaviors, preferences, and purchasing patterns related to eyewear accessories. The report sheds light on the usage and maintenance habits surrounding various eyewear accessories and underscores the importance of proper care and storage of eyewear products to ensure optimal vision.

The survey highlights a variety of eyewear accessories, including eyeglasses cases, eyeglass chains/lanyards, microfiber cloths, eyeglasses replacement/sizing nose pads, lens cleaning wipes, lens cleaning solution, contact lens cases, contact lens solution, and lubricant eye drops. Key findings from the report reveal intriguing insights into the eyewear accessories market in the United States.

Report highlights:

36% of adults admit to using their shirt or another clothing item to clean their glasses, a practice not recommended by eyecare providers.
While 73% of prescription eyeglass wearers use a glasses case, one in five eyewear users neglect to use a case when their glasses are not being worn, with non-prescription glasses users being the most likely culprits. Of those who shopped for accessories at an optical store, a significant proportion reported purchasing lens cleaning solution (71%), cases (69%), or cloths (68%) immediately following their eye exam, indicating a correlation between eyecare provider recommendations and accessory purchases.

Most consumers spent $25 or less on their last eyewear accessory purchase, with most purchasing from big box stores.
Compared to eyeglass accessories, the research highlights higher usage of contact lens-related accessories such as cases, cleaning solution, and lubricant eye drops, emphasizing the specialized care and storage requirements associated with contact lenses.

“Findings from our latest research report suggest that there is ample opportunity for eyecare providers and the industry at-large to emphasize the significance of proper eyewear care and maintenance to consumers. By educating individuals on the importance of using appropriate cleaning methods and storing their eyewear properly, we can help them preserve the quality and durability of their eyewear, ultimately ensuring they see their best.”

Alysse Henkel, Vice President, Research and inSights at The Vision Council

A summary, along with the full research report, is available in The Vision Council’s Research Download Center as a complimentary download for members of The Vision Council, with a paid option for non-members.

The Vision Council’s inSights Research Report serves as a valuable resource for industry stakeholders, providing actionable insights to inform strategic decision-making and enhance the overall consumer experience.

This survey is based on data collected between March 6-8, 2024, among a sample of 2,203 American adults.

About the inSights Research Program 

The Vision Council’s inSights Research Program launched in May 2022 and is built on a foundation of rigorous methodology and cutting-edge technology. The inSights Research Program provides a comprehensive perspective on the state of the optical industry through quarterly consumer survey reports; quarterly in-depth special reports on eyewear and eyecare products and topics; quarterly market estimates; and an annual industry forecast.

Click HERE for the full press release.

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April 19, 2024April 19, 2024

CooperVision Celebrates Earth Day 2024

Thousands of CooperVision employees worldwide are dedicated to improving the way people see each day—and that includes making a positive impact on our planet.

Earth Day 2024 is on 22 April, and CooperVision has many activities planned in celebration, including:

Employees of CooperVision’s LEED^® gold certified manufacturing facility in Alajuela, Costa Rica will campaign to re-collect recycled waste brought in from home. Employees will also have the opportunity to take home compost made from the site’s organic waste for use in their gardens.

CooperVision’s LEED^® gold certified manufacturing facility in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico is celebrating Earth Day all month long through a series of educational sessions and events for employees. The facility will also host an Earth Day Fair with exhibitions featuring energy-efficient equipment, electric cars, educational conferences, sustainable art and houseware, raffles, and more.

Employees of CooperVision’s LEED^® silver certified global packaging and distribution facility in West Henrietta, N.Y. will volunteer their time to pick up waste at a local park and will recycle materials collected as appropriate. On Earth Day, employees at the site will receive reusable produce bags for their grocery shopping.
CooperVision’s LEED^® silver certified manufacturing facility in Scottsville, N.Y. will participate in an Arbor Day event at a local park where, for the third consecutive year, the Scottsville manufacturing team will donate trees to be planted in the community.

For more information about CooperVision’s commitment to sustainability—on Earth Day and every day—visit coopervision.com/about-us/coopervision-sustainability, or I can set you up to speak with Denise Lougheed, Marketing Manager, CooperVision Canada.

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April 19, 2024April 19, 2024

Ray-Ban and Lenny Kravitz Celebrate the Past, Break Boundaries in the Present Creating a Disruptive Future

Ray-Ban teams up with renowned musician and style icon Lenny Kravitz for the latest Ray-Ban Reverse collection. Launched in 2023, Ray-Ban created a cutting-edge inverted lens design shifting from a traditional convex lens to a concave lens.

Now, this disruptive design adds new colorways and joins forces with the Rock & Roll legend in a celebration of defying convention. The Ray-Ban x Lenny Kravitz capsule collection merges the brand’s most iconic shapes with Kravitz’s legendary persona in two special SKUs, + one limited-edition.

Regarded as one of the preeminent rock musicians of our time, Lenny Kravitz has transcended genre, style, race, and class over the course of a three decade-plus musical career. Revelling in the soul, rock, and funk influences of the sixties and seventies, the writer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist has won four GRAMMY® Awards. On the heels of his 12th studio album, Blue Electric Light out on May 24th, Lenny highlights the partnership wearing his capsule collection in his newest single video, “Human.”

“As a lifelong fan of Ray-Ban, their timeless style has always resonated with me. The Ray-Ban Reverse collaboration is a dream come true, allowing me to merge my love for music and fashion with such an iconic brand. It’s about breaking boundaries, embracing individuality, and seeing the world from a new perspective through those innovative lenses.”

Lenny Kravitz

The collection was crafted with consideration for our planet by utilizing a palette of alternative materials such as: bio-nylon lenses1 with a 41% bio-based carbon content, bio-acetate frames with a 67% bio-based carbon content and 100% recycled polyester cleansing cloth and packaging. Finished with a high-performance anti-glare treatment, the lens is primed to reduce up to 70% of the reflections at wavelengths at which the eye is most sensitive.

All Ray-Ban Reverse Collections including the Ray-Ban X Lenny Kravitz capsule collection can be purchased at all Ray-Ban Stores and Ray-Ban.com and are available throughout all owned and operated EssilorLuxottica wholesale channels. Special exclusives can be found at Sunglass Hut and Grand Vision banners.

Discover The Lenny Kravitz Collection

Originally designed for U.S. pilots in 1937, the immortal aviator shape now stands as one of the most iconic sunglass models in the world with its classic straight top bar.

Favoured for its fusion of quality, performance, comfort, and eternal style. Enter in the Ray-Ban Reverse x Lenny Kravitz Collection, created with the inimitable artist, featuring a Black Aviator Reverse, Chrome Aviator Reverse and a limited- edition in Gold Plated Aviator.

Each piece hosts a Lenny Kravitz signature etched on the left lens, with special packaging and a premium case both signed by Lenny Kravitz.

2024 Colour Adds: Washed Lenses

Embodying the vintage look and feel, the Ray-Ban Reverse collection adds several colorful washed lenses. This effect is achieved by lightly sanding the surface of the lens to fade the tint.

The lenses slightly reveal your eyes while keeping the same technical features that made Reverse a solid product: UV light protection, back-side anti-reflection, bio-based lens material.

Colour additions include: a Burgundy Washed Lens in a Gold Aviator Frame and a Blue Washed Lens in a Black Acetate Wayfarer Frame. A special Aviator made with rose- gold lenses and a silver frame will be available exclusively at Sunglass Hut.

Click HERE for the full press release.

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April 17, 2024March 22, 2024

Silhouette – SPX Illusion Family has Grown withThree Additional Models

Voila Optik March-April 2024 COS Silhouette

Silhouette’s SPX Illusion collection offers popular shapes in easy-to-wear colours. Models 2960 (featured) and 1617 are tailored for wearers who need smaller sizes, and complete perfectly the existing collection. Model 2961 extends the range of men’s shapes. Made of high-tech SPX®+ material, the frames are lightweight, durable and hypoallergenic.

Distributed by COS: canadianoptical.com

About COS:

For over 70 years, COS has prided itself on its commitment to providing customers with unparalleled service and superior products. Founded in 1951 by Fred and Judith Hochstadter, with the specific goal of offering something truly innovative to independent eye care professionals in Canada, and based in Montreal, COS is a family-run business that represents a wide variety of high-quality frames. They are also Silhouette’s exclusive Canadian distributor since the brand was established in 1964.

The heart of COS business lies in the relationship with each client. The goal of the sales representatives and customer service team is to develop long-term, in-depth ties based upon customer-satisfaction and respect. With every interaction, COS dedicates itself to delivering the exact results that customers desire and their needs require. When it comes to offering truly top of the line service, COS is nothing short of groundbreaking. To further elevate and ensure the quality of the finished product, whether it is a beautiful pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses, the company installed its own finishing lab for the cutting and mounting of lenses along with providing advice to its client base. The in-house lab is one more way that COS has helped streamline the process for customers even further, creating a single contact point for all questions, concerns and feedback.

April 16, 2024March 25, 2024

Seeing Beyond the Crisis: A Strategic Vision for Eye Care Recruitment

Image representing eye-care recruitment: lose-up photograph of a row of "meeple" game pieces; a hand has selected one piece and a smiley face is super-imosed over that piece.

By Tim Brennan

The eye care industry, a nexus of health, style, and innovation, is at a critical juncture. Despite being a field ripe with opportunities, we are faced with a recruitment crisis. This is our clarion call to action, our moment to harness the latent potential within and address the pressing challenge of attracting and retaining a future-focused workforce.

Eye Care Recruitment in Crisis: An Opportunity Cloaked in Urgency

It’s an unsettling paradox that such an appealing industry is grappling with talent acquisition. The crux of the issue lies in our short-term tactics and the perennial race against the clock, fulfilling the needs of today while the foresight for tomorrow remains blurred.

Why is this sector a beacon for aspirants? It offers a unique combination of compassionate healthcare services and the sleek sophistication of fashion, all underpinned by technological advancement. Yet, our outreach remains narrow, appealing only to those actively seeking employment rather than inspiring a broader, more diverse audience to join our ranks.

Why is there a crisis in eye care recruitment?

Our industry has been content with ‘Best Practices’, comfortably treading water in familiar territory. We’ve focused on those with resumes at the ready, failing to cast our net wider to those not yet contemplating the rich and varied careers in eye care.

How do we break free from the current paradigm that holds us back? By shifting our perspective from short-term, reactionary methods to controlled, long-term planning. Eye care recruitment must be reimagined—not as a series of transactions but as a strategic endeavor.

How will mentorship and education lead to success in eye care recruitment?

Overhead photograph representing eye care recruitment: a team collaborrating with computers and charts, with an overlay of several different icons representing people and business.

Addressing the challenge of filling specialized roles like optometrists and opticians requires a multifaceted approach, particularly considering that these professions demand extensive education and training. While the power to expand educational opportunities often lies with educational governance structures, there’s a time-proven strategy within our reach: mentorship. This approach, far from being novel, has long been a cornerstone in the optical industry.

Through mentorship, seasoned professionals can guide, inspire, and motivate those embarking on or considering these demanding career paths. It’s an invaluable tool for career development, ensuring a continuous influx of well-prepared professionals ready to uphold and advance the standards of eye care. By strengthening mentorship initiatives, we not only support individual career growth but also contribute significantly to addressing our industry’s longterm staffing needs.

Imagine the transformation if, instead of competing for a finite pool of candidates, we joined forces to build the workforce of tomorrow. By leveraging advanced processes such as human analytics and behavioral science, we can align personalities with roles that not only fit but flourish within our industry.

Collaborative Innovation: A Path Forward

What if our collective effort could create a talent incubator, nurturing the next generation of associates and eye care professionals? Examples abound in other industries where collaboration has led to robust talent pipelines and shared success.

We’ve witnessed industries pivot and thrive by adopting such collaborative strategies. The food manufacturing sector, for example, has united to spectacular results, with applications and retention rates soaring. We don’t have the luxury to be passive observers; action is imperative.

It’s time for the torchbearers of industry: associations, buying groups, professional circles, and leading companies to ignite this change. We need visionaries who can transcend traditional boundaries and initiate a movement toward strategic eye care recruitment.

The Future is Clear—Let’s Shape It Together

Who will answer the call to reshape our industry’s future? It begins with leadership willing to invest in tomorrow, today. Together, we can cultivate an environment that not only draws talent but also empowers, retains, and celebrates it.

The future of eye care must be envisioned with clarity and courage. We have a responsibility to act decisively, crafting a legacy of innovation in recruitment that will sustain and invigorate our industry for decades to come.

Tim Brennan is Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of FitFirst Technologies. Tim’s approach to hiring is not just about filling positions; it’s about igniting conversations and transforming the very nature of workforce development. His expertise and insights are derived from projects across a broad spectrum of North American industries, including extensive work in the eye care industry. FitFirst continues to redefine what it means to hire smarter, bringing cutting-edge technology and strategic thinking to the forefront of talent acquisition.