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May 25, 2023May 23, 2023

Cyclists Ride Through the GTA to Bring Hope to Canadians Living with Blindness

On Saturday, June 3^rd, hundreds of cyclists will be gearing up and riding together in Alliston, ON for Fighting Blindness Canada’s 15th Annual Cycle for Sight fundraising event in support of vision research. This year, the nationally hosted event is expected to raise over $500,000 bringing hope to 1.2 million Canadians living with vision loss.

With ride distance options ranging from 18 to 100km, Cycle for Sight is a challenging and fun one-day ride, culminating in a finish line celebration with lunch and free massages for participants. Also attending this year’s event includes Canadian Paralympic athletes Victoria Nolan and Maya Jonas, and New Tecumseth Ward 4 Councillor Alan Masters.

“To date, Cycle for Sight has raised $6.2 million, contributing directly to research that is transforming lives,” said Mirja Raita, Manager, Cycle for Sight. “Riders are not just helping their friends and family members impacted by vision loss, they’re helping as many as 8 million Canadians living with an eye condition that puts them at risk of blindness.”

Cycle for Sight Toronto is 1 of 5 Fighting Blindness Canada cycling rides taking place across Canada. A virtual participation opportunity is also available for individuals to enjoy an activity at their own pace: walking, running, dancing, or simply moving, all in support of sight-saving research.

Register or sign-up to volunteer for a Cycle for Sight event near you at cycleforsight.ca

Date: Saturday, June 3, 2023

Time: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (intro and warm-up begin at 8 a.m., first cyclists depart at 8:30 a.m.)

Choice of distances: 18km, 35km, 50km, 80km, or 100km rides starting and finishing at Gibson Centre and PPG Park, 63 Tupper St. W, Alliston, ON.

Click HERE for the press release.

May 24, 2023May 24, 2023

And the Transitions Innovation Award Winners Are…

The winners of the 2022 Innovation Awards were announced May 23 at Transitions Academy 2023 in Orlando, FL.

Transitions Healthy Sight Ambassador

The Transitions Healthy Sight Ambassador award celebrates an individual who best showcases their dedication to being an influential healthy sight advocate by embodying one or more of Transitions’ values of quality, education, service, and innovation.

The 2022 winner is:

Camelia Hammiche, optician and district manager – Lunetterie New Look Eyewear (Montréal, Quebec)

Canada Eyecare Practice of the Year

The Canada Eyecare Practice of the Year title recognizes independent eyecare practices in Canada that are actively promoting healthy sight to their patients and within their local communities, and who have demonstrated excellence in supporting Transitions’ values.

The 2022 winner is :

Canada Retailer of the Year

The Canada Retailer of the Year title is awarded to a retailer in Canada for actively supporting Transitions’ values and demonstrating a commitment to enhancing the vision of their customers and communities.

The 2022 winner is:

Lunetterie New Look Eyewear

May 23, 2023May 23, 2023

HOYA Launches ‘Visionary Insiders’ Loyalty Program for Canadian Eye Care Providers

HOYA Vision Care announced the official launch of its Visionary Insiders loyalty program designed to meet professional needs of independent eye care providers through a global knowledge base and business tools, advice, and support to help them to run their business their way – independently.

Visionary Insiders is an exclusive community of independent visionaries provided with tools, benefits, and rewards. Supported by three loyalty tiers – Insider, Pro, and Elite – each allows ECPs to earn point multipliers as their loyalty tier increases. Exclusive value-added services are also unlocked at each level.

Visionaries at all tiers receive a personalized, real-time dashboard that shows points earned and opportunities to earn more, as well as single sign-on (SSO) access to the HOYA Hub, and the HOYA Learning Center.

No contract is required, and the program is complimentary to all HOYA partners in Canada.

Visionary Insiders is structured by point-based tiers to meet ECPs’ unique business and patient needs:

Insider – Receive Rewards on eligible HOYA products and access to HOYA product and technology training modules.
Pro – Reward multipliers on eligible HOYA products, personalized lab tours, ECP Locator listing, preferred pricing on additional services, and all the benefits of the Insider level plus more.
Elite – Additional reward multipliers on eligible HOYA products, multi-pair extension, myopia clinic consultation, and all the benefits of the Insider and Pro levels plus more.

“I am thrilled to announce the arrival of our rewards program. We have created a program that our valued HOYA customers will enjoy,” said Steven Haifawi, President of HOYA Vision Care, Canada. “Our concept is simple: we support our customers to grow their business with high-quality products for their patients. We aim to be a great business partner so they have the choice and flexibility to do what is best for their clientele.”

Eye care providers wanting to enroll in Visionary Insiders can click here or talk to their local HOYA Territory Manager.

Click HERE for the full press release.

May 23, 2023May 23, 2023

Cyclists Ride Together in Langley to Bring Hope to Canadians Living with Blindness

On Saturday, June 3^rd, hundreds of cyclists will be gearing up and riding together in Langley, B.C. for Fighting Blindness Canada’s 10th Annual Cycle for Sight West Coast fundraising event in support of advancing vision research and bringing hope to the estimated 1.2 million Canadians living with vision loss.

With ride distance options ranging from 30km, 60km, 90km, and 120km, the event is a challenging and fun one-day ride, culminating in a finish line celebration party and BBQ. This year, Cycle for Sight West Coast is expected to raise over $180,000.

“Having Fighting Blindness Canada and its supporters on our side means the world to our family,” said Christina Henderson, Chair of this year’s Cycle for Sight West Coast, and mother of two children living with vision loss. Christina’s ‘Hendo’s Heroes’ team – a dedicated group of over 15 friends and family members – raised over $47,000 last year and has challenged each other to surpass this amount this year.

Cycle for Sight West Coast is 1 of 5 Fighting Blindness Canada cycling rides taking place across Canada. A virtual participation opportunity is also available for individuals to enjoy an activity at their own pace: walking, running, dancing, or simply moving, all in support of sight-saving research.

Register or sign-up to volunteer for the event at cycleforsight.ca

Date: Saturday, June 3, 2023

Time: 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (intro and warm-up begin at 8 a.m., first cyclists depart at 8:15 a.m.)

Choice of distances: LOOP ride starting and finishing at West Langley Hall with four distance options.

Source: Fighting Blindness Canada

May 23, 2023May 29, 2023

OGS Names Susy Yu to Board of Directors

Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) has announced the addition of Susy Yu, OD, MBA, FAAO, to its board of directors.

“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Dr. Yu to our board of directors. Her years of experience in optometry—in practice, administration, governance, and leadership—will be an enormous asset as she brings valuable insight to the benefit of OGS and our partners,” said Lois Schoenbrun, executive director, OGS.

Dr. Yu has served for more than 20 years as director of strategy and operations support at Vision Essentials by Kaiser Permanente. She earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry, and a master’s in business administration from the Anderson School at UCLA. Dr. Yu was previously a member of the California State Board of Optometry, and currently serves on the National Board of Examiners in Optometry.

Over the last 20 years, OGS funding has provided basic eye care services to more than 8 million people, assisted with training more than 14,000 eye care personnel, established more than 130 vision centers, and served people in more than 40 countries. In the last two years alone, OGS has provided funding to more than 30 project partners around the world, totaling more than $1.5 million in grants.

For more information or to donate, visit givingsight.org.

Click HERE for the full press release.