The Vision Council and RX, co-organizers of Vision Expo, announce the new Educational Planning Committee and new members of the OptiCon Advisory Board that will oversee the education program for Vision Expo West 2022 and Vision Expo East 2023. 

The new Educational Planning Committee, which is responsible for developing Vision Expo’s clinical accredited CE program and selecting course topics and speakers, will be co-chaired by Mark Dunbar, OD and Marc Bloomenstein, OD.  Additional members of the committee include: Melissa Barnett, OD; Mick Kling, OD; Millicent Knight, OD; Jack Schaeffer, OD; and Vincent Young, MD. 

Vision Expo’s new education program, featuring more than 320 hours of CE, will debut at Vision Expo West 2022, taking place September 14-17 in Las Vegas.  The Show’s educational program, together with OptiCon®@Vision Expo, will open Wednesday, September 14, and the Exhibit Hall will open Thursday, September 15.  To pre-register, click here.

“The new Education Planning Committee for Vision Expo has developed a unique and comprehensive educational program that offers learning opportunities for every member of the eyecare team.  We have developed an educational curriculum to help expand your practice offerings in areas such as aesthetics, lasers and advanced therapies, as well as myopia control and scleral lenses,” said Mark Dunbar, OD, co-chair of the Educational Planning Committee. 

The OptiCon Advisory Board Members for Vision Expo West and Vision Expo East 2023 have also been selected.  The OptiCon Advisory Board is comprised of members of the American Board of Opticianry & National Contact Lens Examiners (ABO-NCLE) Board of Directors.  The OptiCon Advisory Board develops and oversees the creation of the industry’s premier OptiCon @ Vision Expo Education Program that focuses on subject areas including: Contact Lens, Business and Practice Expertise, and Clinical Concepts, specifically designed for Opticians, Contact Lens Practitioners and Ophthalmic Health Professionals.

The OptiCon Advisory Board co-chairs are: Tina Palumbo, Foerster & Hayes LTD, ABO-NCLE Board Public Member; and Phernell Walker, MBA, ABOM, NCLEC, Pure Optics, LLC.  New additions to the board include: Ledonna Buckner, ABOC, NCLEM, CooperVision Specialty EyeCare; Deedee Finisecy, ABOM, Wagner Opticians; and Bev Harper, ABOC, Owner, Cook Inlet Eyecare.

“ABO-NCLE is proud to partner with Vision Expo to provide Ophthalmic Professionals with the premier source for educational opportunities in Spectacle, Contact Lens, and Allied Health education, as well as providing the OptiCon Hub to expand professional networking opportunities with numerous in-person events,” said Tina Palumbo, OptiCon Advisory Board Co-Chair and ABO-NCLE Board of Directors’ Public Member.

Additional OptiCon Advisory Board Members include: Janet Acara, NCLEM, ABOC, Erie Community College; Tom Barracato, ABOC, NCLEC, Owner, Adolph Optical; Sandy Brown, ABOM, NCLEC, VisionWorks; Curt Duff, ABOM, NCLEM, Owner, Tinder-Krauss-Tinder; and Carri Rivera Russell, NCLEM, Bausch Health Specialty Vision Products, NCLE Chair.

Registration will open in June 2022. To pre-register, click here.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Luxottica and the Sellers announce the completion of the purchase by Luxottica of the 90.9% shareholding in the share capital of Giorgio Fedon & Figli S.p.A., listed on Euronext Growth Milan, organized and managed by Borsa Italiana S.p.A, at a price equal to Euro 17.03 for each share and therefore to an aggregate of approximately Euro 29.4 million.

As Optik NOW reported in April 2022, thanks to cutting-edge technologies and dedicated innovations, the acquisition will allow to better fit the eyewear and spectacles with the cases and packaging to ensure maximum protection and integrity of the product.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Other related news

CooperVision has acquired EnsEyes, the leading supplier of orthokeratology (ortho-k) and scleral contact lenses in Europe’s Nordic region. The company will operate within the CooperVision Specialty EyeCare group.

Headquartered in Kolding, Denmark, EnsEyes has partnered with customers in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland for the past decade, providing customized lenses and professional education. The acquisition is expected to help accelerate growth of specialty lens adoption across these markets.

“We have collaborated with EnsEyes for years, including its use of MyProcornea for lens ordering. Joining CooperVision will give its highly respected team more resources for growth, further build the expertise of our organization, and support eye care professionals’ soaring enthusiasm for specialty fitting,” said Juan Carlos Aragón, OD, President, CooperVision Specialty EyeCare.

EnsEyes founder—optometrist and former CooperVision executive Esben Nørregaard Sørensen—will remain with the company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Click HERE for the full press release. 

The 25^th Transitions Academy brings together over 850 industry experts from 45 countries around the world this week at the J.W. Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando. Attendees will learn about Transitions latest strategic projects and participate in professional development and product technology seminars, hear from experts and educators on marketing and industry trends, and learn from their colleagues and partners at the three-day, invitation-only event, which is themed “Eye Care Love Forever.”

Chrystel Barranger, president EMEA wholesale, EssilorLuxottica and president Essilor photochromics and Transitions Optical, began Thursday morning’s opening session by welcoming attendees from around the world to Transitions Academy and discuss the new reality of the optical industry. Following the opening remarks, Coralie Barrau, senior photobiology scientist, innovation manager for light management, R&D EssilorLuxottica, discussed light management science, and Brian O’Neill, vice president, global innovation, technology and operations, Transitions shared how the 100% renewed Transitions^® portfolio offers tailored solutions to meet patient needs. Charlotte Hamel, global marketing vice president, Transitions, continued the Thursday morning session with a focus on style and showcasing Transitions^® collections. To close the morning session, Hamel highlighted the consumer journey and how to build awareness, consideration, and conversion around Transitions lenses.

Thursday’s curriculum continued with four options for industry and professional development elective sessions:

• Be Inclusive to Better Serve Patients
• Become a Master of Storytelling
• Latest Design Trends to Recommend in Style
• Leadership: The Dynamics of Communication

Thursday afternoon began with a keynote from disruption strategist Shawn Kanungo. Attendees closed the afternoon with another industry or professional development elective of their choice:

• Become a Master of Storytelling
• Embracing Our Phygital World
• Leadership: The Dynamics of Communication
• Unlock Your Potential with the Transitions Portfolio

Transitions Academy continues on Friday with a presentation on how Transitions is a catalyst for growth, beginning with a panel moderated by Chrystel Barranger and featuring perspectives from eye care lovers:

• Ernesto Diaz, president LATAM wholesale, EssilorLuxottica
• Dr. Essence Johnson
• David Rips, president and CEO, Younger Optics
• Fabrizio Uguzzoni, president North America wholesale, EssilorLuxottica
• Walid Elali, GM Magrabi Lens Innovation Center, UAE

Following the panel, Fahem Ben Messaoud, Eric Pecceu, senior vice president and general manager, global sales, Transition, and John Schubach, global director, lenscaster sales, Transitions will share how partners can be successful with Transitions based on results from 2021 and 2022. Regional highlights that can inspire global activations will also be shared from the Transitions Optical team.

Additional Transitions team members will continue the general session with presentations on best practices for accelerating growth with the Transitions portfolio, education, elevating the patient experience in-store and online, and recommending to all eyeglass wearers a complete pair of eyeglasses with frames and lenses.

The general session concludes with Transitions team members celebrating the career and achievements of José Alves, general manager of the America as he retires from Transitions Optical after over 30 years with the company.

Friday morning continues with the following industry and professional development elective sessions:

• Get in the Game: How to Get a Yes
• Latest Design Trends to Recommend in Style
• Unlock Your Potential with the Transitions Portfolio

Friday afternoon begins witha closing keynote “Resilience in the Face of Uncertainty” from Ben Nemtin, author and founder of The Buried Life Movement, which speaks to how leaders and teams must dig deep within themselves to break through and find opportunity in uncertain times. Later that night, Drew Smith, Vanessa Johns, and Laurent Dosseville, commercial director Europe, Transitions, EssilorLuxottica will lead the 2021 Transitions Innovation Awards ceremony, where the winners of the 2021 Transitions Innovation Awards will be announced.

Click HERE for the full press release.

A dedicated Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) volunteer for over two decades, Carol Lithwick has been selected as the winner of the 2022 Vision Champion Award. The recognition, handed out by the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO), honours an individual or organization outside of the eye health provider community for their commitment to vision care for all Canadians.

Carol Lithwick’s connection to vision loss began in the 1980s after her eldest son Stuart was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). That’s when she first discovered FBC, then known as the Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation of Canada. From there, she and her husband Howard became regular donors, never missing an opportunity to show their support and in 2004 Carol joined FBC’s Board of Directors, serving until 2009.

Carol has been an integral part of the success of one of FBC’s most beloved fundraising events, Cycle for Sight, in her home city of Ottawa. When the event was brought to the nation’s capital in 2010, Carol joined the volunteer committee and began recruiting riders, promoting Cycle for Sight to various communities and securing donations for prizes.

When Cycle for Sight pivoted to a virtual event in 2020, Carol rode an indoor bike, took aerobics classes and power walked six days per week for nearly seven weeks leading up to the event. As Carol said, participants were “really just one family with a unified purpose – supporting outstanding research in the hopes of finding treatments and cures for those Canadians who are losing their sight.”

However, Carol’s dedication to sight-saving treatments and cures goes well beyond FBC. Over the past few years, she has become an activist and change-maker, working collaboratively with the CAO to advance vision issues as part of the association’s advocacy efforts. While she has rallied politicians from all levels of government, she has been focused on Members of Parliament (MPs), holding multiple meetings with MPs during May Vision Health Month – all of which is leading to greater awareness and understanding of vision loss and prioritizing the impact it has on Canadians from coast to coast.

“Carol’s passion and storytelling when speaking to political leaders has transformed perceptions of our community,” says FBC’s President and CEO Doug Earle. “Fighting Blindness Canada would not be where we are today without her support.”

Carol adds her 2022 Vision Champion Award to her collection of previous accolades, including an Ontario Volunteer Service Award she took home in 2019. Along with Howard, Stuart and younger son Jonathan, she continues to give generously to FBC and plans to set aside funds for the organization in her will.

Of her dedication to FBC, Carol says “I do it to help find the cure.”

Click HERE for the full press release.