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December 6, 2021December 6, 2021

Safilo, Special Olympics International Together Again Until 2024

Safilo Group and Special Olympics, the international non-profit organisation dedicated to transforming the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, renew their partnership, which will see them united again for the next three years.

Thanks to this renewal, Safilo and Special Olympics have further strengthened their relationship, which began in 2003 and is now celebrating its 18^th anniversary. It is an important milestone especially considering that over the years more than 1.3 million frames and sunglasses have been donated to Special Olympics athletes all over the world, as part of the Special Olympics Lions Clubs International Foundation Opening Eyes® program.

Safilo’s commitment is represented not only by the donation of optical frames, but also by the personal involvement of the Group’s employees who have participated, as volunteers, in initiatives linked to the organisation of Opening Eyes events.

“We are very proud to announce the renewal for the next three years of our partnership with Special Olympics, as we are continuing to strengthen the journey we began 18 years ago,” said Angelo Trocchia, CEO of Safilo Group. “Our goal from the very first day has been to create a lasting relationship and commit ourselves daily to supporting specific programmes aimed at correcting sight defects with the awareness of having a decisive and positive impact on the lives of millions of people around the world through the donation of our frames and sunglasses.”

“Special Olympics is honored to gain the continued support of Safilo Group as part of a shared commitment to providing inclusive health for individuals with intellectual disabilities,” says David Evangelista, President and Managing Director, Special Olympics Europe Eurasia.

In addition to donations of frames and sunglasses, the partnership also provides Special Olympics athletes with the opportunity to benefit from eye examinations and referrals for follow-up checks through Opening Eyes services supported by Safilo and other cooperate sponsors in the eye care community.

Click HERE for the full press release.

December 6, 2021May 19, 2026

Transitions Announces December Style Contest Promotion in Canada

To celebrate the holiday season, Transitions Optical Canada is announcing a new promotion, ‘December Style Contest’ which will run from Dec. 3 – Dec. 20. The contest encourages optical industry professionals to show off their winter “eye style” by posting photos of themselves pairing their favorite Transitions^® lenses with their go-to December outfits. Participants will be entered for each photo they post on the Transitions Optical’s Canada PRO Facebook page. Every photo shared (up to 17 total) will be counted as one entry in the contest for a chance to win a $1000 CAD gift card.

“With the year coming to a close, we wanted to find a fun and interactive way to get our community engaged,” said Arnaud Rajchenbach, marketing & sales manager, Transitions Optical in Canada. “The ‘December Style Contest’ promotion is the perfect way for our industry friends and partners to connect with us and with each other by sharing their unique style, engage in fun conversations, and celebrate the variety of style options of Transitions lenses.”

More information on the Transitions Canada pro Facebook page. The winner will be announced early January 2022.

Click HERE for the full press release.

December 3, 2021May 20, 2026

JPLUS: Visions of Freedom

The 2021 collection is a mixture of emotions, sensations, ideas and vision. JPLUS is inspired by the Beat Generation’s desire for life and freedom, combining soft lines and strong features, and a choice between bold and thin.

Each frame is embellished with the refined hallmark “J”. Vibrant red, blue and green colours now complement classic black and Havana.

Featured model: Aiko

Distributed by JPLUS: www.pluseyewear.com

December 3, 2021December 2, 2021

Supporting Vision Researchers of Tomorrow

Fighting Blindness Canada’s inaugural vision research competition, ‘Eye on the Cure presented by FYidoctors’, premiered on Saturday, November 13, 2021. In front of three judges – Dr. Al Ulsifer, CEO and Chairman at FYidoctors, Dr. Michel Cayouette, Director, Cellular Neurobiology Research Unit at Montreal Clinical Research Institute and Tara James, Chair, Fighting Blindness Canada Board of Directors – early-stage vision researchers battled it out for $100,000 in awards to support their research and advance their innovations.

“Now more than ever, it is so important to encourage and invest in the research of tomorrow. We are so excited to have the opportunity to spotlight and support these talented young researchers as they work to develop new diagnostics and treatments for vision loss.” – Larissa Moniz PhD, Director of Research and Mission Programs

The Competitors:

Jovi Wong, MD, MSc, DPhil, Ophthalmology resident, University of Toronto

Jovi is trying to increase access to eye screening by developing an eye exam that can be done with your smartphone. Jovi is combining a smartphone fundoscope and artificial intelligence that could allow health care workers in rural, remote or underserved areas to more easily diagnose eye disease in order to prevent unnecessary vision loss.

Stephan Ong Tone, MDCM, PhD, FRCSC, Clinician Scientist, Assistant Professor, Sunnybrook Research Institute

Stephan is developing an innovative way to improve corneal transplantation. Stephan will be testing if vesicles gathered from placental cells can improve transplantation by reducing scarring and the risk of rejection.

Justin Belair-Hickey, PhD Candidate, PhD candidate, University of Toronto

Justin’s research is trying to advance our understanding of stem cells and cell therapy for retinal degeneration. Justin is trying to recreate macular development in the laboratory with the hope that understanding this process will provide crucial knowledge that allows researchers to more efficiently produce cone photoreceptor cells for cell replacement therapy.

Etienne Benard-Seguin, MD, MD resident, University of Calgary & Abdullah Al-Ani, MD-PhD Candidate, PhD candidate, University of Calgary

Etienne and Abdullah are trying to improve the diagnosis of optic neuritis allowing more accurate and quicker treatment. They are testing a new low-cost and accessible software based on artificial intelligence modelling. They hope this will lower costs, lead to more consistent and robust diagnosis and better outcomes for patients with optic neuritis.

Dr. Jovi Wong, winner of the Researcher to Watch Award

The Winners:

Dr. Jovi Wong was awarded $50,000 Researcher to Watch Award. Watch Jovi accepting the award.

The $30,000 Heathbridge Capital People’s Choice Award was given to Dr. Stephan Ong Tone. You can watch a recording of the live announcement on FBC’s Facebook page.

Dr. Stephan Ong Tone, winner of the Heathbridge Capital People’s Choice Award

The remaining finalists were awarded $10,000 Inspiration Awards, to help kick-start their research projects.

Purchased tickets and donations helped raise over $150,000 in support of FBC.

Watch the show from November 13 HERE.

Click HERE for the full press release.

December 3, 2021December 2, 2021

OSI Group Releases New Version of Optosys® in a Unique Event Format

A new version of the Optosys® Solution software was introduced on Sunday, November 7 and 14 during a brand-new format of Optosys® Events. Both OSI Group members and the public were invited to discover version 44 and learn about the software’s best practices at a virtual event in the form of a live Talk Show hosted by Optosys® experts.

Entirely developed in Canada by OSI Group, Optosys® is an all-in-one clinic management solution designed to meet the specific needs of optometrists and opticians. V44 offers many innovations such as a redesigned and simplified interface as well as many additional features and enhanced security settings to protect even more patient data.

More than 200 attendees participated in the first edition of these events, who were given the option to log in to either the French or English edition. Among the guests, Drs. Patrick Simard and Curtis Akerman, users of the software and OSI Group members, shared their best practices on using the EMR along with the electronic forms and referral letters.

“Optosys® users were pleased to see just how much the software helped simplify their workload. They also appreciated the timesaving benefits its use provided clinic staff. General feedback from the event was overall extremely positive,” said Marie-Hélène Morin, Director of Optosys® at OSI Group.

Click HERE for the full press release.