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July 26, 2021February 21, 2022

United Nations Mandates Vision For All with Landmark Resolution

A landmark resolution by United Nation General Assembly has been passed unanimously by 193 member nations committing the international community to eye care for the 1.1 billion people living with preventable sight loss by 2030.

This is the first time the Vision Care sector has been formally recognized by the United Nations (UN) and represents the culmination of years of effort by multiple stakeholders in the vision community; most notably The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’s (IAPB) UN Friends of Vision Group, and IAPB’s many commercial Patrons and Group A sponsors including the World Council of Optometry.

The UN resolution provides the framework for stakeholders, including the World Health Organization (WHO), governments and the private sector to ensure there is full access to eye care services for the public and make eye health part of every nation’s responsibility to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Not Just a Developing Nation Issue
Dr. Scott Mundle, Winnipeg Optometrist and Past President of the World Council of Optometry and the Canadian Association of Optometrists is ecstatic that the United Nations adopted the resolution. “It is now up to us, industry, governments and the private sector to ensure there is full access to eye care services for the public, and to make eye health part of every nation’s responsibility.

While we think such issues are a developing world problem, we have many communities within Canada that don’t have adequate access to vision care. This resolution will help us speak to the Canadian government to improve access to vision care for all Canadians.”

Vision and eye health problems in Canada’s Indigenous communities have been a well recognized problem for many years. The Federation of Optometric Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FORAC) had established a Cultural Competency Working group in conjunction with Indigenous groups to develop a policy statement promoting cultural competency in optometry. FORAC’s Declaration of Commitment to Cultural Safety and Humility recognizes members’ (i.e. provincial regulatory bodies) commitment to integrating Cultural Safety and Humility into optometric education and practice standards.

In a 2018 webinar presentation on Myopia Control, Dr. Mundle elaborated upon the importance of official recognition of vision care by the WHO in a Canadian context.

UN Resolution Vision for All Specifics
Among the various action calls, the Vision for All resolution calls upon member states to ensure access to eye care services for their population and to mobilize the necessary resources and support in this regard.

The Vision For All resolution encourages them to put in place an integrated and whole-of government approach to eye care, building synergies with other development priorities and strengthening their collaboration with academia, research institutions, the scientific community, civil society and the private sector, in order to improve safe and affordable access to eye care services.

The full English version of the UN “Vision for All” resolution can be read here.

As Dr. Mundle says, “This is truly a great day for vision in the world”.

July 22, 2021July 23, 2021

Vision Expo Feature Fashion Week July 26 to August 1

ShopVISION by VIsion Expo is the new digital sourcing solution for the vision care community.

ShopVISION provides the eye care and eyewear community with a dedicated platform where buyers can source products, build relationships and manage all of their product discovery and research needs.

ShopVision endeavours to be the global hub for all things sourcing in the vision industry and houses dozens of product and service categories.

ShopVision users can find the latest frame styles, compare pricing between suppliers, and requesting one-on-one meetings.

Fashion & Eyewear Feature Week Event starts July 26.
ShopVISION will host week-long digital events to highlight brands and content that aligns with exciting product and industry themes.

The first feature week offers up Fashion & Eyewear Feature Week.
Click the button below to register at no cost.

REGISTER FOR FREE

July 22, 2021May 19, 2026

French Competition Authority Issues 125 M Euro Penalty: EssilorLuxottica Challenges

In a brief public news release, EssilorLuxottica acknowledges that the French Competition Authority (FCA) issued a decision against several eyewear industry players, including Luxottica Group July 22nd. The company adamantly disagrees with the ruling.

What the Ruling says.
The FCA, which is the equivalent of the Competition Bureau for France, is imposing a a Euro 125 million penalty to Luxottica allegedly for the group’s conduct in France, which took place between 2005 and 2014 in the optical frames and sunglasses sectors.

The French consumer watchdog notably found that Luxottica, along with LVMH and Logo limited retailers’ freedom to set final selling prices for fashion glasses with brands such as Chanel, Ray Ban, Prada and Bulgari.

According to the FCA findings, Luxottica punished retailers which didn’t comply with its pricing policy with retaliatory measures including stopping deliveries.

The FCA ruling also established that, in their distribution contracts with retailers, Luxottica, LVMH and Chanel explicitly forbid online sales of glasses by fashion brands Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Bulgari.

Today’s decision marks the end to the investigation which was initiated in 2005.

EssilorLuxottica Responds.
In their statement (see below), EssilorLuxottica states the firmly believe it has always conducted business according to the highest standard of compliance, always supporting customers, partners as well as the entire market.

As such, the Company strongly disagrees with the FCA’s decision and considers the sanction, “highly disproportionate and groundless”.

The Company will appeal the decision, and expressed confidence that it will successfully demonstrate that the decision is wrong both from a factual and a legal perspective.

View the EssilorLuxottica Statement Here.

All Charges Against SAFILO dismissed.
In reference to the same FCA ruling regarding a number of alleged practices in the eyewear sector in France, Safilo announced its pleasure with the decision issued today, saying that all the charges which had been raised against the company have been dismissed after a vigorous challenge by the company and their external legal team.

View the Safilo Statement Here.

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021

Safilo and Carolina Herrera Announce Global Eyewear Licensing Agreement

Safilo and Carolina Herrera, the globally recognized fashion brand, announce today their 5-year global licensing agreement for the design, manufacture and distribution of Carolina Herrera branded eyewear. The licence agreement will be effective as of January 1st, 2022.

“Carolina Herrera is an iconic luxury fashion brand, both popular and valued throughout the world for its feminine approach and extreme elegance,” declared Angelo Trocchia, CEO of Safilo Group. “As we are working to reshape our brand portfolio, Carolina Herrera will reinforce our women’s proposition and represents a crucial step in effectively counterbalancing the recent brand exits.”

“We are thrilled to embark on our partnership with Safilo. Together, we are committed to establishing an eyewear collection as an extension of the fashion language defined by our Creative Director, Wes Gordon, while reinforcing the distinctive codes of the House,” declared Emilie Rubinfeld, Carolina Herrera Ltd. President.

Click HERE for the full press release.

First-of-its-kind Visual Prosthesis Brain Implant Moves to Clinical Trial

While there is currently no cure for blindness, a first-of-its-kind artificial vision system is beginning clinical trials.

The Intracortical Visual Prosthesis (ICVP) is an implant that connects directly to the brain’s visual cortex, bypassing the retina and optic nerves. The National Institutes of Health has awarded Illinois Tech researchers $2.5 million for a project that includes implanting their new type of wireless visual prosthesis system in volunteers. Funding will be provided as part of the NIH’s The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative.

The implant system was developed by a multi-institutional team led by Philip R. Troyk—executive director of the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, professor of biomedical engineering—and represents the culmination of nearly three decades of Illinois Tech research.

“This is an incredibly exciting moment, not just for the field of biomedical science, but more importantly for people with blindness and their loved ones around the world,” says Troyk.

Since many individuals affected by total blindness do not have intact retinas or optic nerves but retain the visual cortex, an intracortical visual prosthesis may be the only possible advanced visual sensory aid from which they can benefit.

The Intracortical Visual Prosthesis System is the first intracortical visual implant to use a group of fully implanted miniaturized wireless stimulators to help explore whether individuals with no sight can visualize rendered images in real-time.

This visual prosthesis system allows devices to be implanted for an extended period, which is a unique advantage that provides researchers ample time to explore how the device can work effectively, and for the recipient to learn how the device can be useful.

In the past two years during the preclinical phase, the Illinois Tech team has worked with surgeons to develop and refine surgical procedures, and now are prepared to surgically implant the devices. During the clinical phase, the idea is to be able to test whether this device will provide study participants with an improved ability to navigate and perform basic orientation tasks.

Link to Original Article/ Source