Blog

September 17, 2020September 17, 2020

Facebook and EssilorLuxottica Announce Collaboration for Smart Glasses

Facebook and EssilorLuxottica announced a multiyear collaboration to develop the next generation of smart glasses.

The partnership will combine Facebook apps and technologies, Luxottica’s category leadership and iconic brands, and Essilor’s advanced lens technology to help people stay better connected to their friends and family. The first product will be branded Ray-Ban and is scheduled to launch in 2021. It will combine innovative technology and fashion-forward style to create smart glasses.

“We’re passionate about exploring devices that can give people better ways to connect with those closest to them. Wearables have the potential to do that. With EssilorLuxottica we have an equally ambitious partner who’ll lend their expertise and world-class brand catalogue to the first truly fashionable smart glasses,” said Andrew Bosworth, Vice President of Facebook Reality Labs.

“We are especially proud of our collaboration with Facebook, which projects an iconic brand like Ray-Ban into an increasingly digital and social future. Combining a brand that is loved and worn by millions of consumers around the globe with technology that has brought the world closer together, we can reset expectations around wearables. We are paving the way for a new generation of products destined to change the way we look at the world,” commented Rocco Basilico, Chief Wearables Officer at Luxottica.

Product name, specs, software capabilities, pricing, and other details will be shared closer to launch in 2021.

Click HERE for the full press release.

September 17, 2020August 18, 2020

Nomad: Fashion-forward San Diego

The Nomad collection mixes an array of colours with the latest trends to create fashion-forward eyewear for men and women. The assortment is influenced from local cultures and crafts, interpreting them with original aesthetic twists. Featured here is one of Nomad’s most popular concept, San Diego.

Distributed by Lanctôt: www.rlanctot.com

September 16, 2020September 15, 2020

Max Mara Eyewear Enters in Marcolin Portfolio

Marcolin Group announced the signing of a licensing agreement for the design, production and worldwide distribution of Max Mara sunglasses and eyeglasses. The partnership has a five-year duration starting from November 1, 2020 and follows the 2019 agreements for the eyewear of Sportmax and MAX&Co as reported on Optik NOW.

The first eyewear collection created by Marcolin Group will be unveiled and worn at the Max Mara fashion show in Milan on Thursday, 24 September 2020.

Matteo Blandi, Marcolin Group Marketing Director, affirmed: “The entry of the Max Mara brand in the Marcolin Group portfolio enriches our product offering addressed to womenswear market. Max Mara is an Italian luxury brand synonymous of excellence internationally recognized. We are proud to contribute to further advance and strengthen the brand’s positioning and image for the eyewear category”.

Ian Griffiths, Max Mara Creative Director, declared: “Max Mara has always been committed to women, to make them feel at their best, to make them shine in every occasion, through constant research for the highest quality. The secret of quality is to consider every single technical feature as an essential element of the creative process. The new partnership with Marcolin Group will contribute to ensure the highest quality and design standards for the Max Mara eyewear”.

Click HERE for the full press release.

September 15, 2020September 14, 2020

New Intervention Could Help Patients with Macular Degeneration Recover Vision

Researchers have discovered that a single, 20-minute session of non-invasive brain stimulation of the visual cortex can reduce the effects of macular degeneration.

Patients with macular degeneration lose central vision and are forced to rely on peripheral vision. But they can have difficulty segregating an object from others that are in close proximity, a phenomenon called crowding. This study from the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry found the use of brain stimulation could help people with macular degeneration recover their vision.

“Perceptual learning can reduce letter crowding for patients with macular degeneration. However, perceptual learning typically requires intensive training, which may be a barrier for patients. Additionally, the learning does not always transfer to non-trained stimuli, that’s why this discovery is so promising, it addresses all of these concerns,” said Ben Thompson, professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science.

Interventions like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) directly modulate mechanisms in the visual cortex that contribute to crowding and could improve vision in patients with central vision loss. This treatment can also be combined with perceptual learning techniques.

This study is the first step towards the possible application of non-invasive brain stimulation to vision recovery in patients with macular degeneration.

Click HERE for the full press release.

September 14, 2020September 14, 2020

The Vision Council Launches Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force

The Vision Council announces the launch of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force. The task force launch is part of the organization’s larger brand reimagination focused on community-building and industry growth and follows The Vision Council’s recent unveiling of a redesigned logo and new website designed to better serve and accommodate the needs of members and the vision care community at large. Comprised of 13 vision care community leaders, the task force’s mission is to amplify and embrace everyone’s voice within all segments of the vision industry in order to push forward a more equitable agenda for the eyewear and eye care industry and to build a more diverse and inclusive community.

“In 2019, The Vision Council conducted one of the first studies of diversity in leadership for the optical industry. The results were intended to benchmark the optical leadership landscape and illuminate the opportunities companies have to promote diversity, cultivate talent and improve their performance,” said Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council. “We shared these results at The Vision Council’s annual Executive Summit in January 2020, during which we also announced a five-year plan reflecting a renewed focus on community-building and promoting industry growth. (…) The task force will be charged with developing dynamic programming and community initiatives and also identifying milestones and goals for the industry in order to provide tangible, actionable pathways for our members to access.”

Task force members include:

Dr. Derrick Artis – Management Consultant at Artis Consulting
Lanard Atkins – Opticianry Program Director at Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Dr. Diana Canto-Sims – Co-Founder at Buena Vista Optical and Designer at La Vida Eyewear
Gai Gherardi – Co-Founder at l.a.Eyeworks
Rebecca Giefer – CEO, Americas at MODO Eyewear
Dr. Millicent Knight – SVP, Customer Development Group at Essilor
Blake Kuwahara – President/CEO, Focus Group West and Creative Director, Blake Kuwahara Eyewear
Dr. Howard Purcell – President and CEO at New England College of Optometry
Dr. Danielle Richardson – Independent Optometrist at Optometrix
Tiffany Smith – Regional Director of Doctor Recruitment at National Vision
Phernell Walker – Director of Optometric Relations at VSP Ventures
Kyly Zak Rabin – Co-Founder at Zak.
Christine Yeh – Executive Editor at 20/20 Magazine

Details on additional upcoming Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and programming will be announced in the coming months.

Source: The Vision Council