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September 17, 2020September 17, 2020

CNIB Unveils New, Interactive Retail Experience

The CNIB Foundation celebrated the grand opening of their state-of-the-art Nanji Family Foundation CNIB SmartLife Centre in Toronto on September 15, 2020.

CNIB Smartlife is an interactive retail experience that gives people with disabilities hands-on access to the latest breakthroughs in assistive technologies from industry leaders such as Bose, Eschenbach, eSight, Google, HumanWare, IrisVision, Samsung, and Vispero, along with other assistive technology innovators. The opening of the flagship CNIB SmartLife Centre at 1929 Bayview Ave. in Toronto was made possible by a generous donation from the Nanji Family Foundation.

“We’re incredibly proud to announce the launch of the CNIB SmartLife Centre today,” says Shane Silver, Vice President of Social Enterprises at the CNIB Foundation. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the transformational donation made by the Nanji family. Thanks to them, we’ll be able to empower Canadians with disabilities to take full advantage of these life-changing products and technologies.”

“The sense of sight is something many of us take for granted,” says Pyarali Nanji. “So we wanted to find a way to give back by increasing access to innovative technology and training for Canadians with sight loss.”

While the Toronto location is the first CNIB Smartlife Centre to open, the organization plans to build and update locations across the country so Canadians with disabilities nationwide can benefit from trying and selecting the best products for them.

Click HERE for the full press release.

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, 2020May 20, 2026

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.

CNIB Unveils New, Interactive Retail Experience

Facebook and EssilorLuxottica Announce Collaboration for Smart Glasses

Nomad: Fashion-forward San Diego

Max Mara Eyewear Enters in Marcolin Portfolio

New Intervention Could Help Patients with Macular Degeneration Recover Vision

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