Blog

July 3, 2018

Transitions Launches Style Fix Contest in Canada

Transitions Optical launched a contest that gives consumers and eyecare professionals a chance to win Transitions Signature lenses style colours.

Winners will receive a seasonal, personalized style accessory and a $500 gift card to apply to the purchase of Transitions lenses and frames.

To enter the contest, Canadian consumers and eyecare professionals should visit www.Transitions.com/StyleFix to take a short quiz on style and lifestyle preferences to find which new Transitions Signature lenses style colour – sapphire, amethyst, amber or emerald green – is their ideal match.

The contest will have three entry periods: July 1-31, September 1-30 and November 1-30. Four winners will be chosen at the end of each entry period. Consumers and eyecare professionals are encouraged to enter each period for a chance to win the Transitions lenses prize package.

July 3, 2018May 20, 2026

OWP Ladies: Refined Surface Finishes

Style 2177

OWP Ladies collection presents a floral style titanium temple design which shimmers with varnished surfaces and subtle nuances of colour. Style 2177’s look and feel are reminiscent of the polished surfaces of gemstones or amber and gives the acetate model the allure of costly accessories. Style 2177 features a curvaceous feminine design. This frame is available in four fresh colour versions to match perfectly with the temples.

Distributed by Lanctôt: www.rlanctot.com

July 3, 2018

National Sunglasses Day 2018: Over 1 Billion Impressions

The Vision Council has garnered more than 1 billion online, social media and broadcast consumer media impressions for National Sunglasses Day, with one of the official campaign hashtags #NationalSunglassesDay trending on Twitter throughout June 27.

261 online placements, garnering more than 481 million impressions

Top online placements include: Forbes.com, HollywoodLife.com, InStyle.com, USAToday.com and Yahoo.com, among many others

295 social media placements, garnering more than 415 million impressions

Top social media placements include: The Instagram and Twitter pages of Jennifer Lopez, Kathie Lee Gifford, Luke Bryan, O, The Oprah Magazine, the NFL and “Good Morning America,” among many others

694 general broadcast placements, garnering more than 146 million impressions

Top general broadcast placements include: “KTLA,” “TODAY,” “Daytime,” “Tampa Bay Morning Blend,” “CT Style” and “Good Morning Connecticut,” among many others

29 media tour broadcast placements, garnering more than 24 million impressions

Top media tour broadcast placements include: AOL.com, “The Daily Buzz” and CaravanGirl.com, among many others

June 29, 2018

Novartis Announces Intention to Spin Off Alcon

Novartis has announced that they intend to seek shareholder approval to spin off 100% of Alcon’s eye care device business into a standalone, separately traded company.

The new company would be incorporated in Switzerland, with major operations remaining in Fort Worth. Alcon’s ophthalmology pharmaceuticals portfolio would remain with Novartis.

Alcon CEO Mike Ball would become Chairman-designate; COO, and David Endicott would be promoted to Alcon CEO, both appointments effective July 1, 2018.

Joerg Reinhardt, Chairman of Novartis, said: “Our strategic review examined all options for Alcon ranging from retention, sale, IPO to spinoff. The review concluded that a spinoff would be in the best interests of Novartis shareholders and the Board of Directors intends to seek shareholder approval for a spinoff at the 2019 AGM. This transaction would allow our shareholders to benefit from potential future successes of a more focused Novartis and a standalone Alcon, which would become a publicly traded global medtech leader based here in Switzerland.”

Novartis also announced that it will initiate a share buyback of up to USD 5 billion to be executed by the end of 2019.

June 29, 2018June 27, 2018

First 3D Printed Human Corneas

A low cost technique of creating human corneas could be used to ensure an unlimited supply of transplants.

Ten million people worldwide require surgery to replace damaged or scarred corneas, but there remains a significant shortage of available transplants.

A paper published in Experimental Eye Research reports a method of creating “bio-ink”, a mixture of human corneal stroma cells (stem cells) from donor corneas, alginate and collagen.

Using a bio-printer (a 3D printer designed to create biomedical parts that imitate natural characteristics) researchers at Newcastle University extruded this corneal cell bio-ink into concentric circles to form the shape of a human cornea. The printing process is approximately 10 minutes, and the corneal cells then grow within this printed structure.

“Our unique gel keeps the stem cells alive whilst producing a material which is stiff enough to hold its shape but soft enough to be squeezed out the nozzle of a 3D printer,” says Che Connon, Professor of Tissue Engineering and co-author on the study. “Now we have a ready to use bio-ink containing stem cells allowing users to start printing tissues without having to worry about growing the cells separately.”

By measuring the dimensions of the patient’s eye and using that data in the printing process, the new cornea can match the exact size and shape needed for each patient.

Photo: Study co-authors Dr. Steve Swioklo and Prof Che Connon

More information: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2018/05/first3dprintingofcorneas/