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July 20, 2017April 24, 2018

VisionMonday’s Most Influential Women 2017

2017 was the 15^th iteration of Vision Monday’s special report on influential women in the optical industry. Honourees were divided into four categories: executives, mentors, rising stars and innovators.

Among those honoured in the Mentors category was Canadian Nancy Dewald, National Manager of Training and Development at Eye Recommend.

Dewald worked at Luxottica for 10 years in various positions, including eyecare director for the Canadian market and regional manager before joining Eye Recommend in 2013. Dewald says of her approach towards being a mentor: “In all I do, I try to leave people in a better place than before I have encountered or worked with them. Sometimes it is giving them hard to hear feedback, a sincere compliment, training or simply someone to listen to them. The simple things can make a huge difference.”

Click here to view the Women of Influence special article.

Click here to view a list of the 589 past winners.

2017 Honourees

Executive Suite

Carol Alexander (Johnson & Johnson Vision)
Leslie Amodei (Optos)
Emily Ashworth (ABB Optical Group)
Amanda Davis (Brien Holden Vision Institute)
Lisa Fawcett (CooperVision)
Cheryl Massa (Davinci Equity Group)
Ashley Mills (The Vision Council)
Heidi Pham-Murray (Eye Designs Optometry)
Karen Roberts (Carl Zeiss Vision International)
Andrea Thau (Dr. Thau and Associates)

Rising Stars

Vidya Baliga (DentaQuest)
Hillary Bliss (National Vision Inc.)
Tiffany Burkhalter (VSP Global)
Cha-Ling Delgado (Luxottica North America)
Jaclyn Frumkin (Eye Q Eyewear)
Jessica Goebert (De Rigo REM)
Kristin O’Brien (Vision Source of Green Valley Ranch)
Laurel O’Connor (Think About Your Eyes)
Christina Perraud (MyEyeDr.)
Sheree Rajan (Essilor of America)
Lindsay Ruhe (The Vision Council)
Amanda Sabin (Costa Sunglasses)
Shauna Thornhill (Amarillo Vision Specialists)
Sarah Wells (Eyecare Partners/Clarkson Eyecare)
Lindsay Wright (Armed Forces Optometric Society)

Mentors

Linda Atwood (Coachwood Lab and Training Center)
Robyn Crimmins (VSP Optics Group)
Nancy Dewald (Eye Recommend)
Liz Friedfeld (ClearVision Optical)
Jennifer Jackson (Tura Inc.)
Heather McHale (Marchon Eyewear Inc.)
Deborah Rich (Marchon Eyewear)
Ann Small (Essilor of America)
Lorrie Sorrenson (Lakeline Vision Source)

Innovators

Diana Canto-Sims (Buena Vista Optical)
Julie Collins (Alcon)
Jane George (Frames Data Inc./Jobson Optical Group)
Alysia Gradney (Vision Source)
Melissa Hunfalvay (RightEye)
Kristin McLaughlin (Silhoutte Optical)
Bridgitte Shen Lee (Vision Optique)

July 19, 2017April 24, 2018

Transitions Optical Announces Dates for Transitions Academy 2018

Transitions Optical offers industry professionals the chance to attend the 22^nd annual Transitions Academy, held February 11 – 14, 2018 in Orlando.

Industry professionals can earn invitations to attend Transitions Academy 2018 through the following ways:

Become a Transitions Innovation Award Finalist – Open to optical industry professionals, educators, regional retailers, optical laboratories, and independent eyecare professionals and practices, the Transitions Innovation Awards categories include: 2017 Transitions Brand Ambassador (individual-only award), Retailer of the Year, Eyecare Practice of the Year, Best in Training and Best in Marketing.
Nominations for all Transitions Innovation Awards will be accepted online (at Transitions.com/Awards) from October 1 – 31, 2017. To enter, candidates must complete a nomination form and detail their 2017 efforts in the following evaluation areas: commitment and inspiration, goals, plan and creativity, and impact and results. Nominees are welcome to enter more than one category and can self-enter, or can be nominated by a lab, lens manufacturer, industry colleague or other industry organization representative. An Innovation Awards resource guide is also available this year to provide tools to assist interested industry professionals with the Innovation Awards nomination process, as well as a structured way to focus on and track their goals throughout the year.
Attend as a Guest of Your Lens Supplier – Industry professionals should let their Transitions^® lens supplier know they would like to register for Transitions Academy. Many lens suppliers are providing opportunities and promotions for customers to earn their way and attend as their guest.
Become a Transitions Change Agent – Transitions Optical is recruiting eyecare professionals who are millennials or serve many millennial patients and are looking to change the conversations their peers and patients are having around Transitions lenses. Industry professionals interested in becoming a Transitions Change Agent can visit TransitionsPRO.com/ChangeAgent to apply.
Request a Spot / Nominate Someone to Attend – Although Transitions Academy is an invitation-only event, Transitions is reserving spaces for interested industry professionals from North America. Past Academy attendees can also nominate someone who should be added to the invitation list. Those interested can request to attend at TransitionsAcademy.com, more details regarding cost and arrangements will be provided.
Join the Speaker’s Bureau – qualified industry speakers can email Transitions Customer service (customerservicecanada@transitions.com) to learn more about becoming a part of the Transitions Speakers Bureau, and to inquire about Transitions Academy benefits.

July 13, 2017April 24, 2018

Diagnosing Diabetic Neuropathy with Tears

A new article in Optometry and Vision Science explores using a noninvasive method to detect corneal nerve damage caused by diabetes.

Diabetic neuropathy affects around 60-70% of diabetics, and there is currently no known treatment for reversing the nerve damage. In some cases neuropathy is very painful and the resulting ulcers may even require lower limb amputation. This makes early detection and identification of those at risk extremely important, but current tests for diabetic peripheral neuropathy, such as a skin-punch biopsy, are invasive and non-repeatable.

The nerves in the corneal can easily be imaged non-invasively using confocal microscopy, and research has shown that corneal nerve fiber density can predict the onset of diabetic neuropathy.

Maria Markoulli, PhD, a researcher at the University of New South Wales, found that the tear film of diabetic patients contained lower levels of “Substance P”, a chemical marker involved in the maintenance of the cornea and wound healing, in diabetics compared to the control group.

Markoulli’s team found a correlation between levels of substance P in tears and corneal nerve fiber density. “The positive correlation between substance P and corneal nerve density indicates that substance P may be a potential biomarker for corneal nerve health,” writes Markoulli.

Using levels of Substance P in tears may become a useful non-invasive method of detecting diabetic peripheral neuropathy and identify those most at risk before irreversible nerve damage takes place.

Click here to read the full article at OVS.

July 12, 2017May 20, 2026

Celebrate FENDI’s Elegance with Rainbow

The FENDI Spring/Summer 2017 Eyewear Collection celebrates the Roman Maison’s elegance with contemporary graphics and playful colour combinations. 3D triangle details adorn the Rainbow sunglasses, echoing the iconic FENDI studs.

The FF 0242/s model features ultra-flat and extra-light cat-eye half-rim shapes in metal, with iconic triangle cut hard stones or crystals. A delicate three-colour gradient effect beautifully enhances the lenses.

The cat-eye sunglasses are available in silver with grey/azure shaded lenses and hard stones, silver with green/violet shaded lenses and crystals, silver with pink/grey shaded lenses and hard stones.

Distributed by Safilo: www.safilo.com

July 11, 2017April 24, 2018

Costa Offers ECPs New Ways to Join its #KickPlastic Movement

Humans dump the equivalent of a garbage truck of plastic into the ocean every minute, and one in four fish tested have plastic in them. Being “Born on the Water” and recognizing this growing plastic pollution problem threatening our oceans, Costa launched a #KickPlastic campaign in 2015 to help reduce the amount of plastic it uses as a company and to mobilize a movement that encourages others to do the same. This summer, Costa has expanded its #KickPlastic campaign to include more ways for eyecare professionals to join the movement and connect with patients who love the water and care about protecting the ocean.

Authorized Costa Optical dealers can now contact their Costa representative for more information about hosting a #KickPlastic Trunk Show, which would include promotional materials that can be shared with patients such as tote bags, water bottles and flyers.

“Kick Plastic is an initiative everyone at Costa has heart for and we are really looking forward to helping more people embrace the movement in their everyday lives,” said Todd Barker, Coastal Community Manager, Costa. “Whether it be reducing the amount of plastic we use in our daily operations to helping others discuss small ways that they can make a big impact, it’s been amazing to grow this program and know that we are helping the ocean we love.”

Click HERE for the full press release.