Blog

February 24, 2017April 24, 2018

Essilor’s Alive Summit Training in Montreal: a Great Success

Essilor Canada is investing in training to support the development of our business partners across Canada with the presentation of the Alive Summits and accompanying Roadshow. Launched in Toronto on February 3-4 and 5, the winter tour continued in Montreal on February 17-18-19 and will end in Vancouver on March 3-4-5, 2017. A second tour is planned in the fall, showcasing new topics.

To date, the Toronto and Montreal events have welcomed some 300 participants from the optical industry – optometrists, opticians, managers, owners and office staff.

About 150 people participated in the Montreal event, which allowed them to learn about Essilor’s latest innovations, hear speakers on various subjects affecting the Canadian optical market and participate in a charitable activity. The Friday evening Roadshow was open to all eye care professionals and their teams. They were introduced to new technologies, products and sales tools.

On Saturday and Sunday, Varilux Xperience partners attended the Alive Summit, a series of conferences and workshops designed to assist them in growing their business and provide them with an overview of the latest trends and deployment solutions from the world of optics. The Latest Trends in Retail Stores, How to Interest the Millennials, How to Enhance the Customer Experience and The latest information on blue-violet light are some of the topics covered by seasoned speakers and experts.

Another Giving Back Opportunity
True to its desire to include giving back activities in all its events, Essilor brought together speakers, participants and organizers on Saturday night to decorate ninety pairs of sneakers to be handed over to Action Réfugiés Montréal and Station Familles. $ 1,000 will also be shared between the two organizations for the purchase of boots and sneakers for children.

The same type of giving back activity will be held at the upcoming Vancouver Alive Summit, with Toms. 60 pairs of sneakers will be decorated and given to the local YMCA and an extra 60 pairs of boots and sneakers will be supplied to single mothers.

Photo: Following the Saturday night Giving Back activity, an assortment of hand decorated sneakers is ready to be shared with refugees and underprivileged families.

Click HERE to read full press release.

February 24, 2017April 24, 2018

Ray-Ban and Ferrari Strengthen Their Collaboration

Milan (Italy) – Luxottica Group strengthens the partnership with Ferrari S.p.A. announcing the signing of a multi-year licensing agreement for the design, manufacture, distribution and sale of a range of eyewear branded Ferrari and Ray-Ban. The two companies have also signed a multi-year renewal of a sponsorship agreement between Scuderia Ferrari and Luxottica whereby the Ray-Ban brand appears on the Formula 1 single-seaters of both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

Infoclip.ca had previously reported the sponsorship agreement in July 2016.

Click HERE for full press release.

February 23, 2017May 20, 2026

Fushia: Fluid and Romantic

The movement of plant life has once again inspired the Koali designer, this time resulting in the sophisticated and elegant design of Fushia, sparkling with vibrant colours.

The Fushia concept is available in four all-stainless steel models (rimmed and semi-rimless). The metal front consists of two stainless steel parts which overlap to produce a light and airy look, evoking the petals of the fushia flower. Two-colour curves in bright or pastel tones will adorn the eyes of women looking for originality and elegance.

Fushia is part of a new trend at Koali aiming to offer women slim, colorful, comfortable and outstandingly creative products inspired by the living world.

Distributed by Lanctôt : www.rlanctot.com

February 23, 2017May 19, 2026

Using Genome Surgery to Prevent Progression of AMD

Scientists at the Center for Genome Engineering, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in Korea report the use of CRISPR-Cas9 in performing “gene surgery” in the layer of tissue that supports the retina of living mice to treat AMD.

“The injections tackle the effects, but not the main cause of the problem. By editing the VEGF gene, we can achieve a longer-term cure,” explains KIM Jin-Soo, Director of the Center for Genome Engineering.

CRISPR-Cas9 can precisely cut and correct DNA at the desired site in the genome. The CRISPR-Cas9 system works by cutting DNA at a target site, in this case, inside the VEGF gene.

In this study, the research team successfully injected CRISPR-Cas9 into the eyes of a mice model with wet AMD and locally modified the VEGF gene.

The progression of the eye disease was monitored by looking at choroidal neovascularization (CNV), the creation of new blood vessels between the retina and the sclera – a common problem of ‘wet’ macular degeneration – and researchers found the CNV area reduced by 58%.

“We believe that this is a new therapeutic modality for the treatment of non-hereditary degenerative diseases,” points out Professor KIM Jeong Hun (Seoul National University), “We confirmed the effect on the animal models of the disease and now we wish to continue with preclinical trials.”

View the full press release here.

February 22, 2017April 24, 2018

Vision Expo East Announces New Optical Profit Center

Alexandria, VA – International Vision Expo East, taking place at the Javits Center in New York, NY (Education: Mar. 30–Apr. 2; Exhibition: Mar. 31–Apr. 2), has announced a new show floor destination for eyecare professionals looking to amplify their profits by incorporating new products or services, or upgrading the environment or experience.

A collaboration of industry leaders including ClearVision, Fashion Optical, Santinelli, Smart Mirror and Super Optical, this interactive Optical Profit Center – located at Booth #1135 – allows attendees to see and experience opportunities to make key investments that will generate additional revenue from their optical business.

Click here for the Optical Profit Center infographic to find out more about this interactive experience.