After announcing exclusionary actions towards Essilor in a letter to members a few weeks ago, the Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) in a second letter sent April 29, now indicate both parties are moving forward together.

In the original letter the OAO questioned the compliance of Essilor’s recently acquired company Coastal Contacts with current Ontario dispensing regulations.

“I am pleased that we have been able to put the last few weeks behind us and move forward together. Neither OAO nor Essilor feels negotiation through legal counsel is beneficial to our organizations or in the interests of optometry. Instead, we need to work together to directly address the issue and resolve our differences,” president Jeff Goodhew told Ontario Association of Optometrists members in the April 29 letter.

OAO took a principled position, claimed Goodhew, telling members, “now, it’s time to constructively re-engage. To this end, OAO is prepared to work with Essilor and in the weeks ahead, I hope to report on the positive progress that we make in resolving the issue.”

In a comment to VuePoint, Marc Tersigni, Chief Strategy Officer, Essilor Canada said, “ It’s a time of rapid change for Canadian ECPs and it takes a meaningful dialogue to understand all sides and move things forward.  My role is to help the OAO, or any association, have a better relationship with the family of Essilor companies in Canada, including Coastal.  I am pleased that we can have a constructive and engaged dialogue with Dr. Goodhew and the Association.”