Several international organizations have joined forces to assess global awareness about diabetic retinopathy, its treatments and its consequences.

 

The key partners, the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), will work in collaboration with the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). These organizations will gather evidence on knowledge, policies, standards of care, and supportive services across 40 countries.

 

Phase I of the project will be comprised of 120 interviews in eight countries representative of various socio-economic statuses. Phase II will be the implementation of a survey in 40 countries, which will be formulated based on the data gathered in Phase I.

 

“Unless we act now to stem the diabetes epidemic and provide joined up services that enable people with diabetes to be checked and treated for diabetic retinopathy then the number of blind people in the world will increase dramatically in forthcoming years,” said Peter Ackland, chief executive of IAPB.

 

The project will culminate in the production of a barometer report and a compendium of resources designed to increase awareness, as well as to develop better public policies and better practices for managing diabetic retinopathy and vision loss.

Source:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/276726.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ProDesign International A/S and Architectures SAS (founder of the FACE A FACE and WOOW brands) announced the merger of their companies under the banner of the Danish private Equity fund Erhvervsinvest.

 

The merger of these two companies, which are complementing each other through their positioning in the market and their organization as well as the pooling of their mutual assets, will accelerate the development of the two companies and enable the group to strategically position itself as a strong player on the market of independent designer brands.

 

ProDesign International A/S and Architectures SAS account for sales of 95% and 85% respectively on export markets. The expected sales of the new group for 2014 should reach about 40 M€ ($58,880 M).

 

Dion Eriksen, CEO, ProDesign International comments: “FACE A FACE is undoubtedly one of the strongest independent designer brands in the world and will together with the product portfolio of ProDesign establish an even stronger position in the market. We look very much forward to benefit by the high experience each company contributes with.”

 

Pascal Jaulent, President of Architectures declares: “The common design culture and international position of ProDesign and FACE A FACE is a great opportunity for the development of our brands. This strategic alliance will also reinforce our capacities to adapt to the future challenges of the optical market.”

 

Source: FACE A FACE and ProDesign Denmark

 

The women’s online eyewear retailer, Rivet & Sway, has announced that it is shutting down.

 

It often looks as if selling eyewear products online is a piece of cake, given the success of certain groups such as Coastal.com. Rivet & Sway’s experience presents quite a different image.

 

Founded in 2011, Rivet & Sway set out to be an online shopping boutique focused on high-end women’s prescription brand glasses. Frames were priced between $170 and $200, including lenses. The company was named one of Internet Retailer’s “Hot 100 E-Retailers of 2013.”

 

Yet, the company was quickly confronted with the limitations of its business model. The service allowing women to try on frames at home, for example, was very expensive. It cost a lot to ship frames back and forth, only to have them left unsold in the end. The company tried to diversify through bricks and mortar retailing and a Specs on Wheels “tricycle” to display its merchandise in beauty salons.

 

Unfortunately, these efforts did not convince investors to give additional capital. “The company was growing and reducing costs…just not enough to satisfy investor demands,” explained founder John Lusk.

Sources:

http://www.geekwire.com/2014/inside-story-rivet-sway-online-retailer-closed-doors/

http://www.visionmonday.com/latest-news/article/womens-online-eyewear-retailer-rivet–sway-shuts-down-1/ 

Eye doctors meet to discuss collaborative eye care in Alberta and Canada with Alberta Minister of Health.

 

Representatives from the Eye Physicians and Surgeons Association of Alberta (EPSAA) and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) met with Minister Horne and his officials on June 9, 2014 to discuss the importance of inter-professional collaboration for eye health care for Albertans and all Canadians. Recently, medical organizations including COS, EPSAA, the Alberta Medical Association, the College of Physicians of Alberta and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada expressed concern regarding the level of consultation with the medical profession before an expansion of the scope of practice for Alberta optometrists was announced by the Minister on April 29, 2014.

 

To read more:

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1370947/eye-doctors-meet-to-discuss-collaborative-eye-care-with-alberta-minister-of-health-fred-horne

 

An innovation from researchers at the University of Michigan might help in the development of night vision contact lenses.

 

Thermal vision illuminates the heat being emitted by animals, humans, and certain objects. Researchers used graphene to develop a miniature infrared detector that operates at room temperature.

 

Graphene is sensitive to the whole infrared spectrum, in addition to visible and ultraviolet light. However, it only absorbs about 2.3 per cent of the light that hits it, making it unable to send an electric signal, and therefore not viable as a detector.

 

The researchers overcame this obstacle by adopting a new approach. Rather than directly measuring the electrons that are freed when light hits the graphene, they amplified the signal by looking instead at how the light-induced electrical charges in the graphene affect a nearby current.

 

The device consisted of two graphene sheets separated by an insulating barrier. The bottom layer had a current running through it. When light hit the top layer, it freed electrons into the bottom layer. This changed the electrical charge. By measuring the change in current, the team could deduce the brightness of the light hitting the top layer and amplify the signal.

 

One can already imagine the countless military or scientific applications of this discovery.

Source:

http://www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/22042-new-tech-could-lead-to-night-vision-contact-lenses