The School of Optometry & Vision Science now has a clinic to promote sports vision research.

Directed by Professor Kristine Dalton, the Sports Vision Clinic is one of the first in Canada to focus on this subject. The fact that the clinic is in a university setting will greatly facilitate the synergy between research and clinical practice.

At the heart of the research is the role vision plays in the performance of athletes at all levels of competition. “Vision provides athletes with most of the information needed to play sports so it’s surprising that many neglect training and caring for their eyes,” said Professor Dalton. She added that studies suggest that 25% of athletes have never had an eye exam.

The clinic will develop standardized tests to measure sport-specific vision function and visual-motor coordination. It will conduct customized, sport-specific assessment and training of athletes’ vision. For example, athletes may be prescribed glasses or contact lenses exclusively for use while playing their sports or training hand-eye coordination, reaction times and eye movement control.

Source: http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/waterloo-optometrist-helps-get-athletes-eyes-in-shape-1956010.htm

A few weeks after having announced major changes to its governance structure, Luxottica Group accepted the resignation of two executives.

Enrico Cavatorta, appointed only six weeks ago as CEO of corporate operations and interim co-CEO of markets confirmed his intention to resign from the company at a special meeting of the Board of Directors, due to disagreements on the new governance structure. Roger Abravanel, a member of the Board, also resigned for the same reasons.

The chairman of Luxottica, Leonardo Del Vecchio, will take on the executive responsibilities ad interim while the company searches for a new-CEO of markets. Once a replacement has been found, he or she will be appointed at the same time as Massimo Vian, who was recently named co-CEO of operations and product.

No doubt to mitigate the negative effect all these changes might have on the market, Luxottica announced somewhat in advance that it was satisfied with its third-quarter financial results. The company reported an increase in net income of about ten per cent. Official results will be released on October 29.

Source:

http://www.luxottica.com/en/luxottica-announces-chairman-leonardo-vecchio-takes-executive-responsibilities-ad-interim

The spokespersons for Prairie Ophthalmics (1988) Inc. and Optometric Services Inc (OSI) announced that they have signed a strategic alliance agreement.

Under the agreement, the group of independent optometrists, OSI, will invest in the independent laboratory, Prairie Ophthalmics, which is based in Saskatchewan, and become a minority shareholder.

OSI’s investment will allow Prairie Ophthalmics to gradually increase its production capacity and to expand its client base beyond Saskatchewan, thus giving more of OSI’s clinics the opportunity to benefit from the laboratory’s products and services.

For more information, click HERE to read the news release (French document only).