Myopia is becoming an increasingly concerning world health issue, with prevalence levels projected to rise every year.

The partnership between Myopia Profile, the premier international educational platform for myopia management, and EssilorLuxottica sought to address the growing, imminent need for best practice myopia management among eye care practitioners who will need to address the global increase in myopia prevalence in our younger population.

The partnership has seen a huge boost in engagement with Myopia Profile’s educational platforms among eye care practitioners, particularly with spectacle lens topics, with a 10-fold growth in search terms for ‘myopia control spectacles lenses’ among eye care practitioners over the last year, and a 4-fold increase in searches by members of the public.

“There has been a colossal increase in engagement with our digital platforms since we started our partnership with EssilorLuxottica,” says Dr. Kate Gifford, founder and director of Myopia Profile. “We have seen doubling growth year-on-year, and are thrilled to see the myopia message spreading wider and wider – but we can also see where there is more work to do. We can see that there is definitely a thirst for knowledge and information with regard to myopia-control spectacle lenses, and we aim to provide more of that, through our partnership with EssilorLuxottica.”

EssilorLuxottica and Myopia Profile plan on releasing a series of podcasts that cover clinical communication in myopia management, as well as the practice fundamentals of getting started in managing childhood myopia. The exclusive podcasts will offer engaging 10-minute episodes with a focus on providing simple steps and practical advice to eye care practitioners. They will be housed exclusively on EssilorLuxottica’s new learning platform, Leonardo.

Other key highlights of the partnership include:

A video lesson by Dr. Kate Gifford for EssilorLuxottica’s myopia management certification program titled ‘Moving beyond myopia correction to control’ available on Leonardo.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Optique Cristal lab announces that, for the whole month of October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month), Toplook / Optique Cristal will contribute to the Breast Cancer Foundation.

In this context, $5 will be given for each order of Toplook / Optique Cristal products. An opportunity to help contribute to this cause, while offering customers a trendy product designed in Quebec.

Click HERE for the press release.

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, OWP has reissued an iconic acetate model from the 80s. With its unique lines and unconventional look, the 249 model is timeless and is still as trendy as it was when it was first released back in 1981. Limiting the production to 1,947 pieces worldwide, a nod to the year the company was founded, is propelling its status to a “collector’s item” for design lovers.

Distributed by Lanctôt: www.rlanctot.com

Nikon Optical Canada launches a new national consumer campaign. From its global debut under the theme “Everything Starts with a Detail”, this year Nikon Optical Canada transitioned from last year’s campaign launch “Creativity Starts with a Detail” to “Inspiration Starts with a Detail”. Inspired by Nikon’s precision in uncovering the details that can change the course of a life, or spark the imagination to highlight endless possibilities, this campaign promotes local creators from coast to coast while offering continuity from last year’s campaign. Nikon Lenswear demonstrates how attention to details can move us all from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

To highlight the precision of Nikon lenses, they collaborated with artist Olivier Rielland Nadeau, with over a decade of experience in the creativity industry and a famous calligrapher, he imagined a piece that honours the Japanese heritage while mixing the colourful possibilities that Nikon lenses create. He created an original painting, aimed at inspiring three great Canadian chefs in the creation of a new gastronomic dish: Andrea Carlson from Burdock & Co in Vancouver, Olivier Larocque from Le Club Chasse et Pêche in Montreal and John-Vincent Troiano from Frilu in Toronto.

This coast-to-coast awareness campaign starts this October until December 2022 and is aimed at an audience that is sensitive to the quality of the products they consume and aims to increase engagement with the Nikon brand. The campaign is digitally powered by a series of three videos with a gourmet aesthetic, in addition to an immersive and explanatory web page, inviting patients to visit a Nikon expert.

This campaign combines art and gastronomy, so Nikon wants to help explain to patients the importance of choosing the right lenses. A collaboration with Canadian Instagram influencers has been set up to create content on the subject. Visibility will be generated by Reels (15-45 second videos) and the conversational power of these partnerships will help Eye Care Professionals talk about the Nikon difference with potential consumers.

This digital campaign will target a highly engaged audience that is interested in eyecare and high-end products.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada announces Luxturna^® (voretigene neparvovec) is now available to Quebec patients with vision loss due to inherited retinal dystrophy caused by confirmed biallelic RPE65 mutations under the province’s public health plan. This announcement follows a positive reimbursement recommendation from the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) recognizing the need for treatment options to slow the progression of the disease.

“It has been a long journey for patients waiting for public access to Luxturna^®. We are pleased with the Quebec government’s decision and hope that eligible Canadians in other provinces have the same chance to be treated with Luxturna^®,” said Doug Earle, President & CEO of Fighting Blindness Canada. “To progressively lose your vision to blindness, especially at a young age, is shattering. Our hope is that other provinces move quickly, because for these Canadians, time is of the essence.”

“This is a pivotal moment for the IRD community and for patients who could benefit from treatment with Luxturna^®,” said Andrea Marazzi, Country President, Novartis Canada. “We believe the recognition by INESSS to fund Luxturna^® is vital and gives children and adults with biallelic RPE65 mutation-associated retinal dystrophy a chance for improved vision. We will continue to work towards broad reimbursement through public drug plans across Canada to ensure other Canadians have the opportunity to thrive.”

Details regarding the INESSS recommendation are available here. The reimbursement criteria for Luxturna^® (voretigene neparvovec) on Quebec’s public health plan are available here.

Click HERE for the press release.