In conjunction with World Ocean Day, two senior executives are offering thought-provoking environmental insights to deepen the eye care industry’s understanding of how plastic neutrality benefits practices, patients, and communities worldwide. The fireside chat with CooperCompanies Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel at CooperCompanies Dan McBride and Plastic Bank Founder and CEO David Katz is now available at one-day-better.ca

Acknowledging the vital role that plastics play in everyday life, the executives discuss why plastic neutrality is a model quickly capturing people’s attention. In 2021, CooperVision introduced the world’s first plastic neutral contact lensesby purchasing credits from Plastic Bank’s collection, processing and reuse of general ocean-bound plastic waste that is equal to the weight of the plastic contained in designated products. It has grown to become the largest plastic neutrality initiative in the contact lens industry.

To date, the initiative has made a significant environmental and social impact worldwide. In 2022, the equivalent of 32 million plastic bottles have been prevented from polluting the oceans and the equivalent of nearly 60 million plastic bottles has been collected since the program’s inception. Collectors and their families in 171 coastal communities have directly benefited from exchanging ocean-bound plastic for necessities such as clean water, groceries, cooking oil, school tuition, and even health insurance.

“CooperVision has significantly expanded sustainable practices within our facilities over the past several years, including recycling, reuse, water conservation, and energy conservation. As a medical device manufacturer, plastic plays a critical role in the hygienic delivery and sterile protection of our products around the world. The Plastic Bank partnership extends our commitment with an innovative plastics collection model, made even more meaningful through its social mission,” says McBride. “It creates a circular ecosystem that reflects our vision of plastics being responsibly used, recovered, and reborn in perpetuity.”

Circularity—which is the continued, regenerative reuse of plastic—creates exponential value and change, according to Katz. When a piece of material is collected, recycled, placed back into manufacturing, and reintroduced to a consumer in a new form, the ecosystem grows. It’s not a linear effect, but one that spirals outward for continual impact.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Eschenbach Optik of America introduces the new Magno Lumina Max Lamp which is an ideal light for those with vision loss from macular degeneration and other eye diseases.

The lamp is available in a desktop and floor version each of which provides superior illumination with energy-efficient LEDs and five brightness settings. The lamp also provides light in five different colour temperatures – from the warm and slightly golden 3000K to a cool 6500K, similar to the natural daylight. The brightness and colour temperature can be selected by using the touch pad buttons on the lamp control panel or from the wireless remote control which also features an extra-dim “night light” setting, an auto-off timer function, and quick reference brightness and colour settings.

The lamp’s gooseneck-style arm is 25” long and rotates 270° and a cover over the LEDs which blocks 65% of distracting blue light. The sturdy metal base on the floor lamp has an anti-slip pad on the bottom to keep it from sliding and the desk version features a table clamp option that fits onto the side of a table or desk.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Devoted to offering products that enhance the feeling of well-being, Ba&sh offers a sunwear collection which indulges femininity and elegance. The Lidi model, which revives a vintage aesthetic with its geometric shape and transparent acetate, is a must for strutting down the streets on sunny days!

Distributed by Lanctôt: www.rlanctot.com

The Vision Council and RX, co-organizers of Vision Expo, announce the new Educational Planning Committee and new members of the OptiCon Advisory Board that will oversee the education program for Vision Expo West 2022 and Vision Expo East 2023. 

The new Educational Planning Committee, which is responsible for developing Vision Expo’s clinical accredited CE program and selecting course topics and speakers, will be co-chaired by Mark Dunbar, OD and Marc Bloomenstein, OD.  Additional members of the committee include: Melissa Barnett, OD; Mick Kling, OD; Millicent Knight, OD; Jack Schaeffer, OD; and Vincent Young, MD. 

Vision Expo’s new education program, featuring more than 320 hours of CE, will debut at Vision Expo West 2022, taking place September 14-17 in Las Vegas.  The Show’s educational program, together with OptiCon®@Vision Expo, will open Wednesday, September 14, and the Exhibit Hall will open Thursday, September 15.  To pre-register, click here.

“The new Education Planning Committee for Vision Expo has developed a unique and comprehensive educational program that offers learning opportunities for every member of the eyecare team.  We have developed an educational curriculum to help expand your practice offerings in areas such as aesthetics, lasers and advanced therapies, as well as myopia control and scleral lenses,” said Mark Dunbar, OD, co-chair of the Educational Planning Committee. 

The OptiCon Advisory Board Members for Vision Expo West and Vision Expo East 2023 have also been selected.  The OptiCon Advisory Board is comprised of members of the American Board of Opticianry & National Contact Lens Examiners (ABO-NCLE) Board of Directors.  The OptiCon Advisory Board develops and oversees the creation of the industry’s premier OptiCon @ Vision Expo Education Program that focuses on subject areas including: Contact Lens, Business and Practice Expertise, and Clinical Concepts, specifically designed for Opticians, Contact Lens Practitioners and Ophthalmic Health Professionals.

The OptiCon Advisory Board co-chairs are: Tina Palumbo, Foerster & Hayes LTD, ABO-NCLE Board Public Member; and Phernell Walker, MBA, ABOM, NCLEC, Pure Optics, LLC.  New additions to the board include: Ledonna Buckner, ABOC, NCLEM, CooperVision Specialty EyeCare; Deedee Finisecy, ABOM, Wagner Opticians; and Bev Harper, ABOC, Owner, Cook Inlet Eyecare.

“ABO-NCLE is proud to partner with Vision Expo to provide Ophthalmic Professionals with the premier source for educational opportunities in Spectacle, Contact Lens, and Allied Health education, as well as providing the OptiCon Hub to expand professional networking opportunities with numerous in-person events,” said Tina Palumbo, OptiCon Advisory Board Co-Chair and ABO-NCLE Board of Directors’ Public Member.

Additional OptiCon Advisory Board Members include: Janet Acara, NCLEM, ABOC, Erie Community College; Tom Barracato, ABOC, NCLEC, Owner, Adolph Optical; Sandy Brown, ABOM, NCLEC, VisionWorks; Curt Duff, ABOM, NCLEM, Owner, Tinder-Krauss-Tinder; and Carri Rivera Russell, NCLEM, Bausch Health Specialty Vision Products, NCLE Chair.

Registration will open in June 2022. To pre-register, click here.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Luxottica and the Sellers announce the completion of the purchase by Luxottica of the 90.9% shareholding in the share capital of Giorgio Fedon & Figli S.p.A., listed on Euronext Growth Milan, organized and managed by Borsa Italiana S.p.A, at a price equal to Euro 17.03 for each share and therefore to an aggregate of approximately Euro 29.4 million.

As Optik NOW reported in April 2022, thanks to cutting-edge technologies and dedicated innovations, the acquisition will allow to better fit the eyewear and spectacles with the cases and packaging to ensure maximum protection and integrity of the product.

Click HERE for the full press release.

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