Blog - Page 536 of 873

July 4, 2019July 3, 2019

Toronto’s First GCOMM Conference Was a Success!

According to Dr. Edward Chow, Founder and President of the Global Council on Myopia Management (GCOMM) the prevailing mind-set that myopia is simply corrected with lenses or surgery needs to change if the debilitating sight-threatening consequences of the myopia pandemic are to be avoided.

In June 2019, GCOMM held their first Myopia Management conference in Toronto. Renowned speakers covered clinical research, tools and education on the topic of myopia control. The conference was held over two days and included seminars, breakout sessions and a vendor tradeshow. Speakers included 27 experts in research and clinical practice, and 19 vendors of myopia control products provided 16 hours of accredited Continuing Education and was attended by 185 eye care practitioners.

Friday evening ended with a three-hour workshop on OrthoTool™, a custom contact lens design software which enables Optometrists to simplify their workflow and quickly design custom orthokeratology contact lenses for even the most difficult cases.

Research in myopia control has helped us better understand some of the environmental and genetic factors in myopia. According to Dr. Andrei Tkatchenko, MD, PhD, genetic factors are the main driver of myopia. He attributes 70% to genetics and 30% is environmental factors. Through deeper knowledge of the specific genes affecting myopia, new drugs are expected to be much more successful in slowing down myopia than existing options and with minimal side effects.

Thanks to GCOMM, a platform is available to showcase the research being done in the myopia management and help Optometrists to successfully treat, educate and communicate to their patients with the knowledge they gain by attending.

As research continues and we have more questions, more answers, more products, newer drugs and advanced measuring tools that will aid us in treating and hopefully ending this growing epidemic.

July 3, 2019May 20, 2026

OptikEyeStyle – Etnia Barcelona CARNABY (col. BLGY)

For Spring/Summer2019, Etnia Barcelona has released multiple frame styles all featuring a new colour creation, a deep teal coloured acetate sprinkled with a depth of glitter that is just the right amount of playfulness. The CARNABY (in col. BLGY) is a cat’s eye frame with a thick acetate temple,

reminiscent of a classic 1950s shape.

Distributed by : www.etniabarcelona.com

July 2, 2019July 2, 2019

AAO Foundation Announces 2019 Joe and Janet Barr Early Career Cornea and Contact Lens Research Award Recipients

The American Academy of Optometry Foundation announces the awardees of the Joe and Janet Barr Early Career Cornea and Contact Lens Research Award. In conjunction with the joint meeting of the American Academy of Optometry and the World Council of Optometry, two awards will be given this year to include students abroad. This year’s awardees are Pabita Dhungel and Rabia Mobeen.

Pabita Dhungel is an MS/PhD Candidate at Pacific University College of Optometry. Her project is on the Impact of Scleral Lens Wear on Intraocular Pressure and Posterior Ocular Perfusion. Patrick J. Caroline, FAAO, Associate Professor at Pacific University said “Pabita embodies that extremely rare mix of scientific researcher and skilled clinician. I look forward to her future contributions to our profession.”

Rabia Mobeen is a PhD Scholar at the University of New South Wales School of Optometry and Vision Science. Her project is on the Corneal Immune Response in Children, Adolescents, and Adult Contact Lens Wearers. Professor and Head of School, Lisa Keay, PhD, MPH, BOptom, at University of New South Wales School of Optometry and Vision Science said “Rabia is a talented emerging scientist with a very bright future.”

The award is intended to provide a MS, PhD, vision science, or physiological optics student attending a school or college of optometry seed funding for a research project in cornea/ocular surface or contact lenses.

Of the six applicants who applied for the award, both Pabita and Rabia presented an impressive resume of experience in clinical research, volunteer service, and lecture presentation. They will both receive a $2,000 award and a $750 travel fellowship to attend Academy 2019 Orlando and 3rd World Congress of Optometry, October 23 – 27, 2019.

Click HERE for the full press release.

July 2, 2019July 2, 2019

Safilo Announces Closing of Solstice Transaction and Confirms Expiration of Dior License on December 31, 2020

Safilo Group announces the closing of the transaction to sell its USA retail chain Solstice to Fairway LLC as previously reported on Optik NOW.

Furthermore, Safilo also confirms that the license agreement for the Dior and Dior Homme collections of sunglasses and optical frames will end at its expiry date of 31 December 2020.

Safilo has been creating, producing and selling Christian Dior eyewear for over 20 years, establishing, nurturing and confirming its standing as one of the most appreciated brands in the industry, based on its highest quality craftsmanship and distribution, and selling more than 30 million pieces of Dior eyewear over that period. In the fiscal year 2018, the Dior license accounted for roughly 13% of Safilo total sales.

Safilo Group Chief Executive Officer Angelo Trocchia stated: “During two decades of the Dior eyewear license, Safilo has created collections that have made history in the eyewear sector. Our Company has 85 years of expertise, with a commitment to and passion for the industry which we are proud of. To build an even stronger Safilo for the future we are ready to continue leveraging on our human capital and the solid foundations of our attractive and balanced license portfolio, as well as our proprietary brands which are growing in line with our plan. We will fully focus on our unique creativity, technology skills and people to expand even further our brand portfolio, already enriched with the renewals of key brands such as kate spade new york, Tommy Hilfiger, havaianas, and Fossil, among others, and with the recently signed license agreements with Levi’s, Missoni, and David Beckham. We remain fully committed to our 2020 Group Business Plan, aiming to reignite sales growth focusing on key geographies, brands and channels while recovering operating performance enabled by our cost reduction program. We are on track with our goals and will further accelerate our journey towards restoring an adequate and sustainable level of profitability by 2020 which will enable us to effectively manage this license exit,” concluded Angelo Trocchia.

Safilo will present a new Group Business Plan by the end of 2019.

Source: Safilo

July 2, 2019June 28, 2019

CooperVision MiSight 1 Day Team Honoured with 2019 BCLA Industry Award

A trio of myopia management visionaries has been honored with the prestigious British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) Industry Award for their work developing, researching and commercializing the innovative CooperVision® MiSight® 1 day contact lens. John Phillips, Stuart Cockerill and Paul Chamberlain were recognized at the BCLA Clinical Conference & Exhibition closing gala dinner, selected from a field of finalists who have all made immeasurable contributions to the field.

Myopia is projected to affect the vision and ocular health of approximately five billion people by 2050, more than doubling today’s numbers1. The rising prevalence of this condition, also known as nearsightedness or short-sightedness, is sparking the need to go beyond solely providing vision correction, to also deliver accessible, effective methods to slow the progression of myopia in children.

These factors led the three pioneers to each play a substantial role in developing and commercializing the MiSight® 1 day contact lens, which is now worn by more than 10,000 children around the world.

“Myopia management has been described as the ‘next contact lens revolution’—something more evident than ever at this year’s BCLA Conference. However, it takes inspiration, vision and dedication to integrate new technology into a commercially viable approach,” said James Gardner, Vice President, Global Myopia Management for CooperVision. “The foresight and years of effort from John, Stuart and Paul are well deserving of recognition from their peers and the industry. Yet they’ll be the first to tell you the honor is not about them—it’s about the thousands of children who are benefiting from that work every day. It’s this attitude that gives us hope that we can truly make an impact, working alongside ECPs to take on myopia.”

Click HERE for the full press release.