Blog - Page 559 of 887

May 20, 2019May 14, 2019

Virtual Consults Now Available with Leading Private Insurer Manulife

Canada’s largest private health insurance provider, Manulife Financial and California-based digital health care provider, Akira Health, announced a partnership to provide Canadians with on-demand, virtual 24-7 anywhere anytime medical consultations with clinicians. Services are available in both English and French.

The Akira app builds upon services offered both in the public healthcare system and through an individual’s health benefits plan. In addition to providing general health counselling, Akira clinicians can diagnose, write and renew prescriptions, and provide referrals to specialists, labs, and imaging centres.

The Canadian website cites “eye problems” as being within the scope of services.

When asked about online refraction, an Akira spokesperson indicated, “unfortunately, we can’t do refraction through the app, as that’s a test that can’t be done virtually”, implying that if online refraction were available it might be added to the solution.

The Akira primary care team is made up mostly of Nurse Practitioners and Registered Nurses, as well as some MDs. The team does not include optometrists, according to the company.

“Virtual healthcare is growing at a fast pace in Canada and will soon be the new standard for employers,” said Dan Pawliw, co-founder of Akira. “We have worked hard to develop this solution and are proud to provide the highest level of service in the virtual healthcare space.”

The new service is consistent with Manulife’s mission to make lives better and decisions easier for Canadians according to Donna Carbell, Head of Group Benefits for Manulife Canada.

For the full Press Release click HERE.

May 16, 2019

The Vision Council Introduces New Summit Series

The Vision Council introduces their new Summit Series for 2019, facilitated by Bart Foster, strategic advisor to The Vision Council. This series of exclusive events will help feed the growing desire to better the optical industry and individuals’ careers through targeted events. The Vision Council sees these summits as key to moving the industry forward by providing environments for learning, mentoring and networking.

The series events are as follows:

Fast-Track Leadership Summit (April 24–25) – Designed to inspire, motivate and educate future industry leaders, by providing critical tools and techniques to ensure a productive professional career.
Optical Innovation Summit (June 5–6) – Focused on interactive, hands-on ideation, where industry leaders will discuss and debate the inevitable changes affecting optical retail.
Marketing Insights Summit (Oct. 15–16) – A two-day hands-on session targeting marketing executives in the vision care industry focusing on marketing insights, customer experience, and industry trends.
Executive Leadership Summit in partnership with the Aspen Institute (November) – Intended for motivated leaders looking to build upon their skill set for personal and professional development to positively impact and inspire their teams.

The Vision Council aims to harness the energy and passion produced during the annual Executive Summit and develop it into exclusive and unique events offered throughout the year. These events will culminate with the 2020 Executive Summit, which will see an improved structure with the goal of giving participants a more enjoyable and valuable experience and leave with a strong directive for the year ahead.

“We’re so excited to see these events come to fruition throughout the year,” said Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council. “It’s encouraging to see the need and want for these types of gatherings, and as the leading industry trade association, The Vision Council invites the responsibility to facilitate these conversations. We know that change is happening quickly, so we designed these events to help us harness the insights of those leading the transformation and identify opportunity for growth. We invite the leaders of this change to join us and help us craft, together, the future of the industry.”

For more information, visit thevisioncouncil.org/summitseries.

Source: The Vision Council

May 14, 2019May 20, 2026

New Virtually Indestructible Rec Specs Z8 Frames for Young Girls

Kids are too tough for everyday glasses. Engineered with the Rec Specs durability Liberty is known for, Z8 is the ideal solution for active youth whose glasses break too easily, while protecting their parents from the cost of replacing broken frames.

Designed to be ‘Virtually Indestructible’, the new Z8-Y70 frames for young girls can be twisted, bent, and stepped on with their flexible and durable material. These frames are lightweight and fashion forward, providing style at school and durability at play and expand the best-selling Z8 Collection for kids.

The Z8-Y70 frames are available in a 47 and a 51 eye size for active young girls and come in four colours: Translucent Red/Lime, Translucent Blue/Powder Blue, Shiny Tortoise/Rose, and Translucent Purple/Lavender.

Liberty recommends the RS Clear Blue lens or the React-X Photochromic with RS Blue for all Z8 frame styles available through the Rec Specs Lab. Both provide a shatterproof lens with protection from blue light and reduce eye strain and the React-X provides an indoor and outdoor, all day lens solution.

To see the Z8 frames in action, watch ‘Hand-on Z8-Y70’.

Click HERE for the full press release.

May 14, 2019

Safilo and David Beckham Announce 10-year Eyewear License Agreement

Safilo Group and global icon David Beckham announce a global ten-year agreement for the eponymous license for sunglasses and prescription glasses. The first David Beckham eyewear collection will launch in January 2020.

“Safilo has a long history of creating high quality eyewear brands. I wear sunglasses all the time and this is a category that I love. So, it’s important to me to work with a partner who cares as much about the design and craftsmanship of the product as I do,” said David Beckham. “I’m really enjoying the process of creating a collection with the Safilo team – and I can’t wait to launch it next year.”

“It is a great honour for me to welcome to our portfolio this brand that carries the name of one of the most famous and successful players in the world,” said Angelo Trocchia, CEO of Safilo Group. “With this ten-year license, Safilo is set to create a top global male brand in the premium segment, complementary to the other prestigious men’s brands already present in our portfolio, working in synergy with the extraordinary power of David’s global audiences to further strengthen the presence of Safilo in the digital universe.”

Source: Safilo

May 14, 2019May 20, 2026

New Look Vision Reports 19th Consecutive Quarter of Comparable Store Sales Growth

New Look Vision Group reported financial results for the 13 weeks ended March 30, 2019.

Q1 2019 Financial and Operational Highlights:

• Revenues increased by 2.4% over last year to $71.5 million.

• Comparable store sales orders were up by 2.6%, compared to the first quarter of last year, marking the 19th consecutive quarter of comparable store sales growth.

• Adjusted EBITDA reached $11.6 million, an increase of 2.3% over last year and increased 1.4% on a per diluted share basis to $0.74.

• Adjusted cash flows from operating activities were $11.2 million, an increase of 4.4% over last year and an increase of 4.3% on a per diluted share basis to $0.72.

Antoine Amiel, the President and CEO of New Look Vision, stated that: “In Q1 2019, New Look Vision Group delivered its 19^th consecutive quarter of comparable store sales growth and record free cash flow. The prior year’s debt deleveraging momentum carried into the first quarter of this year, positioning the company to resume consolidating the fragmented Canadian retail optical market, with eight stores acquired since the beginning of the year.”

Click HERE for the full press release including the financial report.