fbpx

Optometry Giving Sight Announces New Global Board

(Sydney, Australia)- Optometry Giving Sight has announced the consolidation of its Global Board and Global Development Board, creating a new Board structure with 11 members. The new members are:

  • Dr. Glenn Ellisor – Executive Chairman, Vision Source
  • Marc Ferrara – CEO Information Services, Jobson Medical Information
  • Pat McNeil – Chief Communications Officer, VSP Global
  • Dr. Howard Purcell – Senior Vice President, Customer Development Group, Essilor of America
  • Dr. Alan Ulsifer – President and Chair, FYidoctors
  • Dr. Rick Weisbarth – VP Professional Affairs, Alcon

They join:

  • Dr. Juan Carlos Aragon (Chairperson) – Senior Vice President, Southern & Central Eastern Europe, CooperVision
  • Peter Ackland – CEO, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness
  • Dr. Susan Cooper – Immediate Past President, World Council of Optometry
  • Amanda Davis – COO, Brien Holden Vision Institute – Public Health
  • Yvette Waddell – COO, Brien Holden Vision Institute

“I am delighted to welcome these esteemed leaders of our profession and industry as members of the Global Board of Optometry Giving Sight, and to thank them for their efforts over recent years as members of our Development Board,” said Dr. Aragon. “In this new role they will join me and the founding members in helping to ensure that Optometry Giving Sight continues to play a leadership role in mobilizing resources for sustainable eye and vision care services to benefit people in need.”

Dr. Aragon also thanked outgoing Board members, Professor Kovin Naidoo, CEO – Brien Holden Vision Institute, Bob McMullan, President – International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, and UK practitioner Robert (Bob) Chappell, for their service over recent years.

The announcement follows the first meeting of the new Board which was held on February 4th and which approved $1.5 million of funding for 39 Projects in 24 countries. These include support for Schools of Optometry in Haiti, Nicaragua, Mexico, Vietnam, Malawi, Eritrea, Mozambique, Kenya and Uganda.

Other funded projects include training programs for optometrists, optometric technicians and ophthalmologists; child eye health programs; community education and advocacy.

“We continued to receive outstanding support from our donors and sponsors throughout the world, and especially in the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Ireland and Norway,” said Dr. Aragon. “This enables us to support the many high impact projects being undertaken by our project partners and which are transforming the lives of tens of thousands of people each year.”

 

2016_March_OGS_Global_Board_Photo_ver2

Mexx Eyes: Prints with a Watercolour Look

Cool sophistication: the new Mexx Eyes ladies’ styles 5344 and 5345 (photo) emphasise smooth fronts and temples with that surprise effect. Spots or stripes – all prints are reminiscent of watercolour paintings and both begin softly at the middle of the frame to become more and more powerful. Depending on your mood, the new style becomes a discreet or exciting acetate frame. The fronts are available in chocolate brown, midnight blue, black or raspberry red.

Mexx Eyes – Glasses for every day. For real people. For people who live life to the full, preferring authenticity to perfection.

www.rlanctot.com

Sight-Threatening Abnormalities in Newborns Linked to Zika Virus

The rapid spread of the Zika virus infection across South America, and the associated increase in the prevalence of microcephaly, carries with it a host of sight-threatening complications, according to a study recently published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Researchers at Roberto Santos General Hospital in Salvador, Brazil, found a high rate of ocular abnormalities in newborns with microcephaly associated with congenital Zika virus infection. Of 29 infants with microcephaly examined, ocular lesions were found in 10, many with focal pigment mottling of the retina and chorioretinal atrophy. Optical nerve abnormalities were found in 4 patients.

“This study can help guide clinical management and practice, as we observed that a high proportion of the infants with microcephaly had ophthalmologic lesions. Infants with microcephaly should undergo routine ophthalmologic evaluations to identify such lesions. In high-transmission settings, such as South America, Central America and the Caribbean, ophthalmologists should be aware of the risk of congenital ZIKV-associated ophthalmologic sequelae,” the authors write.

Link to full article: http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2491896

 

New York Fashion Designer and Silhouette Join Forces

Renowned fashion designer Wes Gordon has created a special edition, elegant and sophisticated sunglass. The iconic style is available in four fashionable colours using advanced technology, creating superb rimless eyewear.

The lenses are meticulously crafted from a single piece of glass that is hand-sanded around the perimeter, then needle painted with a contrast colour, creating a unique, stunning, fashion forward design for Titan Minimal Art.

Silhouette is distributed by COS.

Over 52,000 visitors at Mido 2016

The renowned eyewear show, Mido, held in Milan from February 27 to 29, registered a new record of over 52,000 visitors this year.

The show’s theme, More!, is an accurate description of this year’s success, with a 7% increase in visitors over last year and 106 new exhibitors.

Organizers were particularly proud of Mido’s increased presence on social media. Over 10,000 mentions of #MIDO2016 were found on Instagram and Twitter, and the number of people following Mido on Facebook increased by more than 2,000 during the event.

Mido 2017 will be held February 25–27.

Featured Posts

Silmo Paris nouvelle image de marque 2026

SILMO Paris Set to Become the Global Capital of Eyewear and Optics in One Month

SILMO Paris returns 25–28 September, bringing together global eyewear and optical professionals for four days of innovation, trends, conferences and industry dialogue.

Learn More
SDC Technologies flo optics logos

SDC Technologies Expands Strategic Partnership with flō Optics

SDC Technologies has expanded its investment in flō Optics and will join the company’s Board, strengthening their strategic partnership and supporting commercialization of digital coating technologies.

Read more
SightGlass DOT logos 2026

DOT™ Spectacle Lenses Surpass Two Million Wearers Worldwide

SightGlass Vision announces that two million children worldwide now wear DOT™ lenses, marking rapid adoption of contrast management myopia control technology.

Read more
Voila July-August Optik 2026 OGI DRIP_BLUSH

Colour for Little Originals

Drip turns colour into wearable art with layered patterns, hand-painted details and sculpted acetate, balanced by flexible spring hinges designed for active kids.

Read more
Role of opticians in myopia management

Myopia Care and the Optician as a Key Provider

Myopia is more than a refractive error, it is a public health epidemic. Discover how opticians serve as key providers by educating families, breaking stigma, and protecting long-term pediatric eye health.

Read more
Silmo Paris nouvelle image de marque 2026

SILMO Paris Set to Become the Global Capital of Eyewear and Optics in One Month

SILMO Paris returns 25–28 September, bringing together global eyewear and optical professionals for four days of innovation, trends, conferences and industry dialogue.

Learn More
SDC Technologies flo optics logos

SDC Technologies Expands Strategic Partnership with flō Optics

SDC Technologies has expanded its investment in flō Optics and will join the company’s Board, strengthening their strategic partnership and supporting commercialization of digital coating technologies.

Read More
SightGlass DOT logos 2026

DOT™ Spectacle Lenses Surpass Two Million Wearers Worldwide

SightGlass Vision announces that two million children worldwide now wear DOT™ lenses, marking rapid adoption of contrast management myopia control technology.

Read More
Voila July-August Optik 2026 OGI DRIP_BLUSH

Colour for Little Originals

Drip turns colour into wearable art with layered patterns, hand-painted details and sculpted acetate, balanced by flexible spring hinges designed for active kids.

Read More
Role of opticians in myopia management

Myopia Care and the Optician as a Key Provider

Myopia is more than a refractive error, it is a public health epidemic. Discover how opticians serve as key providers by educating families, breaking stigma, and protecting long-term pediatric eye health.

Read More
Silmo Paris nouvelle image de marque 2026

SILMO Paris Set to Become the Global Capital of Eyewear and Optics in One Month

SILMO Paris returns 25–28 September, bringing together global eyewear and optical professionals for four days of innovation, trends, conferences and industry dialogue.

Learn More
SDC Technologies flo optics logos

SDC Technologies Expands Strategic Partnership with flō Optics

SDC Technologies has expanded its investment in flō Optics and will join the company’s Board, strengthening their strategic partnership and supporting commercialization of digital coating technologies.

Read more
SightGlass DOT logos 2026

DOT™ Spectacle Lenses Surpass Two Million Wearers Worldwide

SightGlass Vision announces that two million children worldwide now wear DOT™ lenses, marking rapid adoption of contrast management myopia control technology.

Read more
Voila July-August Optik 2026 OGI DRIP_BLUSH

Colour for Little Originals

Drip turns colour into wearable art with layered patterns, hand-painted details and sculpted acetate, balanced by flexible spring hinges designed for active kids.

Read more
Role of opticians in myopia management

Myopia Care and the Optician as a Key Provider

Myopia is more than a refractive error, it is a public health epidemic. Discover how opticians serve as key providers by educating families, breaking stigma, and protecting long-term pediatric eye health.

Read more
Silmo Paris nouvelle image de marque 2026

SILMO Paris Set to Become the Global Capital of Eyewear and Optics in One Month

SILMO Paris returns 25–28 September, bringing together global eyewear and optical professionals for four days of innovation, trends, conferences and industry dialogue.

Learn More
SDC Technologies flo optics logos

SDC Technologies Expands Strategic Partnership with flō Optics

SDC Technologies has expanded its investment in flō Optics and will join the company’s Board, strengthening their strategic partnership and supporting commercialization of digital coating technologies.

Read more
SightGlass DOT logos 2026

DOT™ Spectacle Lenses Surpass Two Million Wearers Worldwide

SightGlass Vision announces that two million children worldwide now wear DOT™ lenses, marking rapid adoption of contrast management myopia control technology.

Read more
Voila July-August Optik 2026 OGI DRIP_BLUSH

Colour for Little Originals

Drip turns colour into wearable art with layered patterns, hand-painted details and sculpted acetate, balanced by flexible spring hinges designed for active kids.

Read more
Role of opticians in myopia management

Myopia Care and the Optician as a Key Provider

Myopia is more than a refractive error, it is a public health epidemic. Discover how opticians serve as key providers by educating families, breaking stigma, and protecting long-term pediatric eye health.

Read more