U.S. Optical Sales Fall Further Entering a Third Straight Week of Declines, Jobson Practice Performance Tracker Says

NEW YORK—Entering the third week of declines, U.S. optical sales fell further last week (Feb. 8-14), according to the latest Jobson Practice Performance Tracker. Decreases in national optical sales were slightly larger this past week when compared with the two previous weeks. Last week, all service/product categories decreased by either -3 index points (gross revenue, exams/refractions) or -4 index points (frame units, lens pairs, contact lenses). That compares with smaller declines ranging from -1 index Read more.

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Healthy Eyes Advantage Expands Support of State Associations, Adding Alabama and North Carolina as Partners and Enhancing Collaboration with Maine and Pennsylvania

BOCA RATON, FLA.—Healthy Eyes Advantage Inc. (HEA) has moved to expand and continue its strategic initiative to increase support of independent optometry by entering into new partnership arrangements with the Alabama Optometric Association and the North Carolina Optometric Society, according to an announcement this week. In addition, HEA noted that it has finalized enhanced partnership arrangements with the state optometric associations of Maine and Pennsylvania. With the Alabama and North Carolina additions, Healthy Eyes Advantage now teams Read more.

VSP Global Names Dr. Mary Anne Murphy as New Board Chair

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.—The board of directors at VSP Global has named Mary Anne C. Murphy, OD, chair of the board for a two-year term. Dr. Murphy previously served as the vice chair and has been on VSP Global’s board for the past six years. She has been in private practice for nearly two decades and is the CEO and founder of Front Range Eye Associates in Broomfield, Colo. “We’re pleased to have Dr. Murphy at the helm Read more.

100% Optical Postponed From May 2021 to January 2022

LONDON—On February 1, the organizers of 100% Optical (Media 10) announced the postponement of the 2021 trade show to January 2022. The 2021 event was scheduled for May 8-10 at ExCeL London, having already been pushed back from January 2021. 100% Optical will now take place from Jan. 29-31, 2022 at ExCeL London. In addition, 100% Optical announced a two-day virtual event called 100% Optical Online which will take place from May 23-24 2021. This online event will offer Read more.

Ocular Partners Names Jeff Freedman as Chief Executive Officer, Michael Brown as Chief Financial Officer

CHICAGO—Ocular Partners Inc., a leading physician-led eyecare group in greater Chicago, has named Jeff Freedman as chief executive officer and hired Michael Brown as chief financial officer, according to a recent announcement. Ocular Partners is supported by private equity investor groups MoonSail Capital and Plenary Partners. As chief executive, Freedman’s primary focus will be growing the company's footprint by leveraging its position as the clinical and surgical leader in ophthalmic treatment within Chicagoland, according to Read more.

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Transitions Shared ‘The Pulse’ of the Optical Industry During Virtual Event

Large N.Y. Venues Can Reopen Feb. 23 With Testing

Americans Show New Interest in Virtual Eyecare Options, Versant Study Finds

New 'Quick Poll' Survey from Jobson Research Gauges ECP and Supplier Views Toward Move of Vision Expo East to June 2-5 in Orlando

WebMD Launches Effort to Combat Vaccine Misinformation

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Now Incorporating VMail ProductWatch and VMail Technology

Hilco Vision Intros OptiPlus Polish/Clean Microfiber Cloths

Product: OptiPlus Polish/Clean Microfiber Cloths
Top Line: Cleaning and polishing to a streak-free shine is quick and easy with these dual-purpose antimicrobial cloths.
Close Up:Hilco Vision is introducing OptiPlus Polish/Clean Microfiber Cloths. The dual-sided cloths can be used to clean lenses, frames and sunglasses as well for keeping dispensing stations, frame board areas and exam rooms clean between patients. They also work well for cleaning digital screens, devices, electronics, appliances and more, Hilco Vision
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Perfect Corp. Debuts Augmented Reality Virtual Try-On Service for 3D Eyewear

Product: AR 3D eyeglasses
Top Line:Perfect Corp., a leading global beauty tech solutions provider and developer of the YouCam Makeup app, announced the newest addition to its Augmented Reality (AR) virtual try-on services: AR 3D eyeglasses . The new service allows consumers to virtually try on the 3D AR glasses through true-to-life digital try-ons, turning online product catalogs into virtual fitting rooms for eyewear. Unlike traditional 3D scanning and time-consuming modeling methods, Perfect Corp.’s AR
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Charmant Launches New Line Art Collection

Quick Take: Charmant is introducing new styles in its Line Art Charmant collection.
Specifics: Notable new styles are XL2151 and XL2152. XL2151 is a rimless style with rectangular lenses and two-tone coloration on its floral temples. It is available in variations of blue with silver, gold plated with white and rose gold with light pink. XL2152 features angular, square rimless lenses and floral temples in color variations of blue with silver, brown with gold
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A newly released survey of 110 B2B companies by Digital Commerce 360 found that over half of B2B distributors anticipate minor challenges to optimizing online customer experience as they invest in e-commerce this year.

B2B sellers shifted their focus to investing more in their e-commerce sites because of COVID-19, according to Digital Commerce 360. Forty-five percent said they are expecting significant challenges in securing the funds to make necessary investments in their business. Read more.

About This Post: No matter where you are in the country, it's likely you experienced some snow and ice in the past week. This weekend in particular brought a record-setting snow storm to portions of the country that rarely experience this type of winter weather. Head over to The New York Times for some incredible pictures of this unusual storm. 

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This Valentine’s Day, Love Is in the Pair

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—No matter how you feel about the sometimes-controversial holiday, there’s no denying that Valentine’s Day brings a special feeling along with it each and every year. Whether you’re coupled up or practicing self-love, Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to spend a little more time thinking about the people and places you love. In Bloomington, Illinois, independent eyewear shop Specs Around Town is celebrating Valentine’s Day by showing the love for their customers—and their frames. On Instagram, the Specs Around Town team debuted a series called Love is in the Pair, which spotlights the shop’s customers, their other half, and, of course, their frames. Read More

Review of Optometry: How to Pick the Right Surgeon

When a patient needs cataract surgery, you have a big decision to make: which surgeon is best? Patients rarely know who is the most talented, knowledgeable and compassionate, and they certainly don’t know who has access to the most innovative resources. But we do. Paul M. Karpecki, OD, chief clinical editor for Review of Optometry has come up with a handy checklist to ensure you are identifying the ideal cataract surgeon for your patients. Read More

Mykita Opens a Second Store in New York

Confirming its ongoing love affair with New York, Mykita has opened a second location on the Upper East Side. A stone’s throw from the Carlyle Hotel, the petite boutique with a 162-square foot shop floor on Madison Avenue brings the distinctively modern design aesthetic of the Berlin-based eyewear brand to one of the most renowned high-end shopping boulevards in the world. Read more.