Also Notable

• Art Optical announced it has contracted Stephanie L. Woo, O.D., to produce a four-part virtual education series on current trends in specialty contact lens practice. The one-hour webinars will be held monthly on Wednesday evenings through May and are complimentary to eye care practitioners. All sessions begin at 8:30 p.m. EST. The webinar topics and dates are as follows: Ortho-K Practice Management on March 10, Scleral Lens Success on April 21 and Specialty Lens Billing & Coding on May 19. To learn more or to register, visit artoptical.com/news-events .
• The British Contact Lens Association announced it will provide a global consensus report that delivers evidence-based guidance to eye care professionals on all aspects of prescribing and fitting contact lenses. The “Contact Lens Evidence-based Academic Reports (CLEAR)” will be published in the March 2021 issue of the BCLA journal Contact Lens and Anterior Eye and will feature work from panels of globally respected experts. CLEAR was made possible by educational grants from Alcon and CooperVision.
• EssilorLuxottica and CooperCompanies have agreed to create a 50/50 joint venture to acquire SightGlass Vision. The new partnership is intended to speed the commercialization of SightGlass Vision’s spectacle lenses, which slow the progression of myopia in children, plus increase innovation opportunities and go-to-market capabilities for SightGlass Vision products.
• Heine has announced the launch of the OMEGA 600 indirect ophthalmoscope. A new feature, VisionBoost, gives the provider an up to 20% better view of the retina, along with a more tolerable light intensity, the company says. The product’s surface design allows for easier cleaning and disinfection, and filters are available in yellow, blue and red-free.
• HG Vision announced an equity investment in The Power Practice, a consultant company led by Dr. Gary Gerber. HG Vision is “an organization dedicated to the growth and success of independent optometry,” according to a press release from The Power Practice. HG Vision is led by Drs. April Jasper (Optometric’ Management’s [OM] chief optometric editor) and Katie Gilbert-Spear (OM’s “Legal” columnist), as well as Joe Colucci and David Jasper. Dr. Jasper joins the team as co-chief dream officer and co-host of the Power Hour podcast. (You can listen to the podcast at powerpractice.com/the-power-hour .) Dr. Gerber, columnist of OM’s “Business Strategies” column, also serves as co-chief dream officer. For more information, visit bit.ly/HGPowerPractice .
• Johnson & Johnson Vision has announced Peter Menziuso as worldwide president, Vision Care, for Johnson & Johnson Vision immediately. Mr. Menziuso replaces Swami Raote, who retired at the end of 2020, after a 29-year tenure with Johnson & Johnson. Mr. Menziuso has over 25 years of experience across Johnson & Johnson, most recently acting as president, Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Janssen. He returns to Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, where he formerly served as president, North America.
• Laramy-K OpticianWorks, an independent optical lab, has released a new optician training program inspired by training tactics that Director of Marketing Keith Benjamin experienced in the U.S. Navy. The program — the Optical Qualification Standard (OQS) — has the trainee learn each requirement on their own, and then, when ready, demonstrate competency. Practices can download the 62-page program for free at opticianworks.com/free-optician-training/ .
• Myopia Profile and OCULUS have partnered to increase ECP knowledge and clinical confidence in measurement and interpretation of axial length in myopia via specific educational content, research summaries and case studies that will be created to be housed on MyopiaProfile.com and shared across the partnership’s multiple platforms.
• Visionary Optics has announce the launch of its VibrantVue product line (Contact Lens Hand Prep, Scleral saline solution and Lid and Lash Care products), which will be available to order exclusively through ABB and Visionary Optics.
• Vision Source announced the dates for its annual meeting, the Exchange. The event will be held Aug. 4 to Aug. 7 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. At the meeting, Vision Source plans to celebrate its 30th anniversary. For more information, visit vstheexchange.com .
• Veatch Instruments has announced it is offering the free whitepaper “Caring for Your Equipment: Preventative Maintenance Keeps Your Practice Thriving.” It can be downloaded at bit.ly/2XPQ1S7 .
• VSP Global will extend access to essential medical eye care services for VSP Vision Care-insured members and their covered dependents until June 30, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has shared inspiring stories of essential medical eye care provided by VSP network doctors throughout the pandemic. View them at vsp.com/eyewear-wellness/eye-health/essential-eye-care-eye-injury-treatment .

OM COVID-19 Resources

For continually updated resources regarding the coronavirus crisis and optometry, please visit bit.ly/OMcoronavirus . Additionally, be sure to check out O.D. Notebook weekly at bit.ly/ODNotebook2021 .

 

 

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