Practice Tip: Use outside-the-box thinking to differentiate your practice
“Most optometrists focus heavily on clinical excellence, but success in today’s competitive and rapidly changing marketplace requires innovative thinking in practice management and strategy,” writes Steve Vargo, OD, MBA, in this month’s “CEO Challenge.” To increase revenues, practice owners must step outside the traditional mindset, he explains. One way to inspire outside-the-box thinking is to explore emerging trends. This means staying informed on new technologies, cultural shifts, and market trends. For more ways of inspiring outside-the-box thinking, read more.

AOAExcel invests in EHR company
AOAExcel, a member-benefit and for-profit subsidiary of the American Optometric Association (AOA), made a financial investment in Barti Software, a San Francisco-based eye care EHR company. In addition, AOAExcel has endorsed the company. Barti EHR features an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered scribe, an AI office copilot (for scheduling appointments), and a VoIP phone system, among other features. AOA members can receive a $1,500 Visa gift card after signing up with Barti and being live on the platform for three months. Visit www.barti.com. 

Avant Technologies and Ainnova to create retinal camera
Avant Technologies Inc. and its partner Ainnova Tech Inc., a healthcare technology company focused on early disease detection using artificial intelligence (AI), announced the companies will create a proprietary low-cost retinal camera for fundus photography that is packaged with Ainnova’s Vision AI software platform. Vision AI can detect the early markers of a host of diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, by applying AI models to examine imaging data from the eye, according to a press release. More information can be found at https://avanttechnologies.com.

CooperVision/World Council of Optometry Myopia Management Navigator Roundtable Discussion video available
A video of a roundtable discussion highlighting the World Council of Optometry (WCO)/ CooperVision Myopia Management Navigator is now available at https://bit.ly/CooperVisionMyopiaVideo. The video is comprised of three of the four WCO myopia management ambassadors discussing the educational resource and offering their insights on advancing myopia care worldwide, according to a press release. The conversation occurred during the International Myopia Conference (IMC) in Sanya, China. The Myopia Management Navigator is a free, interactive guide to evidence-based content, advice, and practical actions regarding myopia.

Cure Blindness Project launches holiday gift catalog
Cure Blindness Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating avoidable blindness globally, has launched its Cure Blindness Project Holiday Gift Catalog. The catalog offers a range of impactful gifts, such as funding eye exams for 10 children, supporting local capacity building, funding residencies and training programs for eye care professionals, and more. To explore the holiday gift catalog, visit https://gift.cureblindness.org. To learn more about the Cure Blindness Project’s mission, visit www.cureblindness.org.

Emmecell releases topline results for corneal edema therapy
Emmecell announced topline results for its multicenter phase 1 extension study evaluating EO2002, a non-surgical cell therapy for corneal edema. The randomized, double-masked trial demonstrated significant improvements in vision and corneal health. Across all dose levels tested, 150,000, 500,000, and 1 million cells, participants showed improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and reductions in central corneal thickness. In the cohort receiving 150,000 endothelial cells, patients experienced a mean gain of 11 letters BCVA at six months, and 38% of patients achieved a vision gain of at least 15 letters BCVA, according to a press release.

EssilorLuxottica and World Council of Optometry to host virtual event
EssilorLuxottica and The World Council of Optometry (WCO) will host a virtual event comprised of a series of live sessions, titled “Presbyopia and Aging Eye” from Dec. 4 to Dec. 6, 2024. This initiative builds on EssilorLuxottica and WCO’s commitment to establishing a global standard of care for presbyopia, launched to provide comprehensive guidelines for eye care practitioners, according to a press release. Professionals interested in attending can register for the series of live sessions on the Leonardo learning platform at this link. 

GlassesUSA.com launches next-day delivery
GlassesUSA.com unveiled its next-day delivery service for prescription glasses and sunglasses. The service includes everything from trendy, budget-friendly frames, to luxury designer brands, according to a press release. For more information on the next-day delivery service and to explore its collection, visit https://www.glassesusa.com.

Ipsos survey finds parent education on myopia lacking in U.K.
U.K. parents have a lack of understanding around myopia in children, a new Ipsos survey commissioned by Essilor finds. Survey highlights:

• Most parents of myopic children (94%) wrongly believe that having their myopic child wear glasses or contact lenses solves the problem.
• Half (54%) of the parents questioned, including those without myopic children, were unaware that “the earlier myopia starts, the faster it progresses and the more serious it can become.”
• Almost half (48%) of all parents were aware that very short-sighted people have an increased risk of sight-threatening eye complications, with the same amount (48%) unaware that myopia is progressing faster today than in previous generations.

Johnson & Johnson’s Sjögren’s syndrome treatment gets FDA breakthrough designation
Nipocalimab, from Johnson & Johnson, received the FDA breakthrough designation as a treatment for moderate-to-severe Sjögren’s syndrome. The designation is supported by data from the phase 2 DAHLIAS (NCT04968912) study, which aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of the drug. The data supports further investigation through a phase 3 study.

Opthea makes appointment to its board of directors
Opthea appointed Kathy Connell, GAICD, to its board of directors as a non-executive director, effective immediately following the company’s Annual General Meeting on Nov. 15. Ms. Connell is a commercial executive with deep business development expertise across pharmaceutical, vaccine, medical technology, consumer, and digital health industries, according to a press release. 

Partnership results in management services organization, US VisionMed Partners
Kian Capital Partners and RF Investment Partners announced the formation of US VisionMed Partners, a management services organization supporting established, medically focused optometry practices nationwide. Kian and RF invested in US VisionMed alongside Lakewood Healthcare Capital, a healthcare-focused investment firm, as well as the practitioners leading each location. The partnership indicates it will seek to thoughtfully source and execute additional practice acquisitions, building density in existing markets and expanding nationwide in complementary markets, according to a press release.

Prevent Blindness welcomes six members to board of directors
Prevent Blindness named six new members to its board of directors. They are Karen Allison, MD, MBA, FACS, Flaum Eye Institute at the University of Rochester; C. Edward Buffington, president and CEO, GPN Technologies; Sue Downes, co-founder and CEO, MyEyeDr.; Stephanie Marioneaux, MD, private practice owner, assistant professor of ophthalmology at Eastern Virginia Medical School; Kim Schuy Greenberg, CEO, Delasco; and Dean A. VanNasdale Jr., OD, PhD, MS, FAAO, associate professor at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. For a full listing of members of the Prevent Blindness board of directors, visit https://preventblindness.org/prevent-blindness-board-directors.