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www.visionmonday.com
JUNE 16, 2008
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THIS MONTH IN VM
VISION MONDAY/JUNE 16, 2008
3
EDITOR’S NOTE
IN THIS ISSUE
It's Time to Get With the 'Online' Program
News
PBA joins groups opposing FDA
lens impact regs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
VisionMonday.com wins EPpy
Award, min honors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Transitions Healthy Sight Survey
confirms key issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Mido 2008 figures up by 1 percent . 18
Marchon signs Calvin Klein, ck
Calvin Klein for Japan . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Scene & Heard
SAA/ESA execs mingle at
Mido dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Giorgio Armani eyewear marks 20
years, launches special editions . . . 28
Exam Lanes
10
18
AOA issues ‘Caring for the Eyes of
America’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Retail Dispensary
Launches
Signature launches Carmen
Marc Valvo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Second Looks
Costa Del Mar releases new metal
sunglass styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Kenmark intros designs to Thalia
Girl Eyewear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Viva adds optical groups to
Catherine Deneuve Lunettes . . . . 48
Aoyama unveils new styles in
Shiseido collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Columns
F.Y.Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Contact Lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
20
28
It’s mid-way through
2008, people.
Let’s try to all agree
that we’re way past the
point where ‘Internet’
and ‘Web site’ are concepts that you think
are relevant only for
your kids and ‘AmeriMarge Axelrad
Editorial Director
can Idol’ fans.
If you haven’t updated, or, um, created your
Web site in the past year, get with the program,
there are plenty of resources available to help
you do so.
If you have updated and are proud of some of
the new features of your retail business’ or practice’s Web site, please let us know! We really,
really want to hear from you.
The universe of online is daunting, no question. But the eyecare and eyewear business is
being swept up in a new world of concepts and
communication fueled by bits, bytes and broadband.
Consumers and patients are not waiting for
companies in our industry to get into it. By the
millions, and of all age groups and social/economic spheres, they are seeking out and learning
what they can about eyecare and health care via
Web searches, building new assumptions about
brands by interacting with robust and fun sites
and, importantly, recommending these experiences and brand products to other friends and
colleagues. They are buying from sites they
locate via Google, and via other style, culture or
media influencers.
Your brick-and-mortar offices and retail stores
need to extend your customer and patient relationships 24/7.
And then there’s the business-to-business side
of the Web. Do you keep records and data about
your business? About your patients? Are you
ordering or reordering products online? How are
you communicating among your offices? With
your suppliers? With other colleagues?
The Web is more than a parallel universe to
the real world. It’s a realm all its own, with new
rules and game-changing developments.
It’s something to explore and take part in. It’s
no longer debatable that it needs to play a role in
your business—it’s a reality. II
WHAT’S ONLINE
Inside the Lab
VSP Legends 4.0 adds
Teflon coating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Business Essentials
Few organizations plan to stem
brain drain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Extra
50
Opinion
Here Comes the Sun . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Balance Sheet
Buying Group revenues see gain . . 70
Marcolin reports increased sales . . . 70
Orange21/Spy Optic report loss . . . 70
52
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4
IN THE NEWS
NEWS VIEWS
Transitions Links With PGA, Promoting ‘Healthy Sight’
PINELLAS PARK, Fla.—In its latest
move to bring its message about
“Healthy Sight” to increasing numbers
of consumers, Transitions Optical has
signed a deal with professional golf’s
PGA Tour to provide a four-year title
sponsorship of a PGA Tour event at the
nearby Innisbrook Resort and Golf
Club. The golf tournament will be
called the Transitions Championship
For Healthy Sight.
Transitions officials told VM the sponsorship may be the initial effort in a new
strategy to get the company’s message out
Carl Zeiss Vision, VSP Add
Tri-City Optical to Its Lab Network
CLEARWATER, Fla.—Carl Zeiss
Vision has added Tri-City Optical to its
network of U.S. laboratories. The company acquired the independently-owned
Clearwater, Fla. wholesale lab in partnership with VSP Vision Care, with Carl
Zeiss Vision as the majority shareholder.
The purchase price was not disclosed.
“We are very excited to have Tri-City
as part of Carl Zeiss Vision’s laboratory
network,” said Fred Howard, Carl Zeiss
Vision’s president, the Americas. “This
will enhance our ability to support Florida eyecare professionals with outstanding
laboratory services and advanced products
like GT2 Progressive Lenses by Zeiss,
Carat Advantage and Teflon Clear Coat
Lenses. Tri-City has the capabilities,
experience and reputation that will help
us to grow in this key market.”
Commenting on the significance of the
move for VSP, Don Oakley, VSP vice
president of ophthalmic supply chain and
services, said, “This development will
benefit doctors and their patients in the
Southeast by offering enhanced choices
for high quality products and services.
Working together with valued suppliers
like Carl Zeiss Vision is part of our ongoing focus on strengthening the eyecare
delivery system for private practice.”
The Tri-City acquisition marks the
second time Zeiss and VSP have partnered in an optical lab purchase. Last
year, the two companies each acquired a
stake in Perfect Optics in Vista, Calif.
VSP chairman Rob Lynch stated at that
time that VSP would pursue other lab
acquisitions in partnership with vendors
and on its own.
Founded in 1993, Tri-City serves
independent eyecare professionals in
Central Florida and beyond. Carl Zeiss
Vision confirmed that Richard Hoerbelt
and his management team will remain in
place, and no business process changes
are contemplated.
“We chose Tri-City in part because of
the excellent service the lab provides to its
customers,” said Claude Labeeuw, Carl
Zeiss Vision’s vice president, business
development. “Our goal is to maintain that
service while providing Tri-City customers
with outstanding new product options.” ■■
Atchison Named President of Schneider
Optical Machines, North America
CARROLLTON, Texas—Kurt Atchison, a
13-year veteran of the optical industry
has been named president of Schneider
Optical Machines, North America, effective July 1. The company, based here, is
a subsidiary of the German lab equipment manufacturer Schneider OpticMachines, a leading supplier of free-form
lens surfacing equipment.
In his new role, Atchison will be
responsible for all business aspects in
the North American market.
Atchison most recently worked for
National Optronics as vice president. Prior
to that, he worked for Satisloh North America as vice president of sales and marketing, where he gained years of experience
in the lens processing equipment field.
“Schneider is fortunate to have such a
capable leader to serve its North American
customers. I want to show a new dedication to the needs of the North American
market. That will require a strong, local
organization with a strong and experienced
leader. Kurt provides us that leadership
and experience,” said Gunter Schneider,
president of Schneider OpticMachines.
Added Atchison, “Schneider has fantastic new developments and the right
equipment for today’s surfacing needs.
I’m lucky to be able to have the leadership role for a company that’s really
excited about creating a great organization here in the U.S.” ■■
that could include additional sports
marketing as well as possible associations with celebrities or other groups
outside sports.
The week-long golf event—to be
held March 16 to 22, 2009, at Innisbrook’s Copperhead course—is
designed to enhance Transitions’
ongoing efforts to help elevate conthe announcement of Transitions’ golf tournament sponsumer awareness of the need for At
sorship, (l to r) PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem
healthy sight, the importance of applauds as Transitions’ Brett Craig and David Cole receive
vision care and the benefits of sight- personalized golf bags from Sheila Johnson of Salamander
enhancing vision wear, according to Hospitality, owner of the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club.
a company announcement.
using our resources to communicate with
In announcing the PGA deal, five consumers and reach a whole new, and
months in the making, Transitions presi- logical, demographic for Transitions.”
dent Brett Craig said, “Partnering with the
The company is also in negotiations to
PGA Tour aligns well with our company become an official marketing partner of
and brand. The tournament makes an the PGA Tour, which could include
important contribution to our local com- being named the official eyewear of the
munity, and the sponsorship is a tremen- Tour. An announcement on that is
dous opportunity to educate consumers expected shortly.
about the importance of healthy sight.”
Cole said Transitions is “still working
After the formal announcement of the out the details” on how to involve its
sponsorship at Innisbrook, Dave Cole, trade partners—lens manufacturers,
managing director of the Americas, Aus- wholesale labs, optical retailers and eyetralia and New Zealand for Transitions, care professionals—in the promotional
told VM, “The PGA Tour is number opportunities generated by the golf
one in charitable giving and has a tournament. “Our next phase is to find
tremendous reputation and integrity, so ways to use this platform to work with
that platform and the ability to associate our partners,” he noted. “This is a major
our brand with this event offers us a new event, offering so many opportunities it
voice to the consumer about the impor- will take a little time to figure them all
—Cathy Ciccolella
tance of vision care. This is a way of out.”
Sàfilo Group Appoints Massimiliano
Tabacchi Sole CEO; Gottardi Retains
Role as President/CEO of Sàfilo USA
PADOVA, Italy—Sàfilo Group S.p.A. has
announced the appointment of the executive vice chairman, Massimiliano Tabacchi, to sole CEO of the company.
Claudio Gottardi, who has resigned as
co-CEO for personal reasons, will remain
a member of the board of directors of
Sàfilo Group S.p.A. and Sàfilo S.p.A. He
will also return to the U.S. and continue
his role as president and CEO of Sàfilo
USA Inc. and its subsidiaries, according
to a statement from the company.
In 2006, Massimiliano Tabacchi was
appointed co-CEO along with Gottardi,
and then appointed to the position of
executive vice chairman by the board of
directors this past May.
"During the last two years, I have
worked together with Claudio Gottardi to
re-focus the Group on its core business,
the design, production and distribution of
outstanding eyewear," said Tabacchi. "A
few months ago, we presented an important business plan, both in terms of
commercial development as well as from
an industrial point of view. This project is
continuing and will be strengthened by
an increasingly competitive organizational structure which will preserve and seek
the best managerial competencies, necessary to put into action and develop our
strategy."
Reached by VM, Gottardi commented,
“I am delighted to spend more time in
the U.S. with my family.”
Massimiliano Tabacchi has been with
the company for seven years and held
the position of COO from 2001 to 2006
overseeing research and development,
product development, planning, operations, information technology and human
resources. ■■
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6
IN THE NEWS
NEWS VIEWS
PBA Joins Groups Opposing FDA Lens Impact Regs
CHICAGO—Criticism of the Food and
Drug Administration’s (FDA) recently
proposed changes to its long-standing
guidelines for lens impact testing
received a broader base of support when
Prevent Blindness America, based here,
threw its hat into the ring of groups
strongly opposed to the guidelines.
Although a coalition of optical industry
groups also opposes the FDA’s proposed
changes to the guidelines, PBA is the first
consumer optical organization to do so. In
a May 12 letter to FDA officials, PBA
chairperson John D. O’Neill, Jr., and
Hugh R. Parry, the organization’s president and CEO, said the FDA’s updated
draft guidelines for impact-resistant lenses “would increase cost [for consumers]
without an increase in safety.”
The letter questioned
“We have a stake in insuring
whether the FDA update
“provides added safety in that vision care remains at a low
light of modern lens technol- cost and that cost not be added
ogy and the current experito vision care unnecessarily.
ence of the industry,” noting
that it could add extra costs to the con—Jeff Todd, PBA
sumer and potentially increase the time
to complete prescriptions.
we didn’t see any evidence that an
“The main reason we decided to join increase in safety would override any
in is that as a patient advocate group, increases in cost.
this wasn’t high on our radar until it was
In addition to PBA, the other optical
brought to us by some other organiza- groups opposed to the FDA’s proposed
tions,” Jeff Todd, senior vice president changes to the guidelines include
of PBA, told VM. “We have a stake in the American Academy of
insuring that vision care remains at a low Ophthalmology, American
cost and that cost not be added to vision Optometric Association, Opticare unnecessarily. Based on the infor- cians Association of America,
mation our scientific advisors reviewed, Optical Laboratories Association,
Sunglass Association of America, International Standard Organization TC 72/SC7,
National Academy of Opticianry and The
Vision Council. Last month, the group
submitted a revised draft of the guidelines
to the FDA containing its own recommendations, which reflect current industry practices and testing methods.
“This is good news and I believe it helps
our position a great deal to have a consumer group that is specifically interested
in eye safety support our efforts,” said Ed
Greene, CEO of The Vision Council. II
@
To View a PDF of Prevent Blindness
America’s letter to the FDA or to View a
PDF of the optical industry coalitions
revised draft of the FDA’s guidelines for lens
impact testing go to the New & Noteworthy
section on www.VisionMonday.com.
Luxottica Signs Franchise Deal for Sunglass Hut Stores in Thailand
MILAN—Luxottica Group’s 1,970“The entry into Thailand
unit Sunglass Hut chain will be
strengthens our presence
expanding into Thailand through a
newly signed franchise agreement
in southeast Asia, a highwith privately held international firm
potential growth region for
Diethelm Keller.
the sun retail business.
Initial plans call for 15 Sunglass Hut
stores to open in Thailand; the chain
—Chris Beer, Luxottica
currently has 220 stores in the Asia
Pacific region, in markets such as Australia, globally. Specifically, this transaction repNew Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. resents an important step in the develSaid Chris Beer, chief executive offi- opment of the Sunglass Hut brand in
cer of Luxottica’s retail business in Aus- Asia-Pacific, allowing us to leverage its
tralasia, southeast Asia and South Africa, global attributes while partnering with
“The entry into Thailand strengthens local expertise to maximize growth
our presence in southeast Asia, a high- opportunities also in new markets.”
In other Luxottica news, the compapotential growth region for the sun retail
business. It is also an example of the sig- ny’s Luxottica Retail operation recently
nificant additional opportunities for addi- laid off 65 employees at its corporate
tional growth that the group sees for headquarters in Mason, Ohio, representSunglass Hut both in the region and ing approximately 4 percent of its total
First Insight Integrates With
DrFirst for 'E-Prescribing'
HILLSBORO, Ore.—First Insight, the
practice-management and electronic
medical records software company, and
DrFirst, which offers electronic prescribing and medication reconciliation, are
partnering to launch an “end-to-end eprescribing solution” through First
Insight’s integration with DrFirst’s GoldRx certified Rcopia e-Prescribing technology.
The integration allows users of First
Insight’s maximEyes program to submit
regulatory-compliant e-prescriptions to
pharmacies through a real-time clinical
transaction network, according to the
two companies.
Said Nitin Rai, president and chief
executive officer of First Insight, “The
e-Prescribe Link will allow doctors to be
one step ahead of electronic prescribing
mandates, provide a higher level of
patient service and safety by minimizing
potential adverse drug events, and will
increase staff productivity due to less
time spent with pharmacy questions and
renewal requests.” II
employment there.
A Luxottica spokesman described the
laid-off employees as “support staff,” saying no high-level executives were let go.
He told VM, “In response to what has
been an overall challenging economic
environment, Luxottica Retail North
America announced further plans to
improve efficiency and effectiveness
across its business. In addition to imple-
menting further and stricter cost controls
in marketing, product and other areas,
Luxottica Retail conducted a comprehensive review of its North American
operations. As a result, efficiencies have
been gained through, among others,
delaying activities, shifting resources,
combining select functions, re-assigning
associates to different roles and eliminating certain open positions.” II
'Give the Gift of Sight’ Launches
First Consumer Eyewear Drive
MASON, Ohio—This month, Luxottica
Group’s Give the Gift of Sight global charitable foundation is asking consumers to
help in its mission of providing free eye
exams and eyewear to needy people by
donating used eyeglasses.
During June, Give the Gift of Sight is
conducting its first annual used eyewear
collection drive. Consumers can donate
their old prescription glasses and non-Rx
sunglasses at Give the Gift of Sight partner locations, including LensCrafters,
Pearle Vision, Sears Optical and Sunglass Hut stores as well as participating
independent eyecare practitioners. Give
the Gift of Sight will clean and repair the
donated eyewear for distribution on its
international missions.
Said Greg Hare, executive director of
Give the Gift of Sight, “For a vast majority of people in developing countries, the
used glasses we collect are their only
chance to have clear vision. The global
need for vision care is massive, and
we’re asking the public for their support
by donating used glasses.”
This year alone, Give the Gift of Sight
needs approximately 1.2 million used
glasses to support 20 planned missions
to developing countries including India,
Cambodia, Guatemala, Honduras, the
Philippines, Thailand, Mexico, Chile and
more, the organization said. Volunteer
teams consisting of Luxottica Group
associates, ECPs, opticians and program partners travel around the world to
hand-deliver free eye exams and recycled glasses to an average of 20,000
adults and children per mission.
So far, Give the Gift of Sight has
helped provide clear vision to more than
six million people worldwide through
more than 135 optical missions to 32
countries. II
8
NEWSMAKERS
NEWSMAKERS
ABB/Concise: Redefines Role of the Modern Distributor
By Marge Axelrad
Editorial Director
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.—Command of
information. Continual investment in systems and engineering. A team of experts
in sales, service and training support.
To Angel Alvarez, modern distribution
in today’s optical market is fusion of all
of these.
His company, ABB/Concise, has
grown through acquisition, development
and merger to become the largest contact lens distributor in the U.S., serving
more than 15,000 accounts, representing
more than two-thirds of independent
eyecare professionals and accounting for
some 45 percent of distributor sales of
soft lenses.
Staying ahead of the optical industry’s
technology curve and employing the
strategic science that characterizes the
speed and deployment of distributors in
The company’s new Coral Springs, HQ, is one of
several facilities serving ECPs.
Angel Alvarez
C&E, Contact Optical, Doctors Optical
Supply and Wise Optical distributors led
up to the merger one year ago with ConCise Contact Lens, then the country’s
third-largest distributor, which included
the San Leandro, Calif. company’s Westlens and Con-Cise East operations. ConCise also owned the Primary Eyecare
Network (PEN), a buying and practice
management group of over 1,000
optometrists in California, Nevada, Ariother industries outside the realm of zona, Utah and Hawaii.
eyecare and eyewear, ABB/Concise is a
PEN’s successful practice education
unique resource for its clients and sup- program, anchored by its “Preserving
pliers. The company not only automates Independent Optometry” theme, will be
efficiencies and order fill rates, but its expanded to other parts of the U.S. startmarketing, sales and training resources ing this year and into next, Alvarez noted.
enables ECPs to improve contact lens
With the steady consolidation of the
contact lens industry,
ABB/Concise’s position
represents streamlined
ordering, shipment reconciliation, accounting
and record-keeping, pricing parity and lens banks
that afford one-stop shopping and other business
services from analysis to
support and training.
Alvarez said, “IndeAlvarez and Baker, center, with the PEN team. Debbie Oseguera,
pendents perceive that
director of PEN, is at top, center.
contact lens profitability
profitability, facilitating online ordering has declined and, in fact, gross profit
and direct-to-patient delivery that margins have eroded. But at the same
improves their competitiveness and time, the number of annual purchase
practice operations.
transactions per patient have doubled, as
“We are committed to keeping inde- the result of disposable lenses and other
pendent ECPs in the game,” said wearing cycles. Managing transaction
Alvarez, CEO, who founded ABB Opti- costs has become a more significant
cal in 1989. “We have a continuous con- issue for ECPs, both large and smallnection with the universe of independ- sized practices.”
ents out there.”
Alvarez pointed out that the least profThe company started with the acqui- itable CL transaction ECPs make is to
sition of Co-optics of Pompano Beach. fill an Rx order for two boxes of lenses
Subsequent acquisitions of RLI/Target, by calling a supplier. The most prof-
itable transaction is when a patient
orders an annual supply over the Internet for shipment to their home or office.
“We are the ‘back-room’ operation for
ECPs in this regard and we work to
show them how they can better compete, build patient loyalty
and grow their practice.”
ABB/Concise’s Your Lens
program helps practices’
Web sites enhance their
image to patients while
providing such back up
fulfillment service.
ABB has a field sales Brad Weinbrum
force of 50. It publishes a
quarterly magazine about
contact lens management
called Contact Lens Profit
Advisor. The ABB/Concise Soft Lens Retail Price
Monitor, a proprietary service for accounts, lists aver- Jeff Rinkus
age practice prices for popular contact lens brands and compares
these to prices charged by leading retailers and Wal-Mart and 1-800 Contacts to
help ECPs track trends and benchmark
their own.
“Today, nearly 50 percent of our business is online, meaning b-to-b and some
b-to-c, depending on what practices
choose to do for their operations and
their patients,” Alvarez said.
The ABB/Concise systems generate
some 9,000 shipments, on average, per
day. The company’s sales exceeded $300
million in 2007 and Alvarez is projecting
sales to reach $330 million by the end of
this year.
Now comprised of some 520 employees, the ABB/Concise organization is a
blend of financial, engineering, logistics
and sales and marketing teams. Senior
management includes Brad Weinbrum,
president; Cindy Pelletier, CFO; Lynda
Baker, executive vice president; Tim
Aiken, vice president, sales; Jeff Rinkus,
Cindy Pelletier
Diego Cruz
Lynda Baker
Tim Aiken
vice president, logistics and customer care;
Denise Spencer, vice president, human
resources and training, and Diego Cruz,
vice president, information technology.
“We had a vision of the wholesaler’s role in the optical industry,”
Alvarez said. “There have been distributors and buying groups but
Soft Lens Retail
their core competencies were not in
Price Monitor
distribution. Our team, over the last
decade, has been taking what
they’ve learned from a range of arenas to integrate their expertise and
apply it to the world of optical.”
Alvarez noted, “We are the solution for independents to compete
Advice on managing contact lenses via several print
against mass merchandisers. You
vehicles is delivered to ABB/Concise accounts.
can’t bring a knife to a gunfight.
The company has been reorganizing We have a $30 million inventory in conits warehouses, call centers and market- tact lenses and the capabilities for ECPs
ing/training departments, continually to leverage. Wal-Mart understands costs;
investing in the latest systems and pro- ECPs need to better understand costs
cedures to speed transactions and serv- and we are a major assistance to them in
ice capabilities.
this regard.” II
A proprietary service for ABB CONCISE customers
to enhance contact lens profitability
Second Quarter 2008
This technologically advanced
high-index lens provides superior
performance for mid-to-high
prescriptions.
This new and improved material
offers all the benefits of high
index at an affordable price.
The most versatile high-index
lens that’s thin, flat, light, and
perfect for rimless eyewear.
10
IN THE NEWS
NEWS VIEWS
VisionMonday.com Wins EPpy Award; Min Honors
NEW YORK—Vision Monday’s
revamped Web site, www.visionmonday.com, recently won the EPpy
Award in the category of Best Regional
Magazine-Affiliated Web site. The
2008 EPpy Awards—one of the nation’s
most prized and long-running honors
for online content—were presented
during a luncheon sponsored by the
Knight Foundation, during the Editor
& Publisher/Mediaweek Interactive
Media Conference and Trade Show
held in Las Vegas last month.
The 2008 EPpy Awards competition
is expressly designed to honor Internet
sites affiliated with the media industry;
especially newspapers, television and
radio networks and affiliates, syndicated shows, and magazines. Among the
sites and publications honored along
with VM at the EPpy Awards were the
New York Times, USA Today and the Associated Press.
Along with its EPpy honor, Vision
Monday’s Web site, VMail and marketing campaign for the new site were also
recognized as finalists and won Honorable Mention at the min Group’s The
Best of the Web Awards in April. The
min Awards recognize the top magazines,
digital campaigns, sites and people who
are true pioneers in the digital arena. Both
winners and honorable mentions were
honored in over 25 categories for out-
Vision Monday’s EPpy Award for Best Regional
Magazine-Affiliated Web site.
standing online efforts over the past year.
Selected from hundreds of Web site
entries, three Vision Monday online initiatives won Honorable Mention for the
min’s Best of the Web Awards in the following categories: Design: VisionMonday.com; Email Newsletters: VMail
Extra and for Marketing Campaign:
VisionMonday.com Ad Campaign.
“VM’s editorial, marketing and business teams are thrilled that our leadership move into the electronic arena for
delivery and coverage of industry news
and issues has been recognized by two
such important media organizations,”
said Marge Axelrad, SVP and Editorial
Vision Monday’s min Awards for honorable mention in three online categories.
Director of Vision Monday. “We’ll continue to augment our print editions and
market presence with new and exciting
e-initiatives.”
The redesigned Web site, launched
last November, features a fresh new look
and enhanced features. The content
from VM’s most recent issues has been
organized in a new way—by topic and
category so readers can look up information as they need it. New features on the
redesigned site include the industry's
first-ever video channel, Vision Monday Web TV, highlighting the latest on
special events, designers, brand messages, lenses and new technologies and
practice management. VM ‘s WebTV
features content updated weekly including “Video of the Week” and YouTube
videos selected by VM’s editors.
The site also features a downloadable
PDF version of the most recent issue of
VM. And all the past favorites, such as
links to VM’s E-newsletters and the
latest stock quotes and financial news in
OptiStock are still available. The latest
industry news and Breaking News is
still front and center, and users can
watch for special Web features including
Slide Shows of industry events and
hard-hitting news analysis of the optical
industry in New & Noteworthy. II
Clarification: Adjustment of ‘Total Market’ Numbers Definition
In VM 2008 Top 50 U.S. Optical Retailers Report
NEW YORK—The editors of Vision
Monday need to point out that the
share-of-market numbers for both the
VM Top 50 and the Top 10 U.S. optical
retailers within the “2008 Top 50 U.S.
Retailers Report” in the May 19 print
edition—as well as the published “total
market” numbers—were not comparable
with the previous year’s Top 50 report.
To clarify: In 2007, the VM Top 50
accounted for 27.3 percent of the
$25,759 million total U.S. market for
vision-care products and services sold at
optical retail locations, as estimated by
VisionWatch. That “total U.S. market”
estimate covers optical locations—
including optical chains, other chains,
independents with optical locations,
leased optical spaces in department
stores and mass merchant optical locations—exclusively. It includes money
spent at all optical retail locations on the
sale of either spectacle lenses (regular
Rx and Rx sun), frames, contact lenses,
sunglasses (plano and Rx), OTC readers,
or revenues earned from refractive surgery or eye examinations. This number
does not include sunglass clips, and
reflects the dollars spent only by those
U.S. residents 18 and older; it does not
include retail dollars spent by/for those
17 years of age and younger.
In 2006, the Top 50 Optical Retailers’
sales represented 26.2 percent of that
year’s $25,928 million U.S. vision care
market.
In calendar 2007, the Top 10 optical
retailers generated 23.5 percent of the
$25.8 billion U.S. market for vision-care
products and services sold at optical retail
locations, a jump of 1.5 percentage points
over the Top 10’s market share the previ-
ous year. In 2006, the VM Top 10 reflects the revised information, compaaccounted for 22 percent of that year’s rable with last year’s Top 50 report. The
estimated $25.9 billion total U.S. vision downloadable PDF of the VM Top 50
Report, also on the Web site, reflects this
care business at optical retail locations.
The “total market” number of $28.6 clarified data. II
billion given in the
Top 50 report in VM’s
Top 10 Share of U.S.
Top 50 Share of U.S.
May 19 print edition
refers to the total U.S. Vision Care Market, 2007 Vision Care Market, 2007
(in millions)
(in millions)
market (all retail) for
vision-care products
and services, which
23.5%
27.3%
includes dollars spent
$6,046.3*
$7,042.2*
at all retail types/any
retail location (not
exclusively optical) for
those products, with the
same age restrictions.
The VM Top 50
Total Market: $25,759**
Total Market: $25,759**
cover story posted on
* VM Estimate
** Source: VisionWatch
12
IN THE NEWS
NEWS VIEWS
Joan Casaponsa Named New Executive Chairman of Indo
BARCELONA—Joan Casaponsa has
taken over as executive chairman of Indo.
In addition to fulfilling duties as executive
chairman, Casaponsa will also be the
chairman of the board of directors, a position previously held by Jorge Cottet
Sebile, who is retiring as chairman, according to an announcement from the company. Indo’s board of directors has unanimously named Jorge Cottet Sebile
honorary president of the company.
Casaponsa’s appointment as the new
executive chairman will provide great
Joan Casaponsa
support for the current team of professionals led by CEO Antoni Olivella, the
company said.
Joan Casaponsa’s appointment marks
the start of a new phase in the company’s development as he spearheads a
strategic plan to focus on the business
segments with the highest market value,
according to the company. The strategic
plan will strengthen the lines of R&D
and innovation, which provides Indo
with patents and products with added
value, and will also focus on corporate
growth through increased involvement
in the more than 80 markets where Indo
currently operates.
To finance the resources required by
this strategic plan, the company will
carry out a capital increase of approximately €16 million.
“The time has come for Indo to realize all its potential and reach the market
position it deserves,” said Casaponsa. “I
am very excited to be able to personally
inaugurate this new phase, and we will
definitely be implementing a solvent,
ambitious project,” he added.
Previously, Casaponsa was the president
of Chocolates Lindt in Spain and France,
the president of United Biscuits in
Southern Europe, and the European vice
president of Kraft Foods International.
Indo, is a Spanish multinational company devoted to the manufacture and
marketing of ophthalmic lenses, eyewear, sunglasses and equipment. II
Pearle Europe Parent HAL Holding
Continues Expansion in U.K., Russia
MONTE CARLO—Last month, HAL Holding’s GrandVision subsidiary acquired
the G C Bateman Group, a U.K.-based
optical retail chain that operates 75
stores. G C Bateman reported 2007
sales of approximately €22 million.
In May, HAL also reached an agreement
to increase its interest in the Moscowbased optical retail company Lensmas-
ter from 32 percent to 57 percent.
In the first three months of this fiscal
year, HAL’s comparable-store sales in
optical decreased by 0.6 percent, the
company reported last month. The operating income of HAL’s optical retail operations activities for the first quarter, was
€61 million, compared to €66 million
for the same period last year. II
Bruce Sauer, Founding
Manager, VSP Lab Dies at 69
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—
Bruce Sauer, who founded
VSP’s Sacramento-based
laboratory, died of liver cancer on May 10. Sauer, 69,
died peacefully at home in
Sacramento accompanied
Bruce Sauer
by his wife Nicki and their
sons, Christopher and Eric.
As the founding manager of the VSP
Lab, Sauer was instrumental in the
development of VSP's laboratory business. He started his career in the optical
industry working for American Optical
in the San Francisco Bay area. In 1972,
he was hired by VSP’s first president and
CEO, John O’Donnell, to start the first
VSP lab. Sauer, in turn, hired many of
the people who built the facility into one
of the industry’s premier labs.
Sauer retired in 1999 after 27 years at
VSP. After retiring, he spent his time
traveling to Italy and restoring classic
wooden boats. His award-winning creations have been shown in the annual
Lake Tahoe Classic Boat Show.
“Bruce will be remembered for his
personal warmth, integrity and humility.
He helped to create an employee-friendly culture that lives on today,” said Jack
Banville, managing director of the VSP
Lab in Sacramento.
Services were held on May 16 at Calvary Cemetery Church, 7101 Verner
Ave. in Sacramento. Remembrances
may be sent to the Sauer family, care of
Jack Banville, VSP Optical Lab, Sacramento, Calif., 95827. II
ODC Names New Int’l Distributors
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Optical Dynamics
(ODC), a division of Vision Dynamics,
has named two new international distribution partners. World Optics LLC of
Moscow, Russia and Eye Technologies
Group of Milan, Italy launched their
Optical Dynamics distributorships at this
year’s international Mido event. Under
the terms of the partnership agreement,
World Optics and Eye Technologies
Group will maintain a sales force, service
team and inventory of Optical Dynamics
products for distribution in their respec-
tive regions. World Optics LLC will distribute to Eastern Europe through its
subsidiaries, World Optics EU, Hungary
and Nano Optics, Russia.
“Both companies will provide new
distribution channels throughout Europe
making available the Q-2100R and nanoCLEAR AR technologies with regional service and support,” said Galen Powers, president of Optical Dynamics,
based here. “We look forward to growing
Optical Dynamics’ presence in these
international optical markets.” II
20/20 Fore!sight
The game of golf is a vision thing.
At Transitions Optical, we’re very proud to be sponsoring the PGA TOUR
event at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. The Transitions Championship
For Healthy Sight will tee off March 16-22, 2009. The Championship is
great news for the optical industry and for golfers everywhere.
TransitionsChampionship.com
14
IN THE NEWS
NEWS VIEWS
Transitions’ ‘Healthy Sight’ Survey Confirms Key Issues
MILAN, Italy—Demonstrating the continued need for education about healthy
sight around the world, Transitions Optical, Inc. released the results last month
of its second-annual “Global Healthy
Sight Survey” at the 2008 Mido International Optics, Optometry and Ophthalmology Exhibition.
The comprehensive survey interviewed
more than 12,000 individuals spanning six
countries including the U.S., United
Kingdom, Australia, France, Italy and
China. It monitored shifts in awareness
related to eye health risk factors, such as
UV, and explored awareness of the impact
of systemic disease on eye health and
vision performance. Importantly, the survey uncovered an insufficient amount of
consumer awareness of and action toward
enhancing and preserving healthy sight.
While marginally improved over
responses to the 2007 survey, consumers’
awareness levels remained extremely
low related to UV and other risks to
healthy sight, such as taking certain
medications. Awareness was also low
regarding the impact of particular sys-
their eye doctor or protecting
their eyes the way they do their
skin,” said Bette Zaret, senior
vice president, global marketing,
Transitions Optical. “What would
be shocking is if a company like
Transitions Optical would see
these types of results and not
take action. This is why we are
dedicated to continued education
in concert with eyecare and medA new clinical paper providing insights into the impact of diaical
professionals around the world
betes on eye health was introduced by Transitions Optical,
Inc. during Mido last month. Several tools for patient educa- on the need for healthy sight and
tion were also revealed at the press event. Pictured left to
the steps people can take to
right are Caroline Tikhomiroff, marketing director, EMEA,
Transitions; Bette Zaret, senior vice president, global market- enhance the quality of their vision
ing, Transitions; Tunisian ophthalmologist Leila El Matri, Pr.; everyday and help protect their
and Denis Fisk, director of global clinical education,
vision for the future.”
Transitions Optical.
Zaret summarized the survey’s
temic diseases, such as diabetes, on eye key findings and announced that the
health and vision. Not surprisingly, this company will integrate education about
poor understanding of eye health risk these key topics into its ongoing profesfactors correlated to low numbers of con- sional and consumer efforts through its
sumers seeking eye exams and wearing Transitions Partners in Education program. Details of a new series of education
protective vision wear.
“It’s not shocking that consumers who tools focused specifically on awareness of
don’t know what to do to take care of their the impact of diabetes on the eye were
vision, don’t see the urgency in visiting also unveiled at Mido (see sidebar below).
Key results of the Global Survey presented by Zaret included:
• The vast majority of people are still
not aware that extended exposure to
ultraviolet radiation can cause eye problems. Only 13 percent of people are
aware of that fact in the U.S., and the
number is lower in other countries.
• Most people are unaware that many
medications in common use can affect
their quality of vision and/or long-term
eye health. Only 31 percent of people
in the U.S. are aware of that fact. More
than half of respondents report not having a regular eye exam.
• Between 25 percent and 45 percent do
not report wearing protective eyewear,
such as prescription or non-Rx sunwear
or photochromic lenses.
• Fewer than half of respondents were
aware that high blood pressure can
strongly affect eyesight.
• Less than 40 percent of respondents
identified vision problems as a side
effect of diabetes, and only 15 percent
were aware that light sensitivity can be
worsened by the disease. II
Clinical Paper by Transitions Explores Impact of Diabetes
MILAN, Italy—Designed to help raise
awareness of the impact of diabetes on
eye health and the importance of proper
vision care and vision wear, Transitions
Optical, Inc. has released a new clinical
paper through its Transitions Partners in
Education program.
The clinical paper, “Healthy Sight
Counseling: Diabetes and the Eye,” provides insights into the impact of diabetes
on several debilitating eye diseases—
including diabetic retinopathy, cataracts
and age-related macular degeneration—
as well as the susceptibility of diabetic
eyes to heightened damage from ultraviolet (UV) light.
The paper also noted that diabetes and
related ocular complications, such as diabetic retinopathy and cataract, have been
associated with reductions in contrast sensitivity and increased sensitivity to glare,
leading to reduced visual quality.
“The alarming, rising prevalence of
diabetes around the world calls for
increased focus on all the detrimental
side effects of the disease, including on
the eye,” said Bette Zaret, senior vice
president, global marketing, Transitions
Optical.
“Transitions is committed to an ongoing and concerted level of support for
professionals in staying on top of the latest clinical developments and providing
them with tools to raise the critically low
public awareness of this important
health risk.”
Zaret advocated more education
among not just diabetics, but all the
public, “since 50 percent of people with
diabetes are unaware that they have it
and early intervention is so important,”
she said.
Zaret added, “Transitions Optical will
be releasing additional education materials focused on the needs of children and
special groups exhibiting higher incidence of diabetes later in 2008.”
The company is also making available
See the Video of the Week
www.
.com
several public education tools.
of reminding patients that cerHealthy Sight Counseling
tain medications, which they
emphasizes the importance of
may be taking to manage their
maintenance and preventive
diabetes, may increase their
eyecare and increased professensitivity to light.
sional and patient awareness.
Diabetics themselves remain
The paper is authored by
in the dark regarding the conBruce Bode, MD; Leila El
nection between diabetes
Matri, Pr.; Paul Brant, OD;
and eye health. Between
Susan Stenson, MD and Gary
one-third and two-thirds of
L. Trick, Ph.D. The full results In addition to the global diabetic respondents did not
of the paper and its research are team from Transitions
identify vision problems as a
Optical, Inc., Leila El
available by going to www.tran- Matri, a Tunisian ophthal- side effect of diabetes.
mologist and professor,
sitions.com/diabetes.
Awareness of specific visual
“All eyes are in need of pro- presented the latest
conditions exacerbated by
information relating to
tection from UV radiation and eye health and diadiabetes was also low. For
glare, but in diabetic eyes that betes—as captured in
example, only 20 percent or
are already at risk for various the new clinical paper
less of diabetics were aware
“Diabetes and the Eye.”
eye diseases, this need may be
that light sensitivity can be
even more acute,” said El Matri,
worsened by the disease.
who shared highlights.
According to El Matri, “This lack of
“As the prevalence of diabetes contin- awareness poses a real danger to diabetic
ues to rise throughout the world, it’s patients, for whom regular eye exams are
imperative for doctors to keep the poten- essential to detect early onset and provide
tial effects of diabetes on visual health top- early management of eye disease.” II
of-mind and to properly advise those managing the disease, as well as
To read the official press release describing
those at risk for it, on steps they
Transitions' Global Healthy Sight Survey or
to downlaod a PDF of the Clinical Paper:
can take to optimize and pre"Diabetes and the Eye" go to the New &
serve their vision.” The paper
Noteworthy section on VisionMonday.com.
also addresses the importance
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18
IN THE NEWS
NEWS VIEWS
MIDO: ’08 Figures Up 1 Percent, Focus on New Dates
MILAN, Italy—Mido organizers reported that attendance at the 38th edition of
the show, which was held here May 9
through May 12, was nearly 46,000, an
increase of 1 percent over 2007.
They said Italian attendance was up,
particularly on the first two days, including an increase of 30 percent on the
show’s opening day, Friday, compared to
the previous year’s Italian attendance.
Organizers said that the number of foreign visitors remained steady.
The mood of the show was fairly subdued, given the strength of the Euro versus the dollar, and the general economic
climate of the U.S., which had impact on
American companies’ purchases of European-made goods and their expenses for
the show. Heavy buying activity among
retailers and distributors from such highgrowth markets as the Middle East, Russia and Eastern Europe and Asia was
reported by many exhibitors.
Mido’s total of 1,246 exhibitors
spanned 54,640 square meters of net
From left are the press conference’s moderator,
with Safilo Group’s Vittorio Tabacchi, president of
ANFAO, Visibilia’s Dan Emanuel Levi, VP of
ANFAO, and an Italian fashion journalist.
exhibition space, an increase of 15 percent from 2006.
As previously reported by VM, Mido’s
2009 exhibition will take place in Milan
at a new time during the calendar year
and will be held from March 6 to 9; a
new Mido Business Forum is planned
from Sept. 4 to 6 in Rome.
During a press conference prior to the
start of the show, Safilo Group’s Vittorio
Tabacchi, head of ANFAO, said the
The Design Lab at Mido.
change was made “to better reflect the
fashion sensitivities and need for March
and September timing of the leading
companies in the
sector.” During the
show, the new timing was a major
topic of discussion
among factories,
eyewear suppliers
and retailers.
One international
show, the Vision-X
Dubai exhibition in
the Middle East,
said it had changed
its show timing in
2009 to mid-May
from its traditional
timing in March, as
a result. Organizers
of other European and international shows
declined comment to VM at presstime.
—Marge Axelrad
PPG and Intercast Highlight Growth
of Trivex and NXT in Europe
MILAN, Italy—PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) and
Intercast Europe S.r.l
jointly announced their
plans to support the
growth of the Trivex
lens material and the
debut of a larger range
of NXT Rx Sunlenses
during the Mido show.
In addition to the testimony of two European
business partners, who
discussed their reasons
for choosing Trivex and Intercast’s Francesco Pellegrini, PPG’s Christine Camsuzou and
Nathan Troxell.
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Mr. MAGOO and associated character names, images and other indicia are
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Rudy Project’s Simone Barbazza,
marketing manager, explains his
company’s philsophy and use of
NXT Rx Lense materials.
Jenkiz Saillet, business manager,
Novacel Ophthalmique talked
about his company’s involvement
with the Trivex material.
NXT for their product
offerings, executives at
PPG introduced the new
“Trivex. True to Life”
marketing materials,
now available to European eyecare professionals to present the
lens materials’ benefits
to their consumers.
Intercast Europe is
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Optical Products strategic business unit since
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20
IN THE NEWS
NEWS VIEWS
Marchon Signs Calvin Klein, ck Calvin Klein for Japan
NEW YORK & TOKYO—Calvin Klein,
Inc. (CKI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation
[NYSE: PVH] has announced that Marchon Eyewear, Inc. will have the exclusive license to design, manufacture, and
distribute both the Calvin Klein Collection and the ck Calvin Klein sun and
ophthalmic eyewear lines in Japan as of
Oct. 1, 2008, giving the eyewear company total global licenses for the brand.
Marchon has held the license for the
Vision-X Dubai Moves 2009
Show to New Dates in May
DUBAI, U.A.E.—Dubai
World Trade Centre
(DWTC), organizers of
Vision-X Dubai, the 10th
Optical and Ophthalmic
Exhibition and Conference held annually in
Dubai, United Arab
Emirates, has announced
a date change for next
year’s event.
The largest trade exhibition for the optical and
ophthalmic industry in
the region will now take Scene from Vision-X Dubai 2007.
place from May 17 to 19 in 2009.
Vision-X Dubai will again be held at
The event was originally set to take Dubai International Convention and
place next February. Stated Lucy Clarke, Exhibition centre. The show features
project manager, DWTC, “We have two sub-sectors: Vision Opticare, created
decided to change the dates of Vision-X to facilitate the growing needs on the
Dubai in response to the shift in dates of region’s eyecare specialists, featuring the
other key worldwide exhibitions for in latest in ophthalmic, optometric and
the industry. This will benefit both technical equipment, instruments and
exhibitors and visitors alike and the gen- machinery, and Vision Lifestyle, featureral consensus was that May is the pre- ing fashion eyewear and accessories
ferred time for the industry to meet in including the latest in branded eyewear
this region. With Vision-X Dubai further as well as unique international designs.
establishing itself as a must attend event
For further information, please contact
it is crucial for an optimal timing that suits Lucy Clarke at (ph): +971 4 3086904 or
industry demand.”
[email protected]. II
Calvin Klein Collection and ck Calvin
Klein sunwear and ophthalmic lines for
all countries except Japan since 1992.
“The Calvin Klein Collection and ck
Calvin Klein offerings have been prominent brands in Marchon’s portfolio for
many years outside of Japan,” said Al
Berg, president and CEO of Marchon.
“We are proud of the significant business we have built around the world and
look forward to further developing the
product offering and distribution of both
Calvin Klein Collection and ck Calvin
Klein eyewear in Japan.”
The new Japanese eyewear business
will be overseen by Marchon’s vice president and managing director for Asia
Pacific, Fred Humphrey, with the first
ck Calvin Klein product from Marchon
debuting in Japan at the 21st International Optical Fair Tokyo (IOFT), to be
held Oct. 1 to 3. The Calvin Klein Col-
lection eyewear will be previewed shortly thereafter.
“We are very pleased to be expanding
our partnership with Marchon to include
Japan,” said Tom Murry, president and
COO of Calvin Klein, Inc. “Japan is an
important market for us and I am sure
Marchon will operate this business as
competently and successfully as they
have in the rest of the world over the
past 15 years.”
The Calvin Klein Collection eyewear
first launched in Japan in 1995 by Nikon
Eyewear Co., Ltd., followed by ck
Calvin Klein eyewear in 1997. Nikon
Eyewear announced in September 2007
their plan to exit the eyewear business,
but assured that they will continue to
provide service for all Calvin Klein products they supplied to the market, according to a joint statement from CKI and
Marchon. II
Prevent Blindness America Launches
2nd Annual Online Auction
CHICAGO—Prevent Blindness America
(PBA) kicked off its second annual online
auction as part of its 2008 fundraising
efforts.
This year’s PBA Online Auction is now
open for bidding at www.preventblindness.cmarket.com. The auction will run
until June 20, 2008 and features a catalog of items ranging from vacation getaway packages, Walt Disney World tickets, sunglasses, autographed sports and
television memorabilia, and much more.
All proceeds support Prevent Blindness
America’s mission of healthy vision and
saving sight.
“Because of the great success we had
from last year’s online auction, we are
excited to launch this year’s auction with
new merchandise, gift certificates, and
memorabilia,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America. “We want to thank all of our friends
that generously donated items this year
to help with this fundraiser. And, I want to
invite everyone to go online and help support our sight-saving mission.” II
ASCO Launching Revamped
Web Site Sporting New Look
New Ga. Law Impacts Opticians:
Registration Date of Aug. 31 Set
ROCKVILLE, Md.—ASCO, the Association of Schools and Colleges of
Optometry, launched a revamped Web
site in May at www.opted.org.
The Web site joins ASCO’s online-only
journal, “Optometric Education,” and its
newsletter, “Eye on Education,” which
ATLANTA—In May, Georgia Gov.
Sonny Perdue signed a bill into law that
requires anyone wishing to apply to take
the practical examination to be licensed
as a dispensing optician based on experience to register as an apprentice with
the state’s licensing board.
The new law, HB 241, is scheduled to
take effect on July 1. It sets an Aug. 31
deadline for registering to allow prior
hours/years to count toward apprenticeship—which means that any optician
currently working in the field who may
wish to sit for the opticianry licensure
includes news about ASCO, member
institutions, the group’s corporate contributors and the Partnership Foundation.
According to ASCO, “The Web site
has a fresh new look and organization,
which the staff believes is also much
more user-friendly.” II
Have you seen VM WebTV today?
www.
.com
examination any time in the future
needs to register by that date in order to
receive credit for his or her practical
training and experience.
Anyone not registering by Aug. 31 will
be required to begin his or her two-year
apprenticeship all over, according to the
law. Those applying to take the opticianry exam based on education from a recognized school are not affected by the
new legislation.
For more details, see the Opticians
Association of Georgia Web site at
www.oagonline.org. II
F
or more information about this amazing reward
opportunity or to enroll, contact your sales representative,
visit www.clearchoice2008.com,
or call 1.888.307.5154
r
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22
SEEING GREEN
NEWS VIEWS
Eco-Lite to Focus on In-Store Enhancements
TAPPAN, N.Y.—One of the leading
specialty lighting companies in the U.S.,
Eco-Lite Products, is now the new corporate name for a business setting its
sights on the optical retail business—
with an eye toward sustainability and
‘green’ awareness.
Howard Gurock, co-president of EcoLite, told VM, “Our light fixtures have
increased sales by making merchandise
look significantly better than it did
before, while at the same time reducing
energy consumption. The name ‘EcoLite’ reflects our corporate culture and
philosophy.”
The concept of Eco-Lites illumination is behind the company’s tagline,
“Our lights Are Your Best Salesman.”
Vision-Ease Underscores Green
Commitment With New Logo
RAMSEY, Minn.—In conjunction with its recent announcement of purchasing 100 percent renewable energy for its
Ramsey, Minn.-facility, VisionEase Lens has established a
separate logo to represent its corporatewide sustainability initiatives. Because
Vision-Ease Lens is making a long-term
commitment to being more eco-minded
in its manufacturing practices, it was fitting to create a new logo to symbolize its
importance within the company.
“Being a good corporate citizen is one of Vision-Ease’s core
operating principles. Our efforts
to be a more sustainable manufacturer is a direct commitment
to this principle, and a separate logo to
represent these efforts solidifies its
importance and provides recognizable
visibility around the initiatives within our
organization,” said Doug Hepper, CEO
and president, Vision-Ease Lens. II
In addition, Gurock said, “As we
watch the price of a barrel of oil skyrocket each day, we strive to do our part to
help reduce energy
consumption by
constantly working
on the development of new energy efficient lighting
solutions. We produce light fixtures that
are ‘green’ and at the same time make
the merchandise that they illuminate
look fantastic.”
Eco-Light has developed a new line
of fixtures in the Vision 390 family,
called the 220 series, which draw only 22
watts of power. They can be installed
into all standard tracks, recessed into any
type of ceiling or made into a pendant.
They can illuminate both showcases and
walls displays.
Gurock noted, “The 220 series are
perfect for those situations where the
retailer is looking to create a softer effect
on their merchandise, where the merchandise is situated in very close proximity to the light fixture and in those sit-
uations where there are extremely stringent wattage restrictions such as in states
like California where Title 24 limits the
amount of wattage new
and remodeled stores
are permitted to use.”
He continued, “Our
Vision 390 fixture can replace between
three and four 50 watt halogen fixtures
and a single 220 series fixture can
replace between one and two 50 watt
halogen fixtures.” II
More Seeing
Green to Come
Launching with our April 28 Cover Story,
“SEEING GREEN,” Vision Monday will
periodically cover optical industry initiatives toward sustainability and environmental awareness. You can read our
overview at www.visionmonday.com.
If your company is implementing “green”
initiatives for your customers, community or employees, please email us at
[email protected].
The leader in AR now
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24
IN THE NEWS
NEWS VIEWS
Shamir Profits Are Up in
First Quarter of 2008
KIBBUTZ SHAMIR, Israel—Shamir
Optical Industry (NASDAQ:SHMR)
reported that revenues for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008 increased 29.5
percent to $38.0 million, compared to
revenues of $29.3 million for the same
period of 2007. Gross profit for the quarter increased 34.8 percent to $20.8 million, or 54.7 percent of revenues, compared to gross profits of $15.4 million, or
52.5 percent of revenues for the same
period last year.
For the quarter ended March 31,
2008, operating income increased 27.2
percent to $4.3 million, or 11.2 percent
of revenues, from operating income of
$3.3 million, or 11.4 percent of revenues
for the same period last year. Net
income for the quarter increased 25.2
percent to $2.9 million, compared to net
income of $2.3 million for the comparable period in 2007.
Excluding the effects of non-cash
stock-based compensation expenses,
Signet
Armorlite
Congratulates
operating income was $4.5 million, or
11.9 percent of revenues, compared to
operating income of $3.7 million, or 12.5
percent of revenues, for the same period
last year; net income was $3.2 million, an
increase of 19.7 percent, from net
income of $2.6 million for the same period last year. As of March 31, 2008,
Shamir reported cash and cash equivalents, including short-term investments
of $27.6 million.
“Shamir had a good start in 2008,” said
Shamir CEO Eyal Hayardeny. “During
the first quarter, we experienced favorable results, many of which reflect the
changes we have instituted throughout
our organization to effectuate improved
sales and manufacturing capabilities. In
addition, our R&D team diligently
improved our technological capabilities.
Hayardeny noted that Shamir’s U.S.
subsidiary, Shamir Insight, generated
$7.2 million in revenue in the first quarter. II
Unilens Vision Posts Gain
In Q3 Royalty Income
LARGO, Fla.—Unilens Vision Inc.
(OTC Bulletin Board: UVICF) (TSX
Venture Exchange: UVI), which develops, licenses, manufactures, distributes
and markets specialty contact lenses,
reported its operating results for the third
quarter and first nine months of FY 2008.
Net sales, excluding royalty income,
for the quarter ended March 31, 2008
increased to $1,668,397 compared with
$1,634,429 in the prior-year quarter ending March 31, 2007, an increase of 2.1
percent. The increase was primarily the
result of continued growth of the company’s C-Vue multifocal contact lenses,
which increased approximately 11 percent in the current quarter, which was
partially offset by sales of Unilens’
replacement products lines that declined
as expected, the company said.
Royalty income for the quarter
increased 15.3 percent to $628,993 compared with $545,293 in the prior-year quarter. Sales of licensed products by licensee
Bausch & Lomb continue to increase,
resulting in continued double digit royalty income growth, the statement noted.
For the quarter, the company reported
net income of $368,730, compared with
net income of $372,355 in the prior-year
quarter.
For the nine months ended March 31,
2008, net sales excluding royalty income,
increased 3.8 percent to $4,854,119 as
compared to $4,677,358 for the prioryear period. Net sales of the company’s
C-Vue multifocal contact lenses
increased approximately 12 percent during the first nine months of fiscal year
2008, while sales of replacement products lines declined.
Net income for the nine months
increased 24.2 percent to $1,121,941, compared with $903,697 in the prior-year period. Royalty income for the nine months
ended March 31, 2008 increased 21.1 percent to a record $1,888,641, compared with
$1,559,496 in the prior-year period. II
Loganville, GA 800-929-2765 • Greenville, SC 800-223-0890 • Columbia, SC 800-922-5525
For 50 years, Robertson Optical has provided eye care professionals
and their patients with the utmost quality in lenses, eyewear, craftsmanship
Robertson
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Kodak and the Kodak trade dress are trademarks of Kodak, used under license by Signet Armorlite, Inc. ©2008 Signet Armorlite, Inc.
PEOPLE
25
Howard Purcell, OD Joins Essilor as
VP Customer Development
Bumerts Named National Sales
Manager for Briot USA
DALLAS—Dr. Howard
Purcell has joined
Essilor of America, Inc.
as vice president of
customer development. In his newly created role, Purcell will
continue to build on
Howard Purcell Essilor’s current successes, while increasing coordination and
visibility among the brand sales, professional relations and eyecare professional
education groups.
“We are truly excited to have someone
of Dr. Purcell’s strength and reputation,”
said John Carrier, president, Essilor of
America. “With his knowledge and leadership, we anticipate new avenues of customer partnership and growth.”
Before joining Essilor, Purcell served
as senior director of new program development for Vistakon, a division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. In this
role, he led Johnson & Johnson’s professional support for the upcoming Olympic
Games with responsibility for global strategy, as well as program development and
coordination. At Vistakon, Howard was
responsible for developing and managing
The Vision Care Institute which is
known today as an industry benchmark
in education and customer relations.
Before Vistakon, Purcell progressed in
academic leadership roles including
assistant professor, chairman of the
Cornea & Contact Lenses Department,
and deputy dean at Nova Southeastern
University’s College of Optometry.
Purcell holds a doctorate in optometry
from the New England College of
Optometry. He also earned a bachelor’s
degree in optometry from the same institution. He is a Diplomate of the American
Academy of Optometry and was recently
honored as a Distinguished Scholar Member in the National Academies of Practice.
CUMMING, Ga.—
Briot USA, based
here, has named
Andrew Bumerts as
national sales manager. In his new role,
Bumerts will be
responsible for drivAndrew Bumerts ing the company’s
sales efforts.
Bumerts is an optical industry veteran
with over 30 years of experience. He
has been the South Central territory
sales manager with Briot USA for the
past 11 years.
Advantica EyeCare Names Andy Davis
Senior VP, Sales and Marketing
CLEARWATER, Fla.—Managed-vision
firm Advantica EyeCare has hired Andy
Davis as its senior vice president of sales
and marketing.
Davis started his career in human
resources at Raymond James Financial
Services. Most recently, he was a largegroup account executive at Aetna.
“Andy will be a tremendous asset in
managing our business development
team and marketing initiatives,” said
Richard Sanchez, Advantica’s president
and chief executive officer.
CooperVision Names Aragon
President, Asia Pacific
FAIRPORT, N.Y.—CooperVision, a
division of The Cooper Companies
(NYSE: COO), has appointed Juan Carlos Aragon to the position of president
for the Asia Pacific region. Aragon has
more than 20 years of experience within
the contact lens industry, both as an
international business leader, and as an
optometrist.
Since beginning with the company in
2000, Juan Carlos has held several positions within CooperVision, most recently
as president, Latin America. Prior to that,
he was the vice president of international
marketing and business operations.
Hydrogel Vision Names Deb Bulken
Director of Sales for Northeast
SARASOTA, Fla.—
Contact lens manufacturer Hydrogel Vision
recently named Deb
Bulken its director of
sales for the Northeastern U.S.
Bulken has 21 years
experience in the CL
Deb Bulken
industry with CIBA
Vision; most recently, she managed
seven regions and 54 sales representatives as CIBA’s north area sales director.
In her new position, Bulken is teaming up with Jim Massa, Edward
Lohmann and Peggy Schuster in similar
roles partnering with distributors and
developing key practitioner account
business, according to Hydrogel Vision.
Bulken now has responsibility for
managing the Northeastern U.S., Massa
is responsible for the Central U.S. and
Lohmann retains responsibility for the
Western U.S., while Schuster takes over
the Southeastern U.S., a company
announcement said. II
CONFIDENCE
It’s the feeling you get when
you are at your best, reaching
higher levels of performance,
achieving your goals.
Confidence comes with having Briot as your
business partner. It’s knowing you have the best
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www.briot-usa.com
26
IN THE NEWS
SCENE AND HEARD
SUNWEAR IN MILAN
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY
SAA/ESA Executives Mingle
at Annual Mido Dinner
Eye Care Associates Hosts
Annual Expo in Raleigh, N.C.
MILAN—A record crowd of sunwear executives from around the world turned
out for the annual Mido cocktail party and dinner co-hosted by the Sunglass
Association of America (SAA) and their colleagues at the European Sunglass
Assocation (ESA). The SAA is now a new division of The Vision Council.
The ESA also recognized the contributions in the industry of two Visionary leaders: Joseph Hatchiguian, of Sporoptic Pouilloux/Vuarnet was honored,
while M. Ciralli of Luxotttica accepted an honor for Ray-Ban.
Attendees at the elegant Hotel Principe D’Savoia also listened to an extensive presentation from Alexandre Bau of Ralston & Bau about new materials
used in industrial design which can be adapted into sunwear. Ms. Milou Ket
also reviewed a series of style/fashion trend influences to point to directions in
sunwear design.
—Marge Axelrad
RALEIGH, N.C.—Eye Care Associates, a 15-location practice celebrating its
30th anniversary this year, held its second annual Eye Care Expo for employees
and patients at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree on May 19.
The event included a fashion show featuring product from some of the 18
participating vendors, as well as vendor booths where the group’s 180 staff
members, and later patients, were able to browse product lines.
Stephen Bolick, OD, founder and CEO of Eye Care Associates said, “I’m
excited about the evolution and growth of our Eye Care Expo. It’s gone from
an event designed solely for our staff and doctors, to this year’s fashion and
frame show that could be enjoyed by our patients as well.”
Vendors supporting the exhibit included Nouveau, Marchon, Sàfilo, Maui
Jim, Imagewear, Robert Marc, Oakley, Eye Q Eyewear, Revolution, Frubi
Shades, Seaworthy Swim Goggles, REM, Viva, Zeiss, Digital Eye Lab, Ciba
Vision, Cooper Vision and Bausch & Lomb.
—Deirdre Carroll
The Vision Council’s Ed Greene (l), with ANFAO’s
Francesco Gili and Federica Andreoli.
Costa Del Mar’s Chas McDonald, and
his wife, Amy.
Rod Lane, president, ESA (l), with
M. Ciralli of Luxottica accepting a
Visionary honor for Ray-Ban; at right
is Petra Eckhart of the ESA.
From left are OpSales’ David Byk and Jerry
Beddingfield, and Costa Del Mar’s Ed Moody.
Models of all ages showcased Pictured left to right are Dr. Stephen Bolick of Eye Care
eyewear from participating
Associates enjoying all the Expo had to offer with his family, son
vendors on the runway.
Stephen, daughter Kelly and wife Susan.
Bob Brodney, president of Eye Care
Associates, welcomes
staff members.
Viva’s Mick Kunish greeted Eye Care Associates
staff members and
patients at Viva’s booth.
The NHL Carolina Hurricanes’ Storm Squad
got the energy going before the models took
the stage.
F
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• Four years of double digit sales growth
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July 6-13, 2008
Gretchen Bleiler and
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MLB All-Star Game
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July 15-20, 2008
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August 11-16, 2008
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28
IN THE NEWS
SCENE AND HEARD
A RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION
I WANT CANDIE’S
Giorgio Armani Eyewear
Marks 20th Year And Launch
of Special Editions
The Candie’s Foundation Holds
5th Annual ‘Event to Prevent’
MILAN—It was 1988 when designer
Giorgio Armani made his first appearance on the eyewear scene.
At Mido last month, the milestone
of Armani’s 20th anniversary in the
category was celebrated at the
Armani/Privé salon here with international retailers, media and executives
from Sàfilo S.p.A, Armani’s current
licensing partner, on hand.
The retrospective photographic
exhibition showed advertising images
reflecting the changes in lifestyle and
the evolution of eyewear created by
Giorgio Armani during those two
decades.
Two iconic historical models of
Giorgio Armani Occhiali were presented in new updated versions, highlighted as the 20th Anniversary Exclusive
Edition eyewear. These limited and
numbered editions are restricted to
1,020 pieces; one is the reconfiguration
of the signature and model GA 634/N
and the other is Model GA 646/N/S.
The designer himself toured the
gallery, posing with Sàfilo executives
and retail guests from Italy and around
the world.
The evening’s headliner, music legend James Taylor performs.
Claudio Gottardi, Sàfilo’s CEO (r), with Giorgio
Armani.
Sàfilo USA’s John Wachsteter and Dick Russo,
left, and Mark Ugenti, far right, greet Andrea
Camerana, director of marketing and licensing
for Giorgio Armani Group worldwide.
Camerana is also Mr. Armani’s nephew.
A gallery of photographs spanned 20 years of
Armani’s eyewear designs and advertising
images.
The designer with Sàfilo’s chairman Vittorio
Tabacchi (r).
Sàfilo is issuing two Limited Edition Giorgio
Armani Occhiali pieces to mark the designer’s
anniversary in eyewear.
NEW YORK—The Candie’s Foundation held their 2008 “Event to Prevent”
5th Annual Benefit Gala Wed., May 7 at Cipriani 42nd Street.
The Candie’s Foundation’s mission is to educate America’s youth about the
devastating consequences of teenage pregnancy. Viva International Group, who
has the license for Candie’s Eyewear, was one of the evening supporters.
The evening was hosted by Darrell Hammond from Saturday Night Live and
headlined by multi-Grammy award winner, James Taylor, with a performance by
country music sensation, Taylor Swift, as well.
Celebrity guests who attended include Ali and Dina Lohan, America’s Next
Top Model Alum, Caridee English, actress Emma Stone, model/actor Jason
Lewis, actress Mischa Barton, musician Teddy Geiger, and designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka. According to the Candie’s Foundation the event raised
close to $1 million.
Jon Martinez of Viva (l) poses with actress
Emma Stone (r).
“Living Lohan” stars Ali and Dina Lohan
attended the event which was raising money
for teenage pregnancy awareness.
(l-r) Viva International Group’s Bill Munch, Sue
Hawksworth and Dave Walls enjoy the night’s
festivities.
Designers Mark Badgley (l) and James
Mischka (r) flank the evening’s second performer, country music phenom, Taylor Swift.
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32
IN THE NEWS
SCENE AND HEARD
SEVENTH ANNUAL ‘NEXT GENERATION AWARDS’
Accessories Council and Luxottica Support
FIT’s Accessory Design Talent
NEW YORK—The Accessories Council with Luxottica Group supported the
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Seventh Annual Next Generation Awards
last month. The Next Generation Awards are meant to recognize creativity and
talent of future accessory designers.
The event featured awards recognizing excellence in design in the categories
of handbags, hats and gloves, belts and small leathergoods, jewelry and footwear.
This year’s event also gave awards in the eyewear categories for both optical
frames and sunglasses. Initiated in 2007 by Luxottica Group, the FIT awards
mark the first time any design school in the U.S. has required seniors to present
eyewear as part their final accessory project. “The rapidly growing optical/sun category is important and is due to record consumer demand and the fact that eyewear has become the most profitable key accessory for major fashion houses,”
noted Accessories Council president, Karen Giberson.
In the eyewear category, first place for optical frames went to graduating senior, Raine Anakanu while second place went to Hodaya Louis. In sunglasses, first
place went to Apple & Eve (students Jessica Dubon and Kerry
Norton) while second place went
to Jenn Min Lee.
Other Award benefactors were
Cipriani Accessories, LeSportsac,
Nine West, Riviera Trading and On stage at FIT, Vittorio Verdun, VP marketing for
Miriam Haskell who honored stu- Luxottica Group, center, and Karen Giberson, presidents’ work in handbags, belts/ dent of Accessories Council, second from right, with
the students selected as Next Generation winners for
small leathers, footwear, hats/gloves sunglass design (from left) Jessica Dubon, Kerry
and jewelry.
Norton and Jee Min Lee.
Noted accessory designer Rafe Totengco of Rafe New York was on hand to
share a few words of wisdom. Rafe, himself an FIT alum, spoke about his experience as a designer and hopes to inspire the graduates to continue on their path in
accessories.
MARKING A MILESTONE
A&R Celebrates 25th Anniversary
MILAN, Italy— Automation & Robotics (A&R) hosted a gathering of over 100 people at the St.
Paul Church Converso on Friday night during this year’s Mido to celebrate the company’s 25th
anniversary. Christian Closset, founder and general manager of A&R of Verviers, Belgium led the
festivities as the company marked the milestone
of providing automated solutions to the optical
industry for 25 years. During his presentation,
Closset highlighted some of the many accomplishments made possible by a close working
relationship with his customers and the dedication and creativity of his employees and staff.
Founded in 1549, the historic site is currently
operated by Foundazione Metropolitan of Milan
and the A&R guests were treated to a display of
Sampling a gourmet dinner are from the left, John T. Fried
drawings of Salvador Dali, piano music, a roving (speaking), A&R Optical Machinery, Inc., Marie Fried, eldest
magician, a gourmet dinner and of course a wide daughter; wife, Denise Fried; daughter Elizabeth Fried; Lenor
Fowler, Jobson Publishing; Christian Laurent, Automation &
selection of Belgian beer.
Robotics; Laurent Loeckx, Automation & Robotics; Ms.
Russell Ward and Russell Ward, Optical World.
The reception hall of the former St. Paul Church Converso was adorned with
frescos and paintings of the period.
MAKING THE GRADE
Students Receive High Honors
NEW YORK—As part of the graduation ceremonies for George Westinghouse
High School, a select group of vision care seniors at the school were the proud
recipients of graduation awards from the school’s OPTICS Council members.
Six students received awards from a range of OPTICS Council members including representatives from 21st Century Optics, Tri-Supreme/Lens Connection,
Carl Zeiss Vision and Transitions.
Other awards included student Robert Small, recipient of the Essilor USA
Award presented by OPTICS member Donna Heyer. Graduation ceremonies
took place at the school, located in Brooklyn, on May 22.
Students posing with their awards, left to right are Nicole Abellard, recipient of the Cohen’s Fashion
Optical Award; Eleanor Bumpurs, recipient of the 21st Century Optics award; Ethel Donkor, recipient of the Rebaldo Memorial Award; Vision Care instructor Guillermo Hernandez; Alia Adams, recipient of the Tri-Supreme/Lens Connection Award; Mayra Puma, recipient of the Carl Zeiss Vision
Award, and Bianca Celiare, recipient of the Transitions Award.
All Seasons Polarized Sunwear
www.i-dealoptics.com
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‘‘
Yoga and meditation
allow me to center and
regroup myself from the
hecticness of modern
life. As I believe in trying
to live and perform
at my own highest level,
Luxottica’s devotion
to excellence resonates
well with me.
‘‘
DR. JIYEN SHIN, O.D.
Golden Vision
Optometric Centers
Los Angeles, CA
Luxottica
&me
To learn more about Dr. Jiyen Shin and the advantages of partnering with Luxottica go to www.luxandme.com
sm
COVER STORY
35
Eyecare 2.0
Optical Evolves Online
Vision Monday looks
at the big picture and
at how some eyewear
and eyecare organizations are rethinking
how they communicate
with consumers using
the Internet.
By Deirdre Carroll
Senior Editor
Marge Axelrad
Editorial Director
NEW YORK—1.407 billion people is a
staggering number. According to Internet World Stats, as of March 31, 2008,
that’s the number of people using the
Internet worldwide.
The Pew Internet & American Life
Project (www.pewinternet.org), a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank that
researches the impact of the Internet on
various U.S. groups, found that in September 2007, 74 percent of American
adults were Internet users, as compared
to only 48 percent in mid-2000.
Given these numbers, it’s clear our
reliance on the Internet is undeniable
and the importance of it in many aspects
of our lives is growing.
In addition to media and entertainment, news and information and the
phenomenon of social “communities”
online, two of the most significant areas
today in which the Web affects our lives
are the way we shop and how we deal
with and get access to medical and
health information.
Considering the optical industry’s
strong ties to both retail and health care,
Vision Monday is beginning to explore
how conventional retailers, ECPs, organizations and suppliers are extending
their brands, sales and connections with
consumers and patients via the Internet.
We are also looking at how online retailers are embracing new Web “2.0” concepts—those sites, accelerated by the
advent of high-speed broadband, feature
enhanced creativity, information-sharing
and, notably, collaboration among users.
These are technology benefits that have
led to the use of social-networks and
blogs—which are transforming traditional ideas of influence, access and sales.
But there are issues to contend with.
For example, how are some sites overcoming the limitations of selling technology
and Rx-specific products via the Internet?
Further, there is another universe of issues
within the business-to-business “b2b”
Internet world: how are systems integrations transforming the way suppliers and
buyers interact to communicate education, training and product purchasing?
In this Cover Story, we’ll look at the
big picture, and at how some eyewear
and eyecare organizations are rethinking
how they communicate with consumers
using the Internet.
The “E-Doctor” Is In
At the 2nd Annual Vision Monday
Leadership Summit held earlier this
spring, technology speaker Lynn
O’Connor Vos, CEO and president of
Grey Healthcare, told attendees that 45
percent of consumers are now getting
their healthcare information online,
nearly double the 23 percent that report
getting their information directly from
health care professionals.
“We are seeing a major shift in the
way consumers consume health care,
where they seek information, who they
get advice from and who they are listening to,” said Vos. In fact, Vos noted that
in the 30 days leading up to the April 9
VM Summit, there were 73,831 blog
posts related to the terms “eyewear,”
“eyecare,” “eye doctor,” “eyeglasses,”
“eye health” and “eye exam” and, in
the week leading up to the event, there
were 126,000 Google searches alone on
these topics.
Mark Penn in his 2007 book, Microtrends,
Continued on page 36
36
COVER STORY
In fact, ECPs’ own California, said the
Web sites can be a group’s site mission
source of patient edu- is “comprehensive
cation and/or a source eyecare meets indiof bolstering connec- vidual style.” There,
tion to existing patients. the message is for
Stated Walker, “For Kaiser’s members to
most ECPs, their Web get great medical
site is a service tool. On care from Kaiser Perone level, they are com- manente MDs and
municating through it to optometrists plus
prospective patients learn more about a
and the site sends a great selection of
marketing message. On eyewear.
another level, Web sites
“We conducted
enable doctors to be focus groups to see Luxottica Retail’s, PearleVision.com, which is undergoing a redesign, focuses on eyecare topics.
there 24/7 for their what members needThe sites—which offer consumers
ed and now this program, which started
AllAboutVision.com has had 35 million visitors since its inception eight patients; they can preyears ago.
survey their needs, use in Northern California, is national and all information on both eyewear and eyecare
Continued from page 35
it for appointment scheduling, for pro- of Kaiser’s regions are on the Web site,” under a variety of headings—have been
noted, “The biggest trend in American viding forms and support materials to said Torrence. The goal was for the designed to reflect the market positions
health care is ‘Do-It-Yourself-Doctors.’ the in-office visit, and the convenience imagery to tie in to Kaiser Permanente’s of Luxottica’s various retail brands. For
These are people who research their of online ordering for replacement con- “Thrive” branding program and the fea- example, the LensCrafters site has a
own symptoms, diagnose their own ill- tacts—any number of reasons to keep tures of the site are many, including an strong fashion orientation, highlighting
nesses, and administer their own cures.” that connection.”
Eye Health Encyclopedia that connects areas such as New & Now (a changing
While finding accurate and reliable
to the Kaiser home site and others that get style portfolio, heavily skewed toward
online health care information remains a Connecting…to a Brand
them thinking about the eyewear they can prescription sunwear for Summer 2008),
challenge, consumers are turning to the
choose from when Eyewear 101 (helping site visitors select
Internet to find things out and in many
they come in for eyewear by face shape, color, material and
cases to locate professionals they trust.
style details) and Frame Personality (a
their visits.
The Pew Internet Project corroborates
“We have a Virtu- quiz to help consumers determine their
the growth of this phenomenon. Its
al Frame Board that best eyewear looks).
Online Health Search report from 2006
The Pearle Vision site—currently
lets them search by
contended that 80 percent of American
designer or by brand undergoing “a major redesign,” accordInternet users, or 113 million adults, have
or by style character- ing to the company—is more eyecaresearched online for health information.
istics and Find Your oriented, to match that chain’s positionThe number of patients turning to the
Perfect Eyewear ing. The site features prominent
Web for eye health information has
asks them a series of mention of the Optomap retinal exams
prompted companies to explore this new
quick questions they offered by the Pearle stores; Pearle’s
health care frontier and given rise to sites
can answer, print out Web site also has a stronger emphasis on
like WebMD.com’s Eye Health portal,
and bring with them eyecare, including an Eye Education
AOL Body’s Eye Care Condition Cen- Kaiser Permanente’s Homepage, kp2020.org, shows members all of the eye- to their appoint- section incorporating an Interactive
care options available to them.
ter and AllAboutVision.com. According
ment,” added Tor- Guide to the Conditions of the Eye and
to Ron Walker, president of All About On that level—that of extending a “real rence. Our goal was for them to be able to a “virtual eye exam,” as well as a sepaVision, the site, developed as an inde- world” brand to a community of users, learn more about the selection and options Continued on page 38
pendent source of information about eye patients or customers who interact available to them as
health and eyewear, has served some 35 online—brand extension is taking on a Kaiser members. And
million visitors since its inception eight new meaning via the Internet. In some it’s working to help
years ago, and forecasts more than 8 mil- cases, the development of a brand, or change perceptions
lion visitors in 2008.
the establishment of a consumer com- about our business.”
A big believer in SEO (search engine munity around one, is accelerated with
Luxottica Retail
optimization), Walker said, “We are very new online tools and concepts. (See maintains separate
search driven; our stats run parallel to sidebar on page 38).
and distinctly brandIn other cases, the practice or organi- oriented Web sites for
Internet searches in general and the most
popular parts of our site reflect con- zation’s Web site is one way of stamping most of its retail chains:
sumers’ overwhelming interest in contact an existing brand and extending real- www.lenscrafters.com,
lenses and LASIK. Then they are look- world retail or eyecare presence via the www.pearlevision.com,
ing for basic info on eyeglasses—what to Internet. At Kaiser Permanente, using www.searsoptical.com,
buy, what their options are, what they the Web to build a cohesive identity for www.sunglasshut.com
need to know—and then we are really Kaiser’s “Vision Essentials” vision busi- and www.iloristyle.com.
seeing our searches for info on conditions ness for the HMO’s millions of mem- (Its licensed Target
and diseases really jump. And we wel- bers, has become a major initiative Optical locations are
come ECPs to link to our site from theirs. throughout the organization. Kathy Tor- accessible through the
Some 7,000 people per month check us rence, product line manager, Kaiser Per- main Target Web site Kaiser Permanente’s Virtual Frame Board helps members learn about
the eyewear selection available to them.
manente Eye Care Services, Northern at www.target.com.)
out for that, to locate eye doctors.”
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rate Kids Corner area with information
on children’s eyecare.
In addition to product and eyecare
information, the LensCrafters, Pearle
Vision and Sears Optical sites all now
offer online exam scheduling as a consumer convenience. LensCrafters
launched online exam scheduling in
December 2006, as part of a major
redesign of that Web site. Pearle started
online scheduling in December 2007;
Sears Optical began offering online
NEW YORK—Erin Byrne, global chief digital strategist for Burson-Marsteller,
observed during the recent Vision Monday Global Leadership Summit,
“Because of the nature of digital communications today, marketers can no longer
control their message; they can only
hope to influence it. Companies are
starting to recognize this as both an
issue and a possibility. Today, we recommend integrated communications where
you use traditional mass mediums to
build awareness and then use digital to
drive that awareness through to action.”
Among eyewear suppliers, the theory
and power of consumer
communications and
recommendations via
social media and communities is on the rise.
Glen Eisenberg is
president of Precision
Advertising, the Montreal-based agency of
record for Montrealbased Wescan Optical,
manufacturer of Fysh
UK Eyewear; Precision is the agency responsible for the launch of FyshNation.com.
FyshNation.com is an interactive online
community, launched this past May,
based on social networking and aimed at
driving brand involvement by building a
lifestyle culture around the Fysh UK eyewear brand’s core identity—Dream Big,
Think Big, Live Big!—through quarterly
contests, quizzes and videos.
“The world of online communication is
like the advent of the TV in the ‘50s,”
said Eisenberg. “Back then, if you bought
a 30-second advertising slot on one of
the three channels you had 90 percent
saturation in American households.
Today, the difference is that the adoption
of the Internet has moved at a lightning
pace when compared to the adoption of
COVER STORY
scheduling in September 2007, following
a redesign/relaunch of its site last July.
Click to Buy
Shop.org’s 11th Annual 2008 State of
Retailing Online study, conducted by
Forrester Research, found that in a year
where retail sales are expected to suffer
due to the slow down of the economy,
online retail will continue to grow with
sales rising 17 percent to $204 billion.
The Pew Internet Project also found
in their February 2008 Online Shopping
study that the number of Americans
who had ever bought a product online as
of September 2007 was 49 percent, up
from just 22 percent in 2000. In fact, that
same study concluded that 93 percent of
online users have done something related to e-commerce, be it using the Internet to research goods or services or to
make purchases.
“Today, online consumers think nothing of shopping across a retailer’s stores,
Web site and catalog,” said Jeffrey Grau,
eMarketer senior analyst and author of
the new report, Multi-Channel Retailing, “As a consequence, online product
research is driving more in-store sales
than online sales.”
eMarketer, an online destination for
market research and trend analysis on the
Internet, projected in November 2007
that the percentage of Internet users who
have made an online purchase will continue to rise steadily through 2011.
“With consumers showing such strong
acceptance of online shopping, retailers
to the DNA of the Ray-Ban brand. Though
the campaign is comprised of traditional
marketing tools like print and outdoor
advertising, it is the use of the Internet
that has really given people the opportunity to make the brand their own.
“The interactive online component of
the Ray-Ban Web site is important
because it helps deepen the relationship
with our target consumers and also
extends the brand’s reach while complementing offline activities,” added Vittorio
Verdun, Luxottica’s vice president of marketing. “Our digital plans will continue to
include engaging and interactive content
that generates buzz and drives awareness among Ray-Ban’s target consumer.”
Another eyewear company that is continuing to use the Internet to help online
users make the brand their own and
(Clockwise from top) Costa Del Mar’s Channel C – CostaChannelC.com; build a lifestyle community based upon
FyshNation.com, Ray-Ban’s Confessions – Ray-Ban.com.
the brand’s principles is Ormond Beach,
television. Mar- Square where Ray-Ban had photogra- Fla.-based Costa Del Mar. Not only are
keting online is phers on hand to catch each moment. visitors to CostaDelMar.com able to
not an oppor- Visitors to the site were not only able to share their own journeys and experitunity, it is a peruse the photos that had been ences, or offer recommendations on
uploaded but those who contributed pic- favorite beaches, surfing areas and padnecessity.”
“Part of the overall strategy is to cre- tures where also able to download a pic- dling spots with others, but in July 2007,
ate not just product, but emotional ture of themselves being broadcast in the brand also launched “Channel C,” an
bonds that connect with the consumer,” Times Square captured by the onsite online video network dedicated to water
sports and angling adventures that feacontinued Eisenberg. “Our challenge was photographers.
At the recent South by Southwest tures original programming and user-subto create a cultural aspect for the brand
that goes beyond the physical aspects of music festival in Austin, Texas, Ray-Ban mitted film footage of extreme water
the frame. The Fysh UK brand is about took the “Never Hide” campaign a step sports and fishing expeditions.
“Our goal is to get people to our Web
living life to the fullest, so having an further by allowing festival goers a
online place that was a community chance to record their 30-second “Con- site so they can get the full Costa brand
based home gives us a platform to rein- fessions” in a special photo booth. The experience,” said Al Perkinson, vice presforce that. Of course the long-term goal confessions were later uploaded on the ident of marketing for Costa Del Mar.
is that when visitors do go into a store site where visitors can “rate” each con- “Video content is the best way to do
that. We create original programming and
that recognition and relationship is there fession on a scale of one to five stars.
The “Never Hide” campaign is based air it on Channel C and we then use
and results in a sale.”
FyshNation.com is just one of the lat- on individuals having the courage to online and offline media to drive people
est manifestations of an online market- express their true selves, their thoughts there. We think that this approach will
ing tool built by eyewear brands looking and their personality genuinely, and to become more and more popular as conto parlay their brand’s core values into a stay true to the values of authenticity sumers continue to gain control over
greater lifestyle movement and sense of and uniqueness, traits that are integral what they watch and when.” II
community.
In 2007 when Luxottica’s Ray-Ban
launched their “Never Hide” campaign,
their Web site played a huge part in the
kick off. People from around the world
were able to upload photographs of
themselves in their Ray-Bans to RayBan.com. The pictures were then played
on 11 screens in New York City’s Times
COVER STORY
39
marketing for Luxot- only eyewear retailer, like EyeBuyDiFramesDirect.com is taking the eyetica Retail.
rect.com or FramesDirect.com.
wear e-tailing concept one step further.
“We believe purIn some cases, online-only sites are Founded in 1996 by Dhavid Cooper,
chasing and online “price” driven. For others, the informa- OD, and Guy Hodgson, OD, Framesengagement with
Direct has embraced
consumers will conthe online retail
tinue to grow rapidly
medium beyond just
across all industries
selling the 116,000
and categories,” Sharp
products they carry.
added. “More busiThe site also feanesses will become
tures “walk-on” ani‘multi-channel retailmated video technolers,’ incorporating the
ogy that explains the
Web channel into
Web site’s features
their business strateand highlights some
gies to make it easy
brands; a FrameFindfor customers to shop
er Virtual Try-On syswhere they want,
tem, which gives visitor the ability to
Jobson Internet Solutions, jis.jobson.com, builds and enhances Web sites when they want and
for the optical industry.
how they want. Likeupload a photo of
wise, each of our retail brands continues
themselves to see
are stepping up their commitment to the to explore and evaluate what is right for
how each pair of
channel,” noted Joe Savarese, vice presi- that retail brand and our customers as it EyeBuyDirect.com’s Wall of Frames allows visitors to get instant feedframes will look on
dent of Jobson’s Internet Solutions divi- relates to providing eyecare and eyewear back on their frame choice before purchasing.
them; The EyeZone
sion, which builds and enhances Web information, selling products online and tion and interactive content move them Blog, which provides news, insights,
sites for suppliers, ECPs and retailers, engaging customers in a retail brand in another direction.
announcements, and a glimpse inside
both online and traditional. “Such con- experience.”
EyeBuyDirect.com is a prescription FramesDirect.com; as well as a large
sumer acceptance is forcing retailers to
eyeglass Web site social networking component that
realize that if they are to survive the
launched in 2005 by includes the ability to follow the blog
retail market of the 21st Century, they
Roy Hessel, founder through Twitter and link to the Web site
must take their Web strategies into the
and CEO. EyeBuyDi- through their Facebook Fan page.
mainstream of the consumer culture.”
rect.com offers visitors
“Essentially, we’ve had to learn how
“Having a huge selection is just one of
Frame Personality to run a technology company that has
the advantages of the Internet sales
quizzes, trend reports expertise in optical products and servicmodel versus the selection available on
and color forecasting, es,” said Dhavid Cooper, OD, co-founder
the dispensary board. Features like virinstructions on meas- and CEO of FramesDirect.com.
tual try-on tools have become popular,
uring for an accurate
“We have invested, and continue to
but a properly designed Web site that
fit and the EyeTry invest, millions of dollars into Web
provides both a positive and intuitive
“Wall of Frames,” an development and improvements annufirst-time user experience is critical, as is
online social shopping ally. We continually re-invest in improva site that is optimized for search engine
section that not only ing technology, hardware and software,
recognition to build traffic for the site.”
allows visitors to virtu- and have a dedicated team of specialists
“Retailers are changing so that they
ally try on frames but who are customer focused and service
can benefit from the shift in consumer
to post their photo, or oriented—and while we have and conspending,” Savarese added. “Big chains FramesDirect.com’s homepage featuring walk-on video technology of CEO e-mail it to friends, in tinue to enjoy the journey we embarked
are bringing a new-found zeal to online and founder Dhavid Cooper, OD.
order to receive instant on over a decade ago, it’s not for the faint
retailing, redesigning sites, adding new
Jobson Research has not yet been able feedback prior to their final selection.
of heart,” Cooper said. II
features and capabilities and pumping to quantify online eyewear retail sales,
“While choosing the
resources into marketing. Online-only which can include frames, sunglasses, Rx right pair of glasses is a
merchants are responding with their lens and eyeglass purchases. However, in question of personal
own renewed commitment to the Inter- the 2007 Internet Influence Report con- taste, the opinions of
net, innovating with products, customer ducted by The Vision Council and Job- friends, family, and
service, content and marketing,” he said. son Research in June 2007, 52 percent of even strangers certainrespondents/ consumers had used the ly can help make the
Optical e-Tailing
Internet to examine possible brands and final choice much easiOptical retailers, both traditional and types of eyeglasses prior to purchasing er,” explained Hessel.
online-only, are taking heed. “Today, the their last pair. Some 28 percent said they “The Web makes it
Internet is central to how consumers used it to examine possible eyewear possible to hear the
shop, whether researching and ‘pre- retailers and nearly 33 percent said they opinions of the people
shopping,’ making a purchase on-line or used the Internet to compare and bench- we value most and
engaging in post-shopping behaviors mark prices for specific brands or eye- the general public,
such as posting ratings or reviews about wear retailers. Of those who responded, which can feel much
a purchase or product on Web sites, almost 5 percent purchased their eye- more genuine than
group discussion boards, blogs, etc.,” wear directly over the Internet and 67 the feedback of an in- FramesDirect.com’s EyeZone Blog page provides news, announcements
added Patricia Sharp, director of Web percent of them did so from an online- store salesperson.”
and insights into FramesDirect.com.
40
SPECIAL REPORT
Contact Lenses Get
A Warm Reception
New Technology, Materials, and
Patient Interest Spur Growth
By Marge Axelrad
Editorial Director
Coming off of a healthy
2007, contact lens
company executives and
leading distributors are
anticipating another very
robust year of growth for
the category in 2008.
NEW YORK—One of the brightest
segments of today’s eyewear market,
contact lens sales, outpaced the total
industry’s retail sales gains last year by
growing at some 3 percent to 4 percent
overall, according to Jobson/The Vision
Council’s VisionWatch data for the 12
months ending December 2007.
And, they are at least keeping pace
with that rate of performance this year,
too, the experts in the category tell
Vision Monday, despite the current
economic climate.
Sales are being led by the very positive reception to silicone hydrogel (sihy)
materials, many of which are now being
introduced in second and third phases.
Sihy’s now dominate and comprise an
estimated 60 percent the market,
observers reported.
Also running high are the predictions
for both torics, to serve the astigmatic
population, employing the new materials and modalities, and multifocals,
addressing either first-time presbyopes
who have never worn glasses and don’t
want to, or long-term contact lens wearers who want to stay in them.
Optimistic, too, are executives about
the daily disposable modality. This is
being spurred on by the highest patient
compliance percentages in the market
after a year when some concerns about
contact lens solutions’ safety and usage
prompted consumers and ECPs to
reconsider the category or at least take a
first real look at it.
In addition, there is a rise in the number of eyeglass wearers who are starting
to like the idea of occasional or part-time
contact lens wear. As a result, daily disposables are projected to experience
another year, following 2007, of healthy
high double-digit gains.
Jeff Rems, president of Optical Distributors Group (ODG), noted, “The
economy is not the greatest. But to a certain extent, it’s a resistant industry to economic downturns. And in reality, the
growth in contact lenses are coming from
new products, a range of options with
ever-improving comfort to patients. Doctors, too, are more confident about the
new lenses and are recognizing that
monthly and annual dispensing keeps
patients compliant and in their practices.”
Rems said, “We’ve been working on
helping ECPs understand and execute
auto-replenishment, too, which helps
their cash flow and builds connections
and convenience for patients at very
competitive costs.”
Rems pointed out that while the
industry, in his estimation, grew in “high
single digits” last year, the distribution
channel was up in double digits while
ODG’s business growth exceeded that.
“We’ve structured a good level of services and other programs to help ECPS
better manage their business, we can
help on the back end and contribute to
their bottom line.”
Angel Alvarez, president of ABB/Concise agreed. “Contact lens distributors
have become the major source of soft
lenses for independent ECPs, in 2007
purchasing two thirds of their requirements through this channel. Eighty-five
percent of independents rely on distributors for some portion of their soft lens
requirements.”
Alvarez pointed out, “At the same
time, the number of annual purchase
transactions per patient has doubled, as
the result of disposable lenses. Managing transaction costs has become a more
CooperVision’s Avaira’s new two-week sihy lens
features Aquaform Technology.
significant issue for ECPs. ABB/Concise analyses show that administrative
costs of fulfilling contact lens orders can
consume as much as 35 percent of gross
profit. Our strategy is to educate ECPs
about best management practices to
reduce administrative costs.”
Contact lens company leaders concur
that ECPs are recognizing gains to their
practice health and the ability to build
patient loyalty through their contact lens
fitting, recommendations and sales.
Overall, they support a sunny outlook
for the category this year.
Francesco Balestrieri, president of
North America for CIBA Vision, said,
“The U.S. market is extremely attractive; it’s the largest population-wise but
also in terms of contact lens penetration.
We see the U.S. market growing very
quickly—it’s the fastest growing of all
the developed markets, taking into
account its estimated 6 percent growth
in 2007, compared to 5 percent in Japan
and a relatively flat market in Europe.
“Our outlook,” Balestrieri continued,
“for 2008 is another 5 percent to 6 percent
growth overall; the first quarter was below
that pace, but we see the market accelerating as new technology is introduced this
year; it’s only a temporary slowdown.”
Contact lenses, he said, have a higher
consumer wearer base in the U.S.
“There’s a 13 percent penetration
among the total population and that’s
the equivalent of 25 percent of those
who need vision correction wearing contact lenses some or all of the time. Even
with that, there are still big opportunities for growth,” Balestrieri said.
The ECP in the U.S. and patients
themselves are always part of a dynamic
market, they are looking for better comfort and eye health; they are receptive to
new technologies, he observed. “We’ve
noticed that in the past year or so the daily
disposable category has taken off, growing
double digits. Three years ago, dailies
were less than 7 percent of the total; today
the market is passing 10 percent—it’s still
Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism is scheduled to be
launched this month by Johnson and Johnson.
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42
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Bausch & Lomb targets Boomers with its broadcast ads for MultiFocals.
small but we still see higher, robust
growth in this arena for this year.
“Patient satisfaction is the highest
with dailies, there is good loyalty and
more messages about dailies are being
Ocular Insight’s Clear 58 is a generic lens.
passed on. It’s still a mixed landscape
with some ECPs really committed to fitting dailies and others still considering
embracing the category.” CIBA plans to
launch its new daily product in July,
under the Focus Dailies brand, Focus
Dailies Aqua Comfort Plus.
Sihy, too, Balestrieri pointed out, continues to grow as the market’s switch
from hema to sihy materials progresses.
“ECPs are actively increasing their
choices of the product, new torics and
multifocals in the categories help.”
James Gardner, director of marketing,
CooperVision concurred that the market
grew at a solid rate last year and that
“Cooper grew faster than the market.”
He added, “2007 was an interesting year
for a few reasons. Sihy lenses continued
to dominate fitting, in spherical lenses in
particular, but the outlook for silicone
torics continue to look strong. We also
saw daily disposables really take off. The
issue of solution recalls, solution efficacy
and compliance contributed to doctors
really taking a new look at dailies.”
Echoing the estimates of other execs,
Gardner said dailies grew by some 25
percent last year and it predicts that the
category will be strong again in ’08.
“Daily disposables still rank low in percentage of overall fits, but I think ECPs
also see them as an opportunity for practice profitability. At Cooper, our three
priority goals are health and safety, compliance and business/practice profitability—dailies meet all of those [criteria].”
Gardner also said CooperVision sees
more fits going to monthly, versus twoweek regimens. “CooperVision virtually
created the monthly market in the U.S.
with the products we launched in the
mid-‘90s and we know compliance is
higher. Last year the biggest monthly
lens launched was Biofinity, it was a
much-anticipated Sihy lens launched
and it’s rocketed because it’s delivered
what doctors were looking for.”
Torics, too, Gardner pointed out, continue to be a major priority and market
position for CooperVision in the U.S.
“Today’s torics aren’t really ‘specialty’
lenses anymore, that’s an old term. They
SynergEyes recently launched the Multifocal Hybrid.
perform well, they’re predictable in
terms of how they fit; doctors are more
comfortable with them and so the category is taking off.” Multifocals, too, he
noted, “especially with our broad portfolio” are growing very well; it’s one of the
best sectors of the market for us. A lot of
Baby Boomers, long-time contact lens
wearers or first-time presbyopes, are
coming into the category.”
Cooper’s Avaira, its new two-week
Sihy lens with Aquaform Technology
See the Video of the Week
www.
.com
has just launched, just nine months after
Biofinity, Gardner said.
At Bausch & Lomb, the optimistic
forecasts continue. Noted Linda Fawcett, vice president, marketing, “Multifocals are a huge focus for us as a company, to make sure that there’s awareness
of the category, to make emerging presbyopes aware of it. We’ve initiated a lot
of communications to this group and
dialed up our advertising.”
Torics will receive continued focus as
will the daily category. Fawcett said,
“Pure Vision Toric and Multifocal are a
big priority for us. And we are now getting ready to launch Softlens 1-Day Daily
Disposable, it’s a next level of fine-tuning
and we’re very optimistic about it.”
At Vistakon, a division of Johnson &
Johnson, Naomi Kelman, president, told
VM, “The last few years for contact
lenses have been very strong, ’07 was no
exception and in ’08 we anticipate really good growth.
CIBA Vision is launching Air Optix for Astigmatism.
“Part of this is the fundamental nature
of contact lenses—people need vision
correction and there’s an annuity/renewal
factor with contact lenses.” She added,
“We continue to have terrific success.
Acuvue Oasys is the fastest-growing disposable brand in the spherical segment
and Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism
continues to grow at double digit rates
for us. Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism is
to be launched this month while Acuvue
1-Day Moist product has strong health
and comfort advantages for patients.”
Kelman continued, “We don’t define
ourselves by ‘modalities’—that’s an oldfashioned approach. Our focus has been
about the critical benefits the end consumers and doctors are looking for. We
see four major trends: people who want
to wear contact lenses part time. We
have a recent survey that shows one out
of 10 contact lens wearers wear both
spectacles and contact lenses. And these
patients come back for care more often.”
She continued, “We also see a major
trend in the two-week segment and fitting kids at younger ages. We have a
recently published study that shows that
fitting children as young as eight years old
is really viable, they are as capable of
wearing the product as teens and doctors
CooperVision’s business with the
ProClear Multifocal has grown.
are more comfortable fitting children, too.
“There’s another major trend we see
that has to do with vision related to performance. How important your eyes are to
achieve things in your life—the lifestyle
out of the chair can be even more important than the fitting experience when the
patient is sitting in the exam room.
“And, finally,” Kelman noted,
“There’s the reflection of technology
happening in our lives. Everyone’s texting or checking cell phones or working
with computers, which leads to eyestrain, dryness. This has led people to
seek out lenses that are comfortable but
do well in challenging environments.
Acuvue Oasys is designed specifically to
address that [issue].”
A new entrant into the U.S. contact
lens market this year is Ocular Insight,
Inc. With the U.S. distribution of contact lenses made by ClearLab, the company debuted its lenses in April and is
targeting ECPs and optical retailers with
a “generic” contact lens that offers them
the alternative, said Steve Weisfeld, OD,
vice president of professional relations
and John Raycraft, president and CEO
of the company. “There are many
options and lenses out there today; we
feel there is room for the doctor to
explain the alternative to the patient and
present new choices.”
Ocular Insight offers several “generic
equivalent” contact lenses, ranging from
the Clear 58, the Clear 55A, the Clear
Unilens C-VUE debuted its 1-Day Daily Disposable.
All-Day and the Clear All-Day T. The
company is working on a daily disposable, Weisfeld noted.
Said Raycraft, “Our contact lenses are
about the value. Doctors have been
working with these materials for years
and we are offering them huge price differentials; they will discuss the options
and determine how to fit these into their
practice portfolio.” II
44
EXAM LANES
OPTOMETRY NEWS
AOA Issues ‘Caring for the Eyes of America’
ST. LOUIS—Private practice optometrists
are maintaining their position as the
nation’s primary eyecare providers,
according to the American Optometric
Association’s (AOA) recently released
“Caring for the Eyes of America” survey.
The survey, the AOA’s 10th, indicates
that private optometric practices
accounted for the largest share—approximately 44.37 percent—of what the
organization estimates as a $29.25 billion
total U.S. ophthalmic market in 2007 (up
7.5 percent from the AOA’s estimate for
industry volume in 2005).
The AOA estimates that 37,083 fulltime equivalent ODs were active in the
workforce during 2007. Most (up to
three-fourths of those responding to
AOA surveys) provide care in traditional
private practices, although increasingly
in partnerships or group practices as
opposed to solo practices.
The Caring for the Eyes of America
study examines the changing nature of
optometric practice over time, including
data from recurring surveys on consumer
trends, third-party/managed care participation rates, the size and share of the
ophthalmic market, optical dispensing
and optometric income.
The study indicates that ODs are providing not only more eye examinations
each year (2,229 exams annually, on average) compared with a decade earlier, but a
wider range of care. Optometrists are now
treating or co-managing 66.1 percent of
their patients with glaucoma and 83.2 percent of patients they diagnosed with ante-
rior segment disorders, the study said.
And ODs are providing patients the
latest in state-of-the-art eye and vision
care, with a solid majority of practices
now equipped with automated perimeters (91.3 percent of practices), autorefractor/autokeratometer (77.8 percent)
and the pachymeter (72.6 percent),
according to the AOA survey. Scanning
laser ophthalmoscopes and pachymeters
are the technology most often being
added in optometric practices.
On the financial front, although the
AOA says Americans are receiving more
and better eyecare through optometrists,
that care is rising in cost much more
slowly than other forms of health care or
consumer prices overall, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics data. As for
insurance coverage, 76.5 percent of
patients in a typical optometric office are
now covered (48 percent by private
plans, 28.5 percent by Medicare or other
public programs). Nearly half of patients
(45.6 percent) are in managed-care programs, the AOA study indicated.
And although practice gross revenues
are up, some practitioners’ net incomes
are not keeping pace, according to the
survey, as margins are squeezed by
increasing expenses.
The full Caring for the Eyes of America study is available for $279; AOA
members may purchase the compendium at a steep discount, according to the
organization. For more information, go to
www.aoa.org/caring08.xml or call (800)
262-2210. II
ODs Heading to Seattle for Optometry’s Meeting
SEATTLE—Optometrists, paraoptometrics and optometry students from
around the country head to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center
here next week for the 111th annual
American Optometric Association (AOA)
Congress and the 38th annual American
Optometric Student Association (ASOA)
conference, once again combined under
the umbrella of “Optometry’s Meeting.”
The event, which runs from June 25
to June 29, kicks off Wednesday, June
25, with the first continuing education
courses; classes run through Sunday.
Wednesday night, attendees are invited
to a welcome reception sponsored by
Bausch & Lomb.
At the annual opening general session
on Thursday, June 26, author Christopher Gardner, who wrote The Pursuit of
Happyness, will offer his views as the
AOA keynote speaker, sponsored by
Essilor. During that session, the AOA
will present several major awards,
including Optometrist of the Year and
Young Optometrist of the Year.
The Optometry’s Meeting exhibit hall
opens that afternoon; exhibits by more
than 200 industry firms and organizations
will also be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Thursday night, Essilor sponsors the
annual Varilux Optometry Super Bowl
competition (this year is Super Bowl
XVII) and reception for optometry students. The first-place winner receives a
$1,000 grand prize and trophy.
Also on Thursday, Hoya sponsors
Washington Wine Experience in the
exhibit hall; on Friday afternoon, June
27, attendees can participate in Microbrew Mania featuring local beers, also in
the exhibit hall.
New AOA officers will be elected during the annual House of Delegates
meeting on Friday.
The meeting wraps up Saturday
night, June 28, with the Presidential
Celebration, sponsored by Hoya. Comedian and “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno
will entertain at that event, which honors the newly elected AOA president
and board of trustees. Following Leno,
The Grooveline, a tribute band featuring
music of the 1970s and 1980s, will perform during a dessert reception.
Next year’s Optometry’s Meeting will
be held June 24 through June 28, 2009,
at the Gaylord National Convention
Center in Washington, D.C. II
EYECARE NEWS
PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY
BECOMES SALUS UNIVERSITY JULY 1
J&J VISION CARE INSTITUTE
ADDS SIXTH SATELLITE CENTER
ELKINS PARK, Pa.—The Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), based here, will
significantly change its institutional structure on July 1, when it officially makes the
transition from a college to a university and adopts a new name: Salus University.
Salus, a Latin word for health and well-being, was unanimously adopted by the college’s board of trustees as an expression of the institution’s dedication to the preservation of the health and well-being of the communities its graduates serve, an
announcement said.
“The university’s name supports the institution’s vision of an academic community
that emphasizes a holistic approach to education, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, and includes a commitment to interdisciplinary learning,” noted president
Thomas L. Lewis, OD.
“Our faculty, students, staff and board of trustees realize that, as this institution
grows and becomes more complex, the name Salus will offer direction, underscoring
the value of interdisciplinary education and early clinical experience that are the hallmarks of our innovative curriculum.”
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Johnson & Johnson’s Vision Care Institute recently added its
sixth partner institution: the Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry now hosts a Vision Care Institute satellite learning center.
“The satellite learning centers provide a direct link between the main campus of
The Vision Care Institute in Jacksonville, Fla., and the optometry schools, enhancing
students’ experiences with even more information and contact lens-related skills useful for their careers,” said Richard Clompus, OD, director of the Institute. “Educational programming at the satellite centers includes distance learning programs for firstthrough fourth-year optometry students, using video conferencing technologies from
the Jacksonville headquarters. Additional satellite centers will be opened at other
optometry schools in the future.”
The Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry was founded in
1981; in 1992, it became a separate, autonomous academic unit within the university. II
46
EXAM LANES
OPTOMETRY NEWS
Industry Experts Take Pulse of Low Vision Care
Meeting Explores Treatments, Strategies, Models of Care
By Mary Kane
Executive Editor
WASHINGTON , D.C.—Experts from
across the country and throughout a variety of disciplines—including the ophthalmic community, low vision advocates, rehabilitation experts and low
vision patient groups—gathered at the
National Press Club here recently for
The Vision Summit: Focus on Low
Vision sponsored by the Better Vision
Institute (BVI).
Tom Abbott, optician and incoming
BVI chair, summed up the “vision” of
the gathering saying, “The strategic plan
here is to examine the tools that the
three Os are using in their practices. By
bringing together experts to share strategies and best practices, we hope to
define the tools, resources and contacts
needed to improve low vision treatment.”
Presenters from the panel, the Current Landscape,
are left to right Asel Ryskulova, MD, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention; Cynthia Stuen,
PhD, senior vp policy and professional affairs,
Lighthouse International, and Dan Roberts, founding director, MD Support & International Macular
Degeneration Support Group.
According to the BVI, 6.5 million
Americans aged 65 and older suffer from
low vision, and the number of Americans affected is expected to increase as
the nation’s population ages. The general consensus among the speakers was
that currently, low vision needs are not
being adequately met and the aging
Baby Boomer population will only exacerbate the need for expanded services
and personnel specializing in low vision.
Paul Michelson, MD, Better Vision
Institute liaison, opened the meeting by
raising several key issues for attendees:
“Our goal here is to find viable models for
Attending the dinner and reception the night
before the meeting are left to right, Tara Cortes,
PhD, president and CEO, Lighthouse
International; Mary Lou Jackson, MD, chair, AAO
Vision Rehabilitation Committee; Lylas Mogk,
director, Visual Rehabilitation and Research
Center, Henry Ford Health System, and Catherine
Cohen, VP, Governmental Affairs, AAO.
busy ECPs to use. They are under a
tremendous amount of pressure to see
many patients. How can they determine
who needs treatment for low vision? Once
that happens, can the treatment be handled in a private center or a rehab facility?”
The presentation was organized into
four panels highlighting the following categories: the Current Landscape, the
Patient Perspective, the Professional Perspective, and Economic Models of Care.
During the first panel, Cynthia Stuen,
senior vice president of policy and professional affairs for Lighthouse International, explored the psychological ramifications of vision loss. “The
psychological effects of living with limited vision are a critical part of low vision
and its treatment,” she said. Since low
vision tends to affect the senior population there is a double burden of growing
older and acquiring vision loss. The
influence of family and friends can
either impair or support the rehabilitation process, depending on the level of
support they provide, according to
Stuen. But she stressed that the issue
extended “beyond the three Os to a
larger population of providers that need
to be brought into the mix.”
Treating the patient as a whole was a
recurring theme throughout the day.
During the second panel on patient perspectives, speakers currently living with
low vision recounted their personal
experiences and challenges. Mark F.
Have you seen VM WebTV today?
www.
.com
Farrell is an on-air personality and talk
show host for 1019 RXP FM—New
York’s Rock Experience. He suffers from
Retinoschisis, a congenital visual impairment, but his disability hasn’t stopped
him from getting his driver’s license with
the use of telescopic glasses. During his
presentation, Farrell demonstrated the
use of his special glasses and magnifiers,
manufactured by Eschenback Optik of
America. He joked that they made interesting conversation pieces if he is ever
pulled over by the police. But on a more
serious note, he advised patients with
low vision to “be as proactive as possible.
Presenters from the panel, The Patient
Perspective, are Bill Robinson (l), CPA, and Mark
Farrell, talk show host for 1019 RXP FM—New
York’s Rock Experience.
Don’t think about what you can’t do but
what you can do.”
Gale Watson acting national director of
Blind Rehabilitation Service for the
Department of Veteran Affairs, outlined
her agency’s model for rehabilitative
eyecare for veterans. “Most of our
patients have seen the worst of what life
has to offer—we want to offer them the
best.” Highlights of the VA model
include: a continuum care program with
no time lapse between diagnosis and
Geoffrey Moss, Eschenbach Optik of America
presents Eleanor Faye, MD, medical director of
Lighthouse International with the Visionary Award
from the Better Vision Institute.
services; and a network of eye clinics
throughout the U.S. with basic low
vision services available at every location, according to Watson.
From the private sector perspective,
Ronald J. Cole, MD, runs MVT Visual
Rehabilitation Center in Sacramento,
Calif. and his practice takes a multi-disciplinary approach to low vision. “We
have 12 ophthalmologists in four offices
in addition to a support staff of occupational therapists. Certain services, such
as clinical psychology is outsourced but
we work as a team,” Cole said.
Cole outlined some of the challenges
facing a practice specializing in low
vision: cancellations and unfilled
appointments; insurance reimbursement; highstaff/patient ratio; high overhead; and high maintenance patients.
However, Cole was quick to offer solutions including recalls and follow-up;
considering part-time vs. full-time models; evaluations at central locations;
steady referral stream; and a mobile
rehab unit since patients with low vision
won’t travel far for services. II
LOW VISION OUTCOMES AND ACTION ITEMS
WASHINGTON, D.C.—At the conclusion of the day’s presentations, participants formed
brainstorming groups to discuss what they learned and what other issues/concerns
came out of the meeting. The four groups came up with the following outcomes:
Lessons Learned
• Profitability is tough.
• Patient awareness is greatly needed.
• There is a need for more providers.
• The Veterans Administration model and funding is one of the ideal models.
Questions and Concerns
• How do we reach consumers?
• How do we help improve reimbursement?
• How do we motivate eyecare professionals to include low vision in their practice?
• How do we unify the community (optical and beyond) to address this issue?
• How do we get the resources that are needed?
48
RETAIL DISPENSARY
SECOND LOOK
SECOND LOOK
Costa Del Mar Releases New
Metal Sunglass Styles
Kenmark Introduces New
Designs to Thalia Girls Eyewear
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Costa Del Mar has designed three new combination metal
shades featuring aggressive styling and edgy interpretations on classic navigator
and aviator looks.
“Placida, Flamingo and Cudjoe are aggressive new styles for the brand, bringing
the latest fashion trends into our performance-driven sunglasses,” said Chas MacDonald, president of Costa Del Mar. “You don’t have to sacrifice style for adventure—now you can see it all, do it all and look great while doing it.”
The Placida is a revamped interpretation of a classic navigator sunglass for small
to medium face shapes. The Flamingo has a similar shape to a classic old school
Costa Del Mar style, the
Havana, and is a larger frame
to fit larger heads. Cudjoe is
an aviator shape with a medium-sized fit.
These new models bring
high fashion to the Costa line
with gold and gunmetal colors
for both men and women who
are adventure-lovers that love
The new Flamingo sunglass style from Costa Del Mar.
to look good. To that end, the
styles are also performance-driven with a sturdy wire cores, omega spring hinges
and sport-based silicone nose pads. Lens options include COSTA 400 or the ‘highdef’ 580 mirror or non-mirror.
All three new sunglasses have a logo plaque on the temple, are backed by a lifetime warranty and are priced to the dispenser between $94.50 and $144.50. II
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Kenmark Group has added four new styles into the Thalia
Girls Eyewear collection for summer.
Inspired by Latin pop star, Thalia, the frames combine flirty shapes with modern
designs for a fun, fashionable look, while offering grown-up styling and colorful
designs for young girls and teens. Shapes include trendy ovals and materials consist of sassy combinations of metals and zyls. Most of the frames feature
adjustable nosepads and spring hinges for added comfort, while several designs
are accented with a subtle heart logo on the interior temple tips.
The styles include the
Nube, a metal/zyl combination frame available in
cocoa, lilac and rose with a
raised Thalia heart; the
Perla, a metal, rimless style
in cherry, cocoa and plum
with a thick endpiece and
temple design; the Suave,
an oval combination frame
in black, magenta and tortoise; and the Viento, an
The Nube from the Kenmark Group’s Thalia Girls collection.
upswept butterfly shape
with color coordinated zyl temples in cocoa, magenta and plum.
Each Thalia Girls frame comes with a signature pink purse case and features a
three-year warranty. The new styles in the Thalia Girls Eyewear collection from Kenmark are priced to the dispenser between $47.95 and $49.95. II
SECOND LOOK
SECOND LOOK
Viva Adds New Optical Groups
to Catherine Deneuve Lunettes
Aoyama Unveils New Styles
in Shiseido Collection
SOMERVILLE, N.J.—Viva International Group presents two new optical groupings in
the Catherine Deneuve Lunettes collection.
First is the “Modern Elegance” collection, featuring sophisticated detailing and
rich colorations on styles CD248, CD249 and CD250. Geometric shapes and intricate patterns inspired the metal detailing of these chic styles which embellish the
open endpieces of the group
like precious jewels. The
CD248 is a modified oval,
CD249 is a semi-rimless
oval and CD250 is a semirimless with deeper modified
rectangle profile, all featuring
handcrafted temples and rich
colors, including ruby, bronze,
champagne and gold.
The Modern Elegance grouping from Catherine Deneuve
The next grouping, “Sheer
Lunettes by Viva International Group.
Confidence,” includes two
styles with open metal lace detailing that accents styles CD251 and CD252. These
semi-rimless styles feature intricate figure eight patterned metal braided endpieces
that complement the handcrafted temples. These metal/plastic combination grouping includes a modified oval, CD251, and a modified rectangle, CD252 with spring
hinges and adjustable nose pads in bronze, ruby and violet.
These styles from Catherine Deneuve Lunettes and Viva are priced to the dispenser at $46.95. II
RONKONKOMA, N.Y.—Shiseido Eyewear by Aoyama Optical USA releases new optical styles for women.
The Shiseido eyewear collection features Japanese technology with subtle, feminine styling and intricate detailing, luxurious colors, 100 percent titanium construction and superior craftsmanship.
A standout of the new models is the
SH-5029, available in color combinations brown/beige, dark red/clear and
demi drown/beige, in size 51/17/136.
Constructed of double laminate zyl, the
SH-5029 features a bold, slim line rectangle frame front design and contemporary geometric clear gem stones on
the front temples.
Another highlight is the SH-5033 in
black, dark brown or dark purple, in
size 53/14/133. This frame is constructed of double laminate plastic with
a dramatic, modified feminine slim line The SH-5029 in brown/beige (top) and the SHwrap front design and jeweled and 5033 in black (bottom) from the Shiseido collection from Aoyama Optical USA.
engraved flower motifs on the temples.
POP materials are available upon request. Each Shiseido frame from Aoyama
Optical USA comes with a case featuring the Shiseido signature logo. These new
styles are priced to the dispenser at $79. II
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50
RETAIL DISPENSARY
Carmen Marc Valvo’s parents knew he was born to nip and
tuck. Little did his father, an anesthesiologist, and his mother, a nurse, know that he would do so as a fashion designer
rather than the plastic surgeon they’d hoped he’d one day
become.
By Deirdre Carroll
Despite the early confusion, the designer does now spend
his days making women more beautiful, albeit with a needle and thread rather than a scalpel.
Valvo launched his own label in 1989 after working as a
ready-to-wear designer for Nina Ricci in Paris and a stint at
Christian Dior. Immediately, his sportswear and evening
wear collections were a success.
Having established a solid reputation with his Collection line, Valvo launched Carmen Marc Valvo Couture in 1998, to
meet the overwhelming demand from his celebrity and VIP clients, who wanted original Carmen Marc Valvo creations.
Stars like Beyoncé, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lucy Liu, Oprah Winfrey, Kim Cattrall, Queen Latifah, Radha Mitchell and
Vanessa Williams count him among their favorites, but it is his devotion to his non-celebrity clients that has made him a fashion star and today the world of Carmen Marc Valvo includes a sportswear collection, a suit collection, custom furs, shoes, limited-edition jewelry designs, a swimwear line and a new eyewear collection with Signature Eyewear.
F.Y.Eye asked this quintessential American designer about the newest addition to his fashion empire.
F.Y.EYE
What are the most important influences on your design work?
I am very influenced by glamour and
beauty combined with comfort and
function.
1
What excites you most about
design?
New challenges and doing something
I’ve never done before is exciting. I
2
find it educational and exhilarating.
Describe the ultimate Carmen Marc
Valvo woman.
The women I dress are sophisticated,
self assured and appreciate quality.
3
What’s been the greatest challenge
in interpreting your design philosophy
or perspective into your eyewear line?
4
The most difficult thing was trying
to give my eyewear collection the
same esthetic as my other creations.
What are some of your favorite
pieces or characteristics of the
collection?
I find them all unique and special really. I particularly like the temple
details, the inlays of lace and overlays
5
of resin. I find the reading glasses so
ever chic.
What is the best advice anyone
ever gave you?
Never trust anyone who says “trust
me.” II
6
LAUNCHES
Signature Launches Carmen Marc Valvo Eyewear
By Deirdre Carroll
Senior Editor
NEW YORK—Signature Eyewear, Inc.
has introduced the Carmen Marc Valvo
Eyewear collection in collaboration with
designer Carmen Marc Valvo.
“We are so excited to be working with
Carmen,” said Paul Cartwright, director
Optical style Ava (bottom) and
sun style Palma (top) from the
Carmen Marc Valvo collection.
of licensing for Signature. “The addition
of the Carmen Marc Valvo Eyewear collection complements the Signature Eyewear portfolio. His input and enthusiasm in product development and
attention to detail are amazing. He is a
truly skilled, artistic professional and is
such a joy to work with. I hope that
when people are trying on his product it
Carmen Marc Valvo POP imagery featuring
the optical style Grable in cocoa brulee
from Signature Eyewear.
“The addition of the Carmen Marc Valvo
Eyewear collection complements the
Signature Eyewear portfolio. His input
and enthusiasm in product development
and attention to detail are amazing.”
—Paul Cartwright, Signature Eyewear
comes to life on their face the way he
intended it to.”
The launch collection included 12
ophthalmic styles and 10 sun styles for
women who are drawn to luxury and
sophistication.
Special features of the line include
French lace infused zyl, carved plastic
temples that emulate shells, step and
repeat “V” patterns etched into the temples and rich, metal-on-plastic embedded patterns.
Angular cat-eyes, bold rectangles, oversized sunwear with rounded edges and
partial rimless metals are predominant in
the collection in colors like fawn, mushroom, cocoa brulee, oyster, cherrywood
and black Tortuga, while style names
evoke women of glamour like Ava,
Grable and Etta.
“Carmen’s love of 1940’s glamour and
island getaways has transpired into a collection of beautiful shell, coral and rich
vintage tortoise coloration,” said Jill
Gardner, senior vice president of design
for Signature.
“Locations such as the French West
Indies, Seychelles and beyond create a
color story that modernizes shapes for
today’s woman.”
The case and marketing materials for
the collection complete the glamorous
product offering. POP features a
matte/shiny step-and-repeat V logo
along the backside with a rich padded
base. Cases are available in onyx or dark
platinum with the step-and-repeat V
logo and a cleaning cloth.
The Carmen Marc Valvo Eyewear
collection from Signature Eyewear is
priced to the dispenser between $90
and $150. II
RETAIL DISPENSARY
51
CONTACT LENSES
Vistakon Debuts Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Vistakon, a
division of Johnson & Johnson Vision
Care, Inc., is introducing this month
Acuvue Oasys brand contact lenses for
Astigmatism. The lens will soon be
available at some U.S. eyecare professionals’ offices, with distribution expected to grow through the coming months.
Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism combines the Accelerated Stabilization
Design (ASD) technology of Acuvue
Advance brand contact lenses for astigmatism with senofilcon A, the new generation silicone hydrogel material of
Acuvue Oasys contact lenses. The lens
also features Hydraclear Plus, the
improved formulation of the unique
Hydraclear technology that combines
high performance base materials with a
moisture-rich wetting agent, the company’s statement said.
“Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism brings
together the best features of two of the
leading contact lenses on the market,”
said Sheila Hickson-Curran, Director,
Medical Affairs, Vistakon. “It offers outstanding visual acuity and fit for astigmatic patients, providing clear and consistent vision and comfort throughout
the day. With this lens, wearers do not
have to compromise vision.”
The Accelerated Stabilization Design
of Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism harnesses the natural pressures of a blinking
eye to balance the lens in place and
quickly realign the lens if it rotates out
of position, the company said, noting it
provides patients with astigmatism with
consistent, all-day vision and comfort.
Senofilcon A, a new generation silicone
hydrogel material, is for contact lens wear-
Unilens Launches Aspheric
C-VUE Daily Disposable Lens
LARGO,
Fla.—Unilens
Vision
Inc.(OTC Bulletin Board: UVICF; TSX
Venture Exchange: UVI), which develops, licenses, manufactures, distributes
and markets specialty contact lenses, has
launched the C-VUE 1 Day Aspheric
Single Vision lens, which is the first
aspheric, daily disposable contact lens
sold under the C-VUE brand.
According to Unilens, the new CVUE 1 Day ASV is a daily disposable
that is ideal for low level astigmats, early
presbyopes, and those who simply wish
to improve their vision. The new product offering will provide independent
practitioners with an additional aspheric
C-VUE contact lens option that contributes to patient retention and practice
profitability.
C-VUE 1 Day ASV is easy to fit,
Unilens said, designed with aspheric
optics that provides superb comfort and an
improved depth of focus at all ranges.
There is no required daily cleaning or care
required. The lenses may be worn for a
day and then just simply thrown away.
“With the continued success of our
best selling C-VUE Multifocal lenses, CVUE Toric Multifocal and C-VUE ASV
we are now pleased to offer our very first
daily disposable single vision solution
with the C-VUE 1 Day ASV to licensed
eye professionals only,” stated Michael
Pecora, CEO of Unilens. “This new
offering expands the company’s portfolio of soft lens products, serving the rapidly growing one-time use daily disposable single vision market.”
Established in 1989, Unilens Vision
Inc. emphasizes its role as “the eyecare
professional’s specialty contact lens company.” Through its wholly owned subsidiary Unilens Corp., USA, located in
Largo, Fla., develops, licenses, manufactures, distributes and markets specialty
contact lenses under the C-VUE,
Unilens, Sof-Form, Aquaflex, SoftCon,
Lombart, and LifeStyle brands. Additional information on the company may
be accessed on the Internet at
www.unilens.com. II
ers whose eyes can feel tired and dry in
challenging environments, such as long
hours of computer use, frequent ground
or air travel, or everyday exposure to heated or air conditioned surroundings.
Hydraclear Plus is an improved formulation of the unique Hydraclear technology that combines high performance base
materials with a moisture-rich wetting
agent to create a more wettable, ultra
smooth contact lens especially for challenging environments that can make eyes
feel tired and dry, the company noted.
In addition, the company points out
that Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism
blocks greater than 96 percent of UVA
rays and 99 percent of UVB rays, meeting
the highest UV-blocking standards for
contact lenses. Although UV-blocking
contact lenses provide important added
protection for patients, they should not be
viewed as a stand-alone solution.
Contact lenses should always be worn
in conjunction with high-quality UVblocking sunglasses and a widebrimmed hat for maximum UV protection for the eyes.
Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism is indicated for daily wear vision correction and may
be worn for up to 6 consecutive nights/7
days of extended wear as recommended by
an individual’s eyecare professional. II
ODG Develops Library of
Annual Dispense Guides
HAWTHORNE, N.Y.—To
assist ECPs and their
staff, Optical Distributor
Group (ODG) has
developed a
complete library
of Annual Dispense Guides.
ODG has introduced a comprehensive marketing kit
consisting of 60 individual contact lens
sell sheets, sorted by manufacturer and
brand. Each sheet has a product photograph and compares the cost benefit of
buying an Annual Supply versus a single
multipack purchase. Savings including
manufacturer rebates are easily identifiable. Sell sheets are customizable and
include an area for the practice name
and logo. Being Web-based, all the sheets
can be personalized
and printed out.
“Today eyecare
practitioners want
and need more
than just competitive pricing from a distributor. They want
and need a business
partner committed to their
success, a company that offers “more
than just product” that’s why we have
developed this free online resource,”
said Jeff Rems, president of ODG. He
added, “By simplifying the amount of
information, making it more visually interesting for the patient and including all
major contact lens brands, we have created a tool that helps our customers
quickly and easily explain the financial
savings to their patients.” II
CLMA Launches GP Fitter Locator
LINCOLN, Neb.—A new program, the
“GP Fitter Locator,” is now functioning
on the Gas Permeable Lens Institute
Web site: www.gpli.info.
The searchable database is available
for GP contact lens fitters to make referrals to fitters in other regions in the U.S.
The program has plans to grow to
include a GP fitter locator for consumers
on the www.contactlenses.org Web site
so that patients can easily locate a GP fitter within their geographical area.
Eyecare professionals are welcomed
and encouraged to participate and submit their personal information (including
their listing of expertise as bifocal/multifocal fitter, irregular cornea fitter and
orthokeratology/ corneal reshaping fitter)
for inclusion in this premiere database of
GP contact lens fitters.
For further information, contact Pam
Witham, Administrative Director, ph:
(800) 344-9060 or by email at [email protected]. II
52
INSIDE THE LAB
NEWS VIEWS
VSP Legends 4.0 Adds Teflon Coating
LEWISVILLE, Texas—VSP Legends
4.0 optical laboratory has opened an
onsite Teflon lens coating facility here.
The VSP-owned lab, located near Dallas, services private practice eye doctors
throughout the U.S.
“Onsite application of Teflon coatings
at VSP Legends 4.0 gives private-practice
doctors an attractive option to reduce
delivery times for this high-quality product,” said Don Oakley, VSP vice president of ophthalmic supply chain and
services. “Working together with valued
suppliers like Carl Zeiss Vision, VSP is
dedicated to strengthening the eyecare
delivery system by expanding choice,
increasing value and speeding delivery.”
Developed by Carl Zeiss Vision in collaboration with DuPont, Teflon Clear
Coat anti-reflective technology produces
lenses with high luminous transmittance,
scratch resistance equivalent to a premium hard coating, and a super-hydrophobic, oleophobic coating for easy cleaning.
Teflon Clear Coat lenses offer “the
premium performance of Teflon Clear
Coat Lenses, combined with
VSP Legends 4.0’s outstanding service is an exciting
development benefiting
both doctors and eyewear
consumers,” said C.J. Hartmann, Carl Zeiss Vision’s
brand manager for coatings.
VSP operates three wholly-owned optical labs located
near Sacramento, California;
Columbus, Ohio; and Dallas,
Texas. II
The Zeiss H3 hardcoating system is an integral part of the new
Teflon AR coating facility at Legends 4.0 Optical.
Saint-Gobain Intros Blocking BPI Introduces SparkPad for Super-Hydrophobics Resistant Vent Hood
GRANVILLE, N.Y.—Saint-Gobain,
based here, is introducing SecurEdge
Plus, a new generation of blocking pads
specially engineered for super-hydrophobic lenses. According to Saint-Gobain,
the combination of SecurEdge Plus’
foam core base and high performance
SecurEdge Plus provides easy liner release and is
available in wide range of sizes and shapes.
adhesive ensures optimal torque resistance and with no slippage. Its high performing adhesive eliminates the need
for supplementary film and reduces total
systems cost by minimizing waste and
enabling a single-step solution.
“Super-hydrophobic coatings are
designed to repel dirt, water and unfortunately conventional pads,” said Geoff
King, SecurEdge Product Manager for
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics,
which is part of Saint-Gobain Corp., a
major industrial company. “SecurEdge
Plus accurately secures the lens in place
during edging without compromising
lens integrity.”
King noted that the SecurEdge Plus
foam core is uniquely manufactured
with a microcellular polyurethane substrate for superior torque resistance and
conformability. Additionally, the pad is
engineered with two separate adhesives—one for the block and the other
for the lens. The lens adhesive is specifically formulated to meet a wide range of
super-hydrophobic coatings. Ensuring
error-free application, the lens surface of
the pad is identified with “SecurEdge
Plus” printed under the adhesive.
“Proper application technique is crucial to maximizing lab efficiency and
decreasing waste,” said King. “Lens slippage most often occurs as a result of
improper application.”
For proper application, Saint-Gobain
recommends thoroughly cleaning the
lens to ensure that the adhesive completely bonds to the surface. The company also pointed out that since conformity is the leading cause of slippage
and offset lenses, it is crucial to match
the block and lens curvature to provide
good wet-out.
Saint-Gobain distributes SecurEdge
pads through DAC Vision, Dynamic
Labs, Optical Laboratory Supply, Phantom Research Laboratories and Practical
Systems. II
MIAMI—BPI is introducing the BPI
Stainless Steel Spark Resistant Vent
Hood (product code 15003).
The hood is designed to help
eliminate the odors associated
with dyeing and neutralizing
plastic lenses. It is spark
resistant to reduce the
number of ignition
sources for chemicals
that are used near or
above their flash points.
The vent hood contains two built-in polychromatic (chromatype) fluorescent lamps,
Briot USA Offers Versatile,
Affordable Finishing System
CUMMING, Ga.—Briot USA is introducing the Silver Plus, a low-priced finishing system that offers multifunctional
versatility. The Silver Plus is the newest
addition to Briot’s all-in-one line of
equipment which has built-in tracing,
blocking and edging.
“We are very excited about adding to
What’s Online @ Lab Advisor This Month
Lab Advisor’s Dollars & Sense columnist Jason Meyer will continue his series,
“Assessing Financial Performance.” Lab executives will learn how to analyze their
lab’s financial statements. In the Tech Talk section, you’ll find a tutorial on deblocking, an often overlooked but crucial step in the lens surfacing process.
To get a copy of Lab Advisor delivered to your inbox every month, go to VisionMonday.com. II
which are sunlight color-balanced for color
matching by reflected light. An exhaust
blower is included with the unit.
The vent hood measures 49 in.
(124.5 cm) high by 36 inches
(91.5cm) wide by 28 inches
(71.12cm) deep and runs
on 115 volts, 50/60 Hz.
The Stainless Steel Spark
Resistant Production Vent
Hood (product code 15004)
is also available, which
measures 49 inches by 51
inches by 28 inches
(124.5cm by 129.5cm
by 71.12cm). II
Briot USA’s new Silver Plus finishing system features
safety beveling, grooving and bevel polishing. The
unit has a color screen and 300-job memory.
our already impressive line of edger
options. At Briot USA, our main goal is to
give our customer base the best options
for their specific needs, instead of forcing
them to adjust to the edger options” said
Bret Davis, president of Briot USA.
The multi-axis tracer in the Silver Plus
measures height, length and curve of the
frame, while the frame thickness is analyzed to ensure that the lens fits the frame
perfectly. The full-size screen display
allows error-free verification of the uncut
lens to the frame shape, and the manual
blocking is simple and accurate. The Silver Plus can edge all types of materials
and specific edging cycles are available for
hydrophobic and fragile lenses.
With safety beveling, grooving, bevel
polishing, color screen, and 300-job
memory, the Silver Plus provides higherend features with lower-end pricing. II
Make Your
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Find out why 20,000 eyecare practices rely on
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© 2008 VisionWeb, Inc. All rights reserved. VisionWeb is a service mark,
and “Streamline, Simplify, Succeed.” Is a trademark of VisionWeb, Inc.
54
CLASSIFIED
VM MARKETPLACE
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Jonathan Herskovitz at 972-488-8563
or email to [email protected].
Eyemart Express is an equal opportunity employer.
to service or call on major
retailer/labs/distributors.
Domestic and International.
Great opportunity
Fax resume to
718-633-5231
or e-mail [email protected]
Reps Wanted
Representative for new account
acquisition by detailing high
quality lab at Midwest pricing.
Exciting opportunity to use your
existing accounts to generate
residual income on a
percentage commission as an
independent contractor.
Please submit resume to:
[email protected].
EXTRA COMMISSION!
Supplement your existing sales
with a complete line of optical
supplies, equipment and lenses.
Introduce to your existing clients.
Nothing to carry except a
catalog. Short resume to
[email protected]
or 800-543-7376.
Equipment &
Supplies
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The following is a list of suppliers’ toll-free numbers for quick access to all of your optical needs. This is a paid service of Vision Monday.
ACCESSORIES
STORMIN’ NORMAN’S
OPTICAL SUPPLIES
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212-725-3171 • FAX: 212-725-3236
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Fax: 852-2367-6123
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FRAMES
and soft cases.
800-291-8528 • FAX: 718-752-9858
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58
SOMETHING
SHORT
THAT’S
SIMPLY
HUGE.
KODAK
Precise Short™ Lens
AWARD-WINNING DESIGN FOR
SMALL FRAMES
• Direct Digital Surfacing ensures pinpoint accuracy is
direct from the designer’s specs to the mold.
• Horizontal symmetry in the distance and peripheral
areas provides superb binocular vision.
• Smooth power progression produces visual quality
similar to a single vision lens.
• “Swim” effect is reduced, speeding up adaptation.
• Fitting heights as low as 13mm are ideal for fashion
frames.
BUSINESS ESSENTIALS
IT’S YOUR BUSINESS
Few Organizations Plan
To Stem Brain Drain
The number of Baby
Boomers poised for
retirement should
serve as a warning to
organizations about
the importance of a
formal strategy to
retain institutional
Hedley Lawson, Jr.
knowledge, but very
few organizations are making knowledge
retention a high priority, according to a
new survey.
While they recognize it as a looming
issue, many managers face barriers to
establishing strategies and tactics that
help pre-empt that loss, according to
findings released by Monster in September 2007.
Only 12 percent of 550 HR managers
surveyed in November 2006 said knowledge retention is a high priority within
their organization, even though one-third
of all respondents said more than 20 percent of their current workforce will be
eligible for retirement over the next 10
years, Monster found.
About one-fourth, or 23 percent, said
their organizations have a formal method
to identify the knowledge that needs to
be protected and retained. Sixteen percent consider themselves very effective
in informally sharing knowledge, while
10 percent said they were very effective
in formally doing so.
Steps to Take
“There is no one tool that readily
enables companies to effectively meet
knowledge-retention challenges,” said
Jesse Harriott, vice president of research
for Monster, in an announcement.
“Organizations should aim to manage
information with a broad strategic
approach, utilizing various tactics to
determine what will be most successful,” Harriott said. “Companies that
aggressively manage and protect their
knowledge can readily increase their
value as an organization.”
Following are some recommendations
from Monster’s report, titled Building
and Securing an Organizational Brain
Trust in an Age of Brain Drain:
• Pinpoint key knowledge assets and
sources. Often, the knowledge can be
related to customer, product and service
insights. It will differ from company to
company.
• Obtain C-level accountability. Larger employers could appoint a chief
knowledge officer to be responsible for
organizational knowledge.
• Give employee incentives. Only
one-third of organizations reported that
their employees are rewarded or encouraged to share organizational knowledge
with colleagues.
• Create tools for involvement, such as
launching a blogging forum and mentoring
program where employees can redistribute
and access organizational knowledge.
A culture that promotes shared knowledge has to start with the CEO, according to Harriott.
Hedley Lawson brings over 25 years of
optical industry experience to Jobson
Medical LLC. For over 10 years, he has
been a contributing editor to VM, most
recently as writer of the monthly column
“Business Essentials.” In addition,
Lawson writes a quarterly Human
Resources and Business column for Lab
Talk magazine and is the Contributing
Editor of VM’s E-Newsletter Business
Essentials.
WHAT’S ONLINE @ BUSINESS ESSENTIALS THIS MONTH
WWW.BROTHERSOPTICAL.COM
(800) 531-3112
Kodak and the Kodak trade dress are trademarks of Kodak, used under license by Signet Armorlite, Inc.
Precise Short is a trademark of Signet Armorlite, Inc. ©2008 Signet Armorlite, Inc.
Don’t miss out on Vision Monday’s e-edition of
Business Essentials providing monthly updates on
day-to-day management issues for optical ECPs
and retailers. This month’s lead feature takes a
look at the perils of workplace romances in
From the Top. To get a copy of Business
Essentials delivered to your inbox every month, go
to VisionMonday.com, click on the Business
Essentials button and go to the Subscribe to
Business Essentials option in the newsletter.
Current and past issues of the newsletter are
also available on VisionMonday.com.
24
PREVENT DRY EYES,
Jake
CLIMATE CONTROL™ SERIES
EXPOSE GOOD LOOKS.
Blink
Dry Eye Syndrome, an eye irritation condition caused by wind, dry
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against irritation and prevent tear evaporation. They’re perfect for those who wear contacts or have had Lasik
surgery. They’re also ANSI Safety certified and Rx ready. Protect dry eyes in style with Wiley X. // Please call
800.776.7842 to request a catalog or talk with a Wiley X account representative. // WILEYX.COM
Airborne
60
OPINION
Monday
EDITORIAL
Here Comes the Summer Sun
As we head out of
Memorial Day and
toward the 4th of
July it’s almost
summer here in
New York—one of
my favorite times
of year. When I
Mary Kane
walk around the
Executive Editor
city it amazes me
how many people don’t wear sunglasses.
It’s a pet peeve of mine, especially with
family and friends who generally shrug
me off because “she works for an optical
magazine.” But damage from the sun is
tough on the eyes and if it’s not a pet
peeve of yours when it comes to treating
and advising your patients, it should be.
Many consumers are aware that UV
rays are a danger to their eyes. In a study
conducted by Jobson Research in April
2008, when asked, “Are you aware that
UV rays can damage your eyes, 91 percent of the respondents answered yes.
These numbers are encouraging. It
means a healthy percentage of people are
aware that unprotected time in the sun
can damage their eyes.
But there seems to be a definite disconnect between knowing what to do in
order to protect your eyes from the sun
and actually putting it into play when it
comes to choosing sunwear. In the same
Jobson Research study, when participants were asked “How important is it
that your sunglasses have UV protection?” only 60 percent rated it very
important. That means that nearly 40
percent of the respondents didn’t think
that sunwear offering UV protection was
that big a deal.
So as eyecare providers, what do these
numbers mean for you? As with any
other important health message, it needs
to be communicated and promoted to
your patients. Here are a few tips you
can add to your practice procedures:
• Incorporate this message into your
daily eye examination routine.
• Ask patients questions about what,
if any, kind of sunwear they are using.
• Remind them to have their children
wear sunglasses since they are more susceptible to UV rays than adults.
• Convince your patients that the best
place to buy sunwear is from you, the
eyecare expert.
• Enhance and if necessary expand
the sunwear section of your dispensary
so patients will be encouraged to buy
sunglasses from you and not from a
street vendor.
In short, get the sun protection message out to your patients and remind
them: It’s not just about looking good,
ultimately it’s about healthy eyes.
And speaking of sun, take a look at
this issue’s SportSun supplement, a joint
effort by Vision Monday and sister
publication 20/20, and find out how you
can get into the game of sport performance eyewear. II
What’s Online @ VisionMonday.com
About visionmonday.com
WebTV
VisionMonday.com has an innovative,
new look. Content from our most
recent issues is organized by topic
and category, making it easy to locate
the information you need fast. And
VMail Extra Subscribers have
access to VM’s comprehensive
archives via a new search engine
powered by Google. We have also
added a downloadable PDF version of
the current issue of VM.
Newsmakers
In VM's special profile of
ABB/Concise, see how the largest
contact lens distributor in the U.S.
has evolved through acquisition,
development and merger, and is
now serving more than 15,000
accounts, representing more than
two-thirds of independent ECPs.
New & Noteworthy
Prevent Blindness America is the latest optical organization to voice its
opposition to the Food and Drug
Administration’s (FDA) recently proposed changes to its long-standing
guidelines for lens impact testing. PBA
is the first consumer optical organization to join this crucial crusade.
Eye On
Look for new YouTube selections every
Monday, bringing you a fun and sometimes unusual take on the world of optical. In fact, we’ve launched a brand new
channel on VM WebTV, “YouTube:
VM’s Editors’ Picks,” featuring recent
YouTube Videos that have appeared
on VM Web TV this past month.
Also on WebTV get into the game
by watching the Sport Sun Eyewear
Panel Discussion for a unique opportunity to learn about the potential of sport
sunwear.
At Mido last month, Giorgio
Armani celebrated his 20th
anniversary on the eyewear
scene at the Armani/Privé salon.
See who stopped by to help the
designer celebrate two decades
of changes in eyewear.
Senior VP, Editorial Director Marge Axelrad
Executive Editor Mary Kane
E-News Managing Editor Amy Grech
Senior Editors Cathy Ciccolella, Deirdre Carroll
Group Editor, Lenses & Technology Andrew Karp
Layout Editor Natalya Gerzhgorina
Art Director Iris Johnson
Contributing Editors
Jackie Micucci, Gloria Nicola, James J. Spina,
Melissa Arkin, Christie Walker
Circulation Manager Renee Oechsner
Production Manager David Herman
VP Advertising Sales Dennis Murphy
Regional Sales Managers
Amanda Churchill, James DeMatteis,
Vincent Priore
International Sales Offices
Young-Seoh Chinn, Korea, [email protected];
Sho Harihara, Japan, [email protected];
Mary Ng, Asia, [email protected];
Jochen Reinke, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland,
Benelux, Scandinavia, Liechtenstein, [email protected];
Asa Talbar, Israel, [email protected];
Cecilia Zanasi, Italy, France, Spain, United Kingdom,
[email protected].
Director of Education and Training
Mark Mattision-Shupnick
Director of Marketing, Education and Training
Nancy Ness
Creative Director Monica Tettamanzi
Creative Services Designers Barbara Winters,
Debbie Silva
Marketing Manager Christine Yeh
Marketing Coordinator Amanda Jensen
Jobson Optical Research Int’l Managing Director
Gerry Fultz
VP/Optical Retail Group Publisher
William D. Scott
VP/Marketing/Publisher 20/20
Jim Vitkus
Senior VP/President Professional Publications Group
Richard Bay
VP/Publisher/FRAMESdata
Tom Lamond
VP/Operations/FRAMESdata
Judith Michael
Chief Executive Officer
Marc Ferrara
VP/Human Resources
Lorraine Orlando
Corporate Production Director
John Anthony Caggiano
VP/Circulation Director
Emelda Barea
Senior VP/Operations
Jeff Levitz
To order reprints of any articles or ads
that appeared in this issue contact
PARS International 212-221-9595 or [email protected]
MAIN EDITORIAL & SALES OFFICES:
100 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-1678
(212) 274-7000; fax: (212) 431-0500
e-mail: [email protected]
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT:
Account Representative Heather Brennan
2570 Boulevard of the Generals, Suite 220
Norristown, PA 19403, (800) 983-7737;
Fax: (610) 854-3780, E-mail: [email protected]
VISION MONDAY (ISSN 1054-7665) is published monthly except for
March and August, which have two issues, by Jobson Medical
Information LLC, 100 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor, New York, NY
10013. Periodicals postage paid at NY, NY, and
additional mailing office. Postmaster: Send
address changes to VISION MONDAY, PO Box
2024, Skokie, IL 60076-7924. Subscriptions:
One-year rates (US): 1 year, $79. Foreign (Air
Mail): to Canada/ Mexico, $225; all other countries, $332. Two-year rates (US): $143; to
Canada/Mexico, $359; all other countries, $584.
Three-year rates (US): $201; to Canada/Mexico,
$538; all other countries $906. Subscriptions
payable in US dollars. Payment must accompany
order. To subscribe write: VISION MONDAY, PO
Box 2024, Skokie, IL 60076-7924. For customer
service call: (877) 529-1746; Canada and international: (847) 763-9630. Allow 4–6 weeks for
subscription to begin. Canadian international publication permit #0427705.
© 2008 Jobson Medical Information LLC, 100 Ave. of the Americas, NY,
NY 10013-1678. Reproduction without express written consent of
the Publisher is prohibited. Jobson Medical Information
LLC publishes VISION MONDAY and Vision Monday Show Daily.
Notice: Jobson Medical Information LLC does not accept responsibility for
the advertising content of the magazine nor for any claims, actions or losses arising therefrom. Products and services advertised in this publication
are not endorsed by, or in any way connected with, Jobson Medical
Information LLC. We make every effort to report manufacturers’ news accurately, but we do not assume responsibility for the validity of news claims.
EyesWay content is developed, sourced and reported by the editors of
EyesWay, the international news portal. Vision Monday provides that content to its subscribers as part of an exclusive news exchange agreement.
Drive in sales, and drive away with...
FREE gas and a GPS Navigation System
Through July 31, 2008, earn a $50 GAS CARD for every 15
pairs of qualifying SunSensors® Lenses you purchase!
The top redeeming
customer will also earn a
GPS Navigation System.
($500+ value)
• Patented, in-mass photochromic technology.
• Clear indoors, dark outdoors.
• 1.56 mid-index lens is thinner than standard index.
• A density of 1.17 grams/cc makes lens material lighter weight
than polycarbonate.
Call us for more details and start redeeming now!
Kodak and the Kodak trade dress are trademarks of Kodak, used under license by Signet Armorlite, Inc. Corning and SunSensors are registered trademarks of Corning Incorporated, Corning, New York. ©2008 Signet Armorlite, Inc.
10400 NW 33rd St, Ste 150
Miami, FL 33172
Ph 800-432-2202 • 305-593-2304
Fx 866-566-3937
www.nassau247.com
2322 Executive Dr, Ste A
Garland, TX 75041
Ph 800-441-2546 • 972-271-6175
Fx 800-727-3954
www.nassau247.com
165-B Route 3, Orangeburg, NY 10962
Ph 800-668-2411 • Fx 800-311-6682
www.nassau247.com
62
BALANCE SHEET
Buying Group Revenues Give
Emerging Vision Triple-Digit Gain
GARDEN CITY, N.Y.—With
revenues from its two optical
buying groups now representing more than 80 percent of its
total revenues, Sterling Optical
parent Emerging Vision (OTC
BB: ISEE.OB) posted a 118.2
percent increase in revenues in
this year’s first quarter.
According to its 10Q form
filed last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Emerging Vision had revenues of $18.2 million in Q1.
Revenues from its two buying
groups—Combine Buying
Group, acquired in August
2006, and Canada’s The Optical Group, acquired in August
2007—accounted for $14.3 million of that total.
As of March 31, the Combine
group had 856 members, The
Optical Group 525 members.
Sales through Emerging
Vision’s eight company-owned
stores were $1.1 million in the
quarter, down 15.8 percent; comparable-store sales for those units
rose 6.4 percent. Franchise rev-
enues from the 146 franchised
locations were flat at $1.8 million.
Meanwhile, Emerging Vision
board member Harvey Ross
continues to increase his stake
in the company, SEC filings
indicate. So far in May, Ross has
acquired 48,000 more shares in
Emerging Vision, through three
transactions. As of May 15, Ross
owned 9.1 million of the company’s 125.3 million outstanding
common shares, giving him just
over 7 percent of Emerging
Vision’s stock. II
Marcolin Reports Increased Sales
MILAN, Italy—The board of
Marcolin S.p.A [MCL-IT]
reported earlier this week that
the company’s turnover for the
first quarter ended March 31,
2007 reached €56 million euros,
a 4.4 percent increase, or a 7.8
percent increase at constant
exchange rates, compared to €
53.7 million euros in the previ-
ous year’s comparable period.
Net earnings for the period
rose significantly to €4.8 million, compared to €2.4 million
for the Q1 period of 2007.
EBIDTA also rose to €10.8 million compared to €7.9 million in
the prior year.
Massimo Saracchi, managing
director and general manager of
Marcolin, stated, “The Marcolin Group's perfomance for the
first quarter is very positive,
with relevant increase of
turnover and most of all, profit.
Despite the uncertain international economic situation, we
expect for 2008 a return to profitability after three years of negative results.” II
Orange 21/Spy Optic Reports Loss
CARLSBAD, Calif.—Orange
21 [ORNG-NASDAQ], maker
of Spy Optic sunglasses and
goggles, reported losses for the
first quarter ended March 31,
2008, while net sales increased
for the period.
The company said that consolidated net sales increased 23
percent to $11.6 million for the
three month period, compared
to $9.4 million for the comparable period in 2007. Its domestic
net sales represented 75 percent of its sales for the period;
foreign net sales represented 25
percent of sales for the quarter.
The company reported a net
loss of $0.9 million for the first
quarter 2008, which compared
to a net loss of $1.7 million for
the three-month period in 2007.
The company has two wholly-owned subsidiaries incorporated in Italy, which include Spy
Optic S.r.l. and LEM, the company’s primary manufacturer.
In California, Orange 21’s
wholly owned subsidiary is Spy
Optic, Inc. II
DATA POINT
Independents Sell Over Half of Eyeglass
Frame Units in Highest Price Range
Eyeglass Frame Unit Share by Price Point
12ME Dec. ‘07
51%
49%
22%
Up to $99
$100-$149
$150+
Independents* are responsible for over half of eyeglass frame
units sold in the highest price point range ($150+). For the 12
months ending December 2007, independents are responsible for
51 percent of eyeglass frame units sold in the highest price range
($150+). Similarly, independents are responsible for 49 percent
of the eyeglass frame units sold in the middle price range ($100$149) in the 12 months ending December 2007.
* Jobson defines independents as retailers with 1, 2, or 3 locations.
Prices are retail for frames only.
Source: VisionWatch, a study conducted by Jobson/The Vision Council.
Total Annual VisionWatch Sample Size: 100,000 consumer respondents per year (US Adults 18+)
* All data is for the 12 ME (months ending) December 2007.
BY THE NUMBERS The latest figures
18%
30%
35%
42%
Of those not using any form of vision 30 percent of all adult males in the U.S.
correction even though it is needed, 18 (18+) who bought prescription lenses
percent stated ‘Don’t like the idea of in the last 6 months said they bought
bifocal/trifocal lenses.
wearing glasses’ as the reason.
Percent who said their eye doctor rec- Of those who have ever bought preommends replacing their contact lenses scription eyeglasses and wear prescripevery 2 weeks. However, only 22 percent tion eyeglasses themselves, 42% said
of respondents said they actually replace they purchase a new pair of prescriptheir contact lenses every 2 weeks. tion eyeglasses about every 2 years.
Source: VisionWatch, a study conducted by Jobson/The Vision Council.
Total Annual VisionWatch Sample Size: 100,000 consumer respondents per year (US Adults 18+)
* All data is for the 12 ME (months ending) December 2007. Contact Lens data is for the 3ME
December 2007.
1-866-393-3374
email: [email protected]

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