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Hot List: August 2013

1 digital damage

Alicia Hoglund

As the school year approaches, young patients are at an increased risk for computer vision syndrome (CVS). To help prevent CVS, VSP offers the following time limits per day for computer use by age.

2 Social Butterflies

According to a recent survey by McAfee, most 10- to 12-year-old tweens in the United States have at least one social media account.

4 SPENDING SHIFTS

Piper Jaffray’s 25th semi-annual “Taking Stock with Teens” report revealed that teens are changing their shopping behaviors. This shift will likely reshape the way brands and marketers target this particular demographic.

79%
of females and 76% of males shop online

18%
of their total spending is online

“Think” Goes Live

On July 22, Think About Your Eyes, LLC (TAYE), a nonprofit organization under The Vision Council umbrella, debuted a national consumer campaign designed to educate the public about the benefits of vision health and the importance of getting an annual comprehensive eye exam. The campaign, which includes TV, radio, print, and online advertising, as well as consumer engagement through social media, is estimated to reach 120 million consumers with messages focusing on eye disease, eye strain, kids’ vision, and the positive impact of regular eye exams on overall health.

ECPs who join the initiative are listed on the official campaign website’s doctor locator and have an option to receive greater exposure by sponsoring advertising featuring their practices. ECPs interested in becoming an official TAYE partner can visit thinkaboutyoureyes.com or email dplogmann@thinkaboutyoureyes.com.

Lab Technology on Display

Optical lab equipment manufacturer Satisloh hosted members of the optical lab and technology communities during its biennial SLUGfest. Held June 19 to 22 in Milwaukee, WI, the event for the Satisloh Users Group (SLUG) unveiled new products and presented hours of seminars on maximizing manufacturing efficiency and excellence.

Larry Clarke, president of Satisloh, showed off several new offerings from the company, including a complete auto lab design with a MobilEyes robotic vehicle, the 1200 MPX AR box coater, a digital generator and coolant system, and a Complex Finishing Module, as well as the newest generation of the OBM VFT-Micro-Line (designed for small labs or large retail in-house systems).

Keynote speaker Ron Kaufmann spoke about “Winning with Uplifting Service,” and a panel discussion tackled sustainable and environmentally friendly optical manufacturing techniques. In addition, manufacturing expert Paul Clipp led “lean manufacturing” workshops.

1. Satisloh president Larry Clarke kicks off the event with an introduction of the new technologies; 2. (l to r) Michael Vitale of The Vision Council, Steve Ferri of Carl Zeiss Vision, Scott Pickering of WalMart Optical, Roger Atwood of Essilor of America, Paul Ponder of Maui Jim Rx Sunglasses, and Phil Bazell of Bazell Technology participate in a panel discussion on green optical manufacturing processes; 3. A display of the Micro Line lab; 4. Attendees enjoy some down time with remote control car racing; 5. Kyle Crawford has some fun with the MobilEyes self-guided vehicle

Clockwise: Hoya’s children’s vision panelists and sponsor, l to r: Greg Hicks, OD, Elizabeth Christensen, OD, Ann-Marie Lahr, OD, Glen Steele, OD, Paul Alan Harris, OD, and Barney Dougher, Hoya; At the Optometry Cares 5k, (l to r) Cherly Archer, OD, Mike Daly, The Vision Council, and Rebecca Hildrebrand and Denny Holter, AOA Foundation; opening ribbon cutting; Steve Baker of Eyefinity toasts a partnership with Modernizing Medicine, Inc.

AOA Holds Optometry’s Meeting

The American Optometric Association’s (AOA) Optometry’s Meeting hit the shores of San Diego with a program loaded with events for optometrists, optometry students, and optometric staff. The event kicked off with an Essilor-sponsored keynote address led by Jose (J.R.) Martinez, a soldier who was deployed to Iraq, hit a land-mine, and spent 34 months in recovery undergoing 33 different surgeries.

During the meeting, the AOA House of Delegates met to discuss and vote on AOA business matters, and heard the inauguration speech of new president, Mitchell T. Munson, OD, from Colorado.

At the opening general session, the AOA’s annual award winners were recognized including: Thomas L. Lewis, OD, PhD, Distinguished Service award; Neil Draisin, OD, Optometrist of the Year award; Sandra Fortenberry, OD, Young Optometrist of the Year award; Michael J. Earley, OD, PhD, Optometric Educator award; Sen. Tom Harkin, Apollo award; and Amy Godeaux, CPOT, Paraoptometric of the Year award.

Other highlights of the event included education sessions, the Varilux Optometry Student Bowl, and a Celebration of Optometry on the USS Midway.

INFO: optometrysmeeting.org

Planting a Forest: ZEAL Optics Partners with American Forests for Project 5480 1. To announce the launch of Project 5480, ZEAL held a special media event in the forest in the mountains above its Boulder office; 2. Editors and writers enjoy a farm-to-table dinner cooked by Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg; 3. ZEAL president John Sanchez explains the project and the company’s commitment to the environment to attendees; 4. ZEAL’s director of marketing Joe Prebich; 5. Customized place settings add to the ambiance

In a move dear to its eco-conscious heart, Boulder, CO-based ZEAL Optics has announced a partnership with American Forests, the country’s oldest national nonprofit conservation organization, to plant 5,480 trees (a number equivalent to ZEAL headquarters’ elevation) across the nation in 2013. Deemed Project 5480, this effort will help promote the reforestation of the outdoor areas that are core to this sports performance sunglass maker’s business.

“We are excited to plant a ZEAL forest!” says ZEAL Optics president John Sanchez. “We believe in doing our part so that the images of the forests we put in our ads, catalogs, and our marketing materials are around for generations to come. Someday, I want to walk our customers, friends, and my family through these forests that we helped to grow.”

How does Project 5480 fall in step with the core values at ZEAL Optics? The project is part of ZEAL’s GROUNDED initiative, which summarizes the company’s desire to be ecologically and socially responsible. In addition to offering a sunglass collection with every frame made of plant-based Z-Resin plus the groundbreaking plant-based e-llume lens, ZEAL says it strives to make a strong commitment to sustainability.

“GROUNDED is a program that is part of the foundation of our company; Project 5480 is a by-product of the ZEAL GROUNDED initiative,” adds Sanchez. “We want to raise awareness of the beetle kill issue that’s destroying our forest and backyard in Colorado. We will plant 5,480 trees annually as our commitment to reforestation and take small but deep-rooted steps toward doing our part.”

Here, EB checks in with Sanchez to learn more specifics about Project 5480.

EB: How will you plant 5,480 trees?

Sanchez: ZEAL has partnered with American Forests, and we will work with them to choose a location that needs it the most. In addition, our ZEAL consumers, employees, retail partners, athletes, and sales reps will all be a physical part of the reforestation effort because we want to be a hands-on partner.

EB: What is the long-term goal with this project? Will there be a ZEAL forest one day?

Sanchez: Yes, there will multiple ZEAL forests in various countries. The long-term goal is to raise awareness on the importance of reforestation, to plant trees, and build forests that we can bring our children, friends, and customers to one day for picnics, hikes, bike rides, and more.

EB: How will you spread the word?

Sanchez: We call this Project 5480, and the proceeds from our product sales will help fund the program. ZEAL will continue to market the brand and to do our best to be the most ecological and socially responsible optics company in the market. This initiative is deep rooted in our principles. We want our partners to spread our brand DNA through their own experiences with our initiatives.

EB: What is the marketing/business-building value of this project?

Sanchez: What we want is to build sunglasses and ski goggles that enhance outdoor experiences. That can’t happen if we don’t do our part to rebuild the playing field where these experiences take place. We share our vision with others and the message is simple.

There are plenty of branded eyewear options out there. When retailers partner with ZEAL, they’re helping build a brand, a forest, an adventure day for underprivileged youth, a spa day for a cancer patient, and more. Our social and ecological initiatives will keep us deep rooted, humble, and “grounded.”

— Erinn Morgan

PBA presents Second Focus on Eye Health National Summit Prevent Blindness America (PBA) held its second Focus on Eye Health: A National Summit recently in Washington, D.C. Representatives from academia, non-profit, government, manufacturing, and clinical sides of the optical world gathered to discuss the major issues impacting vision in the United States. The centerpiece of the day was the release of “Cost of Vision Problems: The Economic Burden of Vision Loss and Eye Disorders in the United States,” a report commissioned by Prevent Blindness America from researchers at the University of Chicago. Presented by John Wittenborn from the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, the report features cost breakdowns by state and age and, for the first time, data directly related to vision disorders across the age spectrum. Also included are statistics on the costs of eye disorders and vision loss to government, private insurance, and individuals (patients and families). “The new report estimates the annual economic burden related to vision loss and eye disorders in this country to be $139 billion—double earlier estimates,” event organizers note. Other presentations provided analyses of vision benefits for children under the Affordable Care Act, low vision rehabilitation, women’s eye health, and vision surveillance in the U.S. The Summit also included a trio of breakout sessions for attendees: “A Systems Approach for Vision Health,” “Vision Data You Can Use,” and “Burden of Vision Problems.” To download the paper on The Economic Burden of Vision Loss and Eye Disorders (see story on p. 60): costofvision.preventblindness.org. 1. Joe Touschner, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, speaks on the Affordable Care Act; 2. PBA’s second annual Focus on Eye Health Summit provided information on vision health issues; 3. Michael Fischer, OD, led the discussion on “Low Vision Rehabilitation Services: Challenges with Access to Care”; 4-5. (l-r) Speakers Howard B. Purcell, OD, FAAO, Dipl., of Essilor of America, and John Wittenborn, a NORC research scientist, address attendees at the “Burden of Vision Problems” breakout session

Schneider Expands Through Acquisition

Schneider GmbH & Co. KG, parent company of Schneider Optical Machines, has acquired optical equipment manufacturer Team Henrich & Krall GmbH (Team H&K), putting the company in a strategic position for growth.

(l to r) Dieter Henrich of Team H&K, Wolfgang Fischer of Schneider, Jürgen Krall of Team H&K, and Schneider’s Gunter Schneider

Team H&K was founded in 1992 and is a well-known manufacturer of optical equipment, particularly in the European market. It has created highly acclaimed automated solutions for deblocking, cleaning, and tinting. The acquisition expands Schneider’s product range as a full-solution provider. Each step in ophthalmic processing, beginning with order entry, followed by lab management, surfacing, cleaning, as well as coating and edging, can now be performed on Schneider equipment.

Though Team H&K is now a member of the Schneider group, the overall structure remains intact, and existing customers continue to be fully supported.

Cool Clicks

Coburn Technologies has launched a new online storefront for selling lab consumable products and spare parts in the U.S. Shopcoburn.com, built in conjunction with Coburn’s new Lab Works group, features a more streamlined catalog directory, allowing visitors to find products and parts quicker and easier, a larger selection of products, easy payment options, faster registration, and more.

Luxottica’s B2B website, my.luxottica.com, features enhanced product images and 360-degree views of the company’s most popular models that create a dynamic shopping experience, as well as best seller lists, and real-time order tracking.

Augen Optics’ EasyForm Digital Free Form Processing System website, easyformequipment.com, has gotten a makeover. The new design includes improved visual presentation and content delivery, providing easy access to product information, images, and demonstration videos.

On the Town

1-2. (l to r) Actresses Anna Kendrick, Emmy Rossum, and Zosia Mamet, and the night’s honorees Julie Weiss and Jeannine Oppewall attend Luxottica’s Persol Magnificent Obsessions: 30 Stories of Craftsmanship in Film, the third and final installment in a series of exhibitions uncovering the obsessive workmanship within filmmaking, held at the MMI on July 10 in New York City; 3. Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” Bart Vandaele and Master Beer Sommelier Marc Stroobandt wearing Peahi from Maui Jim during a cooking demonstration at the 31st Annual FOOD & Wine Classic in Aspen, CO, where Maui Jim unveiled its latest sunglass styles and lens technologies; 4. Team Maui Jim in Times Square with The Flying Jimmy on July 5, at an event offering visitors the chance to experience the benefits of the company’s eye protection and a sneak peek at the season’s newest sunglass styles for sports and fashion; 5-6. (l to r) Celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch, super model Chanel Iman, and celebrity stylist and fashion personality Robert Verdi were three of many high-profile attendees of Safilo’s annual Summer Solstice Soiree, held on June 19 at the Flatiron Solstice Sunglass store in New York City

Chain Link:

Pearle Vision Expansion Plans

Pearle Vision has announced that it has re-licensed 13 of its neighborhood eyecare centers from company-owned to licensees. Of the 13, four are new licensees in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Minnesota, and eight are existing licensees expanding their ownership by licensing additional centers in Texas, New Jersey, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, and Puerto Rico.

Pearle Vision is seeking to further grow its national footprint. In addition to its aggressive re-licensing effort in the U.S., the company is looking for optometrists interested in licensing opportunities.

Optometrists interested in exploring relicensing or new development opportunities should contact 1-800-PEARLE-1 or visit pearlefranchise.com.

Star Gazers

1. Mason Disick, son of reality star Kourtney Kardashian, in Babiators Black Ops Black sunglasses while strolling with his father, Scott Disick; 2. Actress Katie Holmes, out for a stroll with daughter Suri, wearing Salvatore Ferragamo sun style SF622SL by Marchon; 3. “Pitch Perfect” star Anna Kendrick in Coach style Kylie HC 7042 by Luxottica; 4. Singer Nick Jonas in GANT style GRS Floyd sunglasses by Viva Group International

Word Search

By Jenean Carlton, BA, ABOC, NCLC

This word search includes terms related to optical frame materials. For answers, go to FYI on page 82.