Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project Post-Election Survey revealed that as of December 2012, 67 percent of adults in the U.S. use social networking sites. The most-used sites include the following:
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are roughly 315 million people living in the U.S. Between births, deaths, and immigrations, the U.S. will gain a new resident every 17 seconds this year.
3 THE DANGER ZONE
The Vision Council’s “The Big Picture: Eye Protection is Always in Season” report revealed that nearly half (40 percent) of adults in the U.S. do not protect their eyes from harmful UV rays by wearing sunglasses while outside.
4 SURFING THE WEB
Internet World Stats reports that at mid-year 2012, there were more than 245 million Internet users in the U.S. In other words, 78.1 percent of Americans are online.
SPY, Match Aid Tornado Victims
The optical industry has come to the aid of victims of the tornado that touched down in Moore, OK, on May 20, 2013. The natural disaster destroyed thousands of homes and created approximately $2 billion in damages.
To help raise funds, SPY donated $30 from every sunglass sale on its website over the Memorial Day Weekend. The funds went directly to the Moore Community Center in its efforts to provide aid and shelter to victims of the tornado.
Match Eyewear teamed up with Vision Source and members of the optical community to provide eyecare to victims of the tornado. Spearheaded by Taylor Oliphant of Advanced Family Eyecare in Oklahoma City, a Vision Source practice, many doctors volunteered their services, providing free trauma treatment, eye exams, medications, lenses, and frames to those affected by the tornado. In addition, donations of equipment, medicine, protective goggles, lenses, and frames were sent from all over the U.S. to Graceway Community Baptist Church in Moore.
Safilo Group Initiates CEO Succession Plan
Safilo Group’s Board of Directors recently announced its plan to appoint non-executive board member Luisa D. Delgado as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Safilo Group and Safilo Spa on Oct. 15, 2013.
Delgado is a member
of the global executive board and chief human resources officer of SAP AG and a non-executive director at INGKA/IKEA. Before joining SAP, she spent 21 years at Procter & Gamble, finishing out her tenure as vice president and CEO for the Nordic region.
Delgado will replace current CEO Roberto Vedovotto, who has held the position since January 2009. Vedovotto will hand over his CEO responsibilities of Safilo Group and Safilo Spa to Delgado, and will maintain his position on the board of directors as a non executive.
On The Town
Transitions Optical, Inc., continued its Official Sponsor of Sightseeing campaign (OSS) at the Country Music Association (CMA) Music Festival in Nashville. The event, held June 6-9, attracted nearly 80,000 country music lovers a day to Music City and the Transitions Performance Park, which featured live music and the chance to learn about and experience Transitions lenses. Working with OSS celebrity ambassador and musician Darius Rucker and Visionworks, Transitions hosted a variety of consumer education efforts, community outreach, and charity fundraisers throughout the week.
Essilor of America gifted luxury sunwear outfitted with Xperio UV superior lenses to top celebrities, VIPs, and entertainment media during GBK Production’s Luxury Gift Lounge, held May 17-20 at Villa Madrid in conjunction with the 66th Annual Cannes International Film Festival.
1. Jean Sabre, a member of the Transitions Pro Forum, poses at the Transitions booth; 2. Pro Forum members get into the Nashville groove at the Transitions booth; 3-4. Actor David Hasselhoff and “Unstoppable” actress Carly Steel wearing Essilor Xperio lenses at GBK Production’s Luxury Gift Lounge; 5. (L-r) Transitions’ Brian Hauser, Tim Fortner, Sherianne James, and Dave Cole at Transitions Performance Park for the Country Music Association Music Festival
Spring Conference a Success
Following their merger announcement last October, The Vision Council and the European Sunglass Association co-hosted a meeting for members on May 23-24 at the Praia D’El Rey Marriott Golf & Beach Resort in Portugal. The event featured several sessions designed to help industry executives expand their businesses in a global marketplace, including two panel discussions on new and emerging retail trends in optical and the current Rx sunwear market. Attendees also participated in interactive breakouts focused on market data and statistics, European and American regulatory issues, and the latest in product design. Post-conference resources can be found at thevisioncouncil.org/esa.
1. Francesco Pellegrini, president of the ESA, welcomes everyone to the meeting; 2. Donna Power leads the Optometry Giving Sight presentation; 3. Attendees receive an optical market update from The Vision Council’s Shawn Shafer; 4. Attendees enjoy the Reception and Gala Dinner; 5. The event provided many networking opportunities
PECAA Holds Annual Meeting
1. PECAA’s Doug Martin presents to PECAA Regional Leaders; 2. (L to r) PECAA members Jeremy Beam, OD, and Lonnie Ness, OD, with PECAA vendor partner and guest speaker, Scott Jens, OD, FAOO, CEO of RevolutionEHR
Professional Eye Care Associates of America (PECAA) held its annual meeting May 17 to 19 at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA. Attended by member doctors and vendor partners, the three-day event featured business-focused education topics including Health Care Reform: The Reality Sets In, Patient Communication Enhancements Within Meaningful Use, Living in a Digital World, Building Your Medical Practice, and Improving Your Practice’s Financial Performance.
INFO: pecaa.com
License Lineup
Marchon and Fendi will not renew their existing licensing agreement, which expires at the end of this year, with a six-month sell-off period. Marchon will honor existing Fendi eyewear consumer warranties.
Safilo Group has inked an early renewal of its licensing agreement for the design, manufacture, and worldwide distribution of Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs branded optical frames and sunglasses collection through Dec. 31, 2024.
In similar news, the company has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Fendi for the design, production, and worldwide distribution of Fendi eyewear and sunwear, beginning Jan. 1, 2014.
HOYA PARTNERS WITH PAWS N CLAWS
Paws N Claws-branded eyewear will be made available to independent ECPs through an exclusive agreement between Eyewear Inventions, LLC, Eye Deals Eyewear, and HOYA Vision Care, North America. ECPs will be able to purchase frame kits and use an online catalog to showcase the collections.
Eye Deals will donate five percent of net sales to the ASPCA for every sale of Paws N Claws Eyewear. In addition, HOYA has pledged to donate three dollars for every Paws N Claws job produced within the company’s lab network.
INFO: pawsnclawseyewear.com, hoyavision.com
Silmo Returns this September
Scheduled for September 26 to 29 at Paris-Nord Villepinte in Paris, Silmo 2013 will showcase the latest news, fashions, and products from the optical industry. The 80,000 square-meter show floor will host more than 950 exhibitors from around the globe representing 1,350 brands presenting new collections, brand launches, and showcasing their innovations and designs via the Trends Forum. Attendees can enhance their knowledge and improve their professional practice with the SILMO ACADEMY, which includes Technical workshops as well as a Lab Tech and Merchandising workshop.
For more information about the show, or to register, visit en.silmoparis.com
The Vision Council to Host Town Hall Meeting
The Vision Council will kick off a series of regional Town Hall meetings for members this month. At the first meeting, to be held in New York City on July 24, attendees will learn about critical changes within the industry and gain insights into key member benefits, programs, and services under five areas of interest—government and regulatory affairs, sales and marketing, technical standards, market research, and networking. In addition, The Vision Council and Dean Browell, PhD, executive vice president of Feedback, will discuss the social and digital behaviors of consumers of eyewear and eyecare. The event will be followed up with a complimentary happy hour.
The event is open to all Vision Council members and there is no cost. For more information, or to RSVP, visit thevisioncouncil.org/townhall.
Register Now for VEW
Registration is now open for the 2013 International Vision Expo West. The four-day event, which will be held October 2 to 5 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, will showcase the latest innovations in frames, lenses, equipment, and accessories under one roof. In addition, attendees will have access to more than 300 hours of continuing education, networking opportunities, parties, and more. Check out the August issue of EB for an in-depth preview of the products and specials that will debut at the upcoming show.
INFO: visionexpowest.com
Star Gazers
1. “Glee” star Chord Overstreet looking casual and cool in GUESS style GUP 1010M sunglasses by Viva Group International; 2. George Clooney smiles for fans while wearing John Varvatos style V782 sunglasses by REM Eyewear; 3. Model and actress Cara Delevingne looks chic in Roberto Cavalli style RC749S sunwear by Marcolin; 4. Actor and singer Jared Leto strolls the streets of Paris wearing BOSS style 0477S shades by Safilo
Great Glasses Play Day
Great Glasses Play Day, set for August 4, celebrates children who wear glasses and raises awareness of early childhood vision health. The event includes parent-organized meetups online and in parks and playgrounds across the country. It was co-founded by Ann Zawistoski of Little Four Eyes, an online community for parents of kids with glasses, and Kristin Ellsworth of Peeps Eyewear.
This year, 23 cities are participating. Supporters include the American Optometric Association, the Children’s Eye Foundation, and Prevent Blindness Wisconsin, as well as many independent optical retailers. Eyecare professionals may sponsor an event, host a gettogether, or sponsor a children’s vision-related event on or leading up to the GGPD date. Information and resources, including printable flyers, are available online at greatglassesplayday.com/get-involved.
Cool Clicks
Essilor of America has launched a new online newsroom, news.essilorusa.com. Designed to keep ECPs up on the latest industry news and information, the site features timely stories on a variety of topics, including the latest eyewear innovation, tips for UV protection, as well as educational information.
Adlens has announced the launch of its online sales channel. For the first time, in addition to purchasing Adlens eyewear in stores, U.S. consumers can now purchase John Lennon, Hemisphere, and Emergensee collections direct from Adlens at shop.adlens.com.
Virtual Conference
CEing is Believing 2013 virtual conference will be held July 17 to 18 from 2 to 9 p.m. EST. The online event offers attendees more than 20 hours of COPE-approved continuing education outlining the latest developments in treatment, diagnosis, products, and services to improve the clinical aspects of your practice.
At the conference, ClearVision Optical will launch a new, innovative video, “The ClearVision Experience,” which will provide an in-depth look into how ClearVision works with its customers and showcases their approach to customer service and team work.
For more info, or to register, visit ceib2013.com.
Word Search
By Jenean Carlton, BA, ABOC, NCLC
This word search includes terms related to an optical laboratory. For answers, go to FYI on page 90.
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