EDITOR’S LETTER

EB Turns 30

where were you in 1986? I was in my first year of college in Philadelphia. And, 30 years ago, Eyecare Business—then based in Norwalk, CT—had just debuted to the market and was making big waves in its inaugural year. With the tagline “The Magazine for Professional Dispensing,” EB was well positioned even back then to deliver upon our current mission—to provide eyecare professionals with the very best, most cutting-edge information to excel in their business.

Our number-one mission to serve you has always been the same, even if the topics (and the pricepoints) we cover have changed. Our February 1986 issue (shown) is a distinct sign of the times—with a truly ‘80s look, the main feature delves into the strength of the “$20-plus sunwear market.”

EB’s second issue, February 1986

Another main article is titled “Foiling the Fear of Computers.” A quote from the feature:

“In a profession like ophthalmics, rife with an alphabet soup of O.D.s, O.S.s, P.D.s, RLXs, and CR-39s, it seems nonsensical that small machines called PCs boasting RAMs, ROMs, and CPUs would be that much of a challenge. But, for many thousands of practitioners, the computer is a feared form of modern-day technology from which they would prefer to stay miles away.”

How times have changed in a mere 30 years.

This year, we celebrate 30 years of excellence in publishing a magazine that has always placed a high value on integrity and information-packed, highly usable content. Hats off to our editorial director emeritus Steph De Long for filling EB with stellar content for 25 years.

We are looking ahead to the next 30 years—and you’ll see some noticeable changes in our look and feel this year, starting immediately. We aim to continue EB’s editorial legacy, all while bringing more fashion, more fun, more modern content, and more interaction with you, our readers, to the table. We also bid a fond farewell to our cover wrap to place our own compelling covers front and center each month.

In 2016, we are also thrilled to announce that our parent company, PentaVision Media, has made a commitment to support the Optical Women’s Association (OWA) with a Gold Level Sponsorship. The work being done by the OWA to support women in the optical industry is stellar—and couldn’t come at a better time, when women optometrists are entering the industry at a rate faster than ever.

Wishing you a healthy and prosperous new year,

Erinn Morgan
Editor-in-Chief + Editorial Director
Eyecare Business