EDITOR’S LETTER

What Does the Future Hold?

that’s the billion-dollar question, of course.

In this issue, we try to help answer that question as it specifically relates to eyewear and eyecare. Our goal—to give you insight into what’s to come, including a number of really big business opportunities.

The Future of Eyewear + Eyecare. We channeled the proverbial crystal ball by checking in with a wealth of our industry’s thought leaders, including major eyewear retailers (online and brick-and-mortar), The Vision Council’s CEO Mike Daley, respected eyewear designers, blue light experts, plus lens and lab visionaries.

Their predictions on what the next 10 years holds for eyewear and eyecare are compelling—and sometimes surprising. Get their view to the future starting on page 50.

The Future of Style. Starting on page 44, we curate a selection of specs with today’s most enticing new tech, from gorgeous, tech-fueled design to the very latest in 3D printing and über-lightweight materials.

The Future of Fit. Multiculturalism and personalization are two key trends driving product design and retailing today, a direction that is helping fuel the boom of Asian Fit and Global Fit eyewear. Learn how ECPs are filling a distinct need and boosting their business at the same time, starting on page 54.

The Future of Lenses. On page 60, EB’s editorial director emeritus, Steph De Long, steps behind the curtain to chronicle the birth of a lens, unveiling an insider look at how futuristic lens ideas grow from raw concept to a final product with vision.

We hope you find this issue entirely useful (and entertaining) for your planning for the future, both near and far out. “Ike” Eisenhower—the 34th U.S. president and a five-star general—once offered sage advice: “Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.”

Please also check out EB on social media this month (Instagram @EyecareBusinessMagazine) for more future-focused intel and entertainment—including a sneak peak of our big September issue fashion shoot streaming live on Periscope (@EyecareBusinessMag).

EB turns 30 this year! Do you remember this cover from 1997?

Wishing you a prosperous and healthy future,

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