in my house, Alexa tells us the weather report, plays our music of choice, orders refills of laundry detergent from Amazon, and even turns our living area lights on and off with a voice command. Roomba expertly vacuums the floors at the push of a button, the Nest controls our heat (even remotely via an app), and a Nest outdoor camera views front yard activity—which earned us a covetable video last month of one large Rocky Mountain black bear knocking over our trash can (which is locked and bear-proof, of course).

Please know that not one of these high-tech wonders was purchased or installed by yours truly. They are all thanks to my husband, who is a professional software engineer in the EV (electric vehicle) industry. New tech? He craves it to help make life easier and more seamless. And, I am more than happy to be the beneficiary of the tech support in our household.

From Nests and Amazon Alexas and wearable fitness trackers to 3D-printed frames, “smart” eyewear, and eyewear-mounted cameras, the future truly is now. Are you—and your patients—embracing it? For your customers, all signs point to yes. In fact, 57% of people are excited about wearable tech in everyday life, up from 41% in 2014, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

To help your business get an edge with today’s tech, in this issue we reveal a stunning roundup of today’s high-tech eyewear manufactured with the most innovative processes and materials (page 46).

We also deliver an expert ECP-generated guide (page 54) to selling high-tech frames and lenses in your eyecare business, including 10 primo tips you’ll want to see. And, there’s much more—from spectacle lens innovators outlining the bleeding-edge tech on the horizon (page 58) to store design firms sharing their computer-generated opticals of the future (page 40).

We hope you enjoy this unique, innovation-inspired issue of EB!

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