April 16, 2020 — Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies in the industry and beyond are sharing their efforts to help eyecare professionals, and the public, weather these turbulent times.
Here, we share a roundup of some recent initiatives:

• Family-owned companies Moscot and Cherry Optical Lab have teamed up to provide health care workers with Moscot frames that are fitted with clear lenses, designed to help reduce exposure to airborne particles or fluid-borne pathogens from patients. Moscot has pledged more than $1.5 million worth of glasses (nearly 5,000 pairs) to the initiative.  

• The New England College of Optometry (NECO) has partnered with EyeCareLive to offer a telehealth program for specialty service and urgent eyecare visits. NECO doctors use telephones, video conferencing, and the EyeCareLive Platform to conduct urgent evaluations, vision therapy, low vision rehabilitation, and other essential consultations. Above, Anita Gulmiri, O.D., FAAO, completes a contact lens visiting using NECO’s telehealth system.
• The NRF Foundation, the educational arm of the National Retail Federation, is offering its introductory RISE Up course for free. The course is designed to train individuals with the foundational skills needed to secure jobs in retail and beyond.

• OneSight has launched a free online vision check tool, designed for parents to use with their children. “As more children and families are required to stay at home longer and adapt to new learning environments, we realized that we can provide an important service that will benefit children long after this extraordinary period in time,” says K-T Overbey, president and executive director at OneSight.
• Safilo shared its initiatives for continued support of its customers and the public. In addition to its recent customer service seminars, orders can be made 24/7 via its B2B website, or via the customer service center (800-631-1188), open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST. Also, Smith from Safilo recently announced its participation in the Goggles For Docs program. In order to protect the sustainability of the organization during this time and to prepare for reopening, Safilo announced salary reductions and/or furloughs for salaried and hourly employees.

• Shamir announced its #VisionFIRST program to provide complimentary prescription lens designs for safety eyewear or other lens types to health care workers and first responders. #VisionFIRST is expected to contribute thousands of pairs of complimentary eyewear with Shamir digital designs. “Our hope is to collaborate with as many Shamir Optical Lab partners as possible, increasing the opportunity to provide enhanced vision for those holding the front-line," says Raanan Naftalovich, CEO.
• Practices participating in VSP Global’s Premier Program will keep their current status and benefits through the end of 2020, with the program criteria check-in being waived. To further support private practice, all VSP network practices now have access to Premier Academy360’s library of education and training resources, which now offers new webinars designed specifically for today’s climate amid COVID-19. The company also offers a COVID-19 resource kit.

• Zeiss has launched educational content via a multi‐week webinar series of more than 50 live sessions through the end of April as well as six free online CE courses. The company also launched its first-ever virtual Vision Expo, providing users with 360-degree views of its expo space and new offerings. Additionally, Zeiss shared that its microscopes and semiconductor technologies are playing a vital role in the global efforts to find a COVID‐19 vaccine.

For former company initiative roundups, head to EB’s COVID-19 resource hub.