Optical on Main Street

Distinct Viewpoints Characterize Each of the 2019 OPTImum Independent Retailers

By Staff
Wednesday, March 27, 2019 12:43 PM NEW YORK—Vision Expo once again celebrated independent boutique retailers, by allowing them to showcase their products, stores, visions and stories to the optical industry. Dozens of retailers submitted entries but the group was narrowed down to five finalists. Announced at last week's Vision Expo East, it was Edward Beiner, based in South Miami, Fla. who was selected as the 2019 OPTImum Retail Award winner. But even as Beiner accepted his honor and acknowledged in his remarks, each of the other finalists represent very distinct visions of curated collections, special store environments and unique messaging to consumers with a high dose of personal expertise and service that are hard to match.

Professional VisionCare Helps Community ‘Band Together’ to Give Back

By Gwendolyn Plummer
Wednesday, March 13, 2019 1:05 PM LEWIS CENTER, Ohio—For the team at Professional VisionCare, getting involved with the local community is written in their DNA. It’s something every employee carries close to their heart, as well as something this independent practice’s management is wholly committed to. Professional VisionCare is an independent practice in Ohio with four locations. Practice director Raquel Miller explained that, each year, they virtually survey all staff, crowdsourcing ideas for local involvement events that “serve our community.” This allows Professional VisionCare staff to give a platform to causes close to their heart, and gives the whole practice a multitude of causes to choose from for their major events each year.

February Is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month

By Stephanie Sengwe
Thursday, February 14, 2019 3:31 PM With Valentine’s Day right in the middle of the month, February is, of course, known as the month of love and while there’s sure to be a perfect pair of frames for your loved one at your local eyecare practice, many practitioners are creating awareness for a different cause on social media. This month, ECPs are urging patients to show their eyes a little more love by drawing attention to the fact that February is age-related macular degeneration (AMD) awareness month.

Ringing in the New Year With a Little Nostalgia

By Stephanie Sengwe
Friday, January 4, 2019 3:57 PM The end of the year always seems to bring an atmosphere of reflection with it. We tend to look back on what we could have done better, what we wish we would have done and above all what we’ve learned and how those lessons can usher us into the coming year. On social media, people use the end of the year as an opportunity to connect a bit more by sharing personal anecdotes. From sharing highlights and regrets from the past year, New Year’s resolutions and even baby announcements, the New Year gives people reason to get a bit more nostalgic and sentimental on social media than usual.

ECPs Promote Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month

By Stephanie Sengwe

Friday, November 16, 2018 11:47 AM November is Diabetes Eye Health Month and according to a recent Prevent Blindness study, Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems, more than 8.1 million Americans suffer from diabetic retinopathy. This projected total will increase to 10.9 million by 2032, and 13.2 million by 2050, the study said. Diabetic retinopathy patients are on average of 66 years old, which is the youngest of all the leading eye diseases including cataracts, glaucoma and age related macular degeneration.

Nicole Nguyen’s ‘Eye Scribbles’—a Therapeutic Hobby That Turned Into a Business

By Stephanie Sengwe
Monday, November 12, 2018 12:30 AM Chantilly, Va.—Nicole Nguyen, OD, has been a fulltime practitioner in the northern Virginia area for a little over a year now and her time as a full-time optometrist at MyEyeDr. in Chantilly, Va. inspired her to create Eye Scribbles, an Etsy shop that features eye-related artwork tailored for fellow doctors and lovers of all things eyewear.

The Expo Experience

By Stephanie Sengwe

Friday, September 28, 2018 5:40 PM LAS VEGAS—As Vision Expo West begins to wind down, it’s been a jam-packed four days with a full list of activities that kept attendees busy. From new collections, celebrity appearances on the show floor and of course, a slew of parties planned for the nighttime, this year’s Vision Expo West can only be better than years past. Prior to the opening of the show, VMail Weekend asked a few people to speak about the various parts of Expo they were looking forward to the most. Read what they had to say.

Westward Bound: Optical Industry Preps for Vision Expo West

By Staff

Friday, September 21, 2018 2:55 PM NEW YORK—Vision Expo West 2018 is merely days away and as the excitement keeps building, people have taken to social media to showcase their enthusiasm. There are a lot of new offerings at this year’s show—the expanded education programming; The Block, an extension of the Galleria featuring celebrity-influenced and independently designed urban eyewear; and 30-year anniversary celebrations including the Vision Expo Opening Night Party held for the first time at the Brooklyn Bowl and the exclusive OptiCon @ Vision Expo Party at Public House. Attendees will have plenty of opportunities to network and party, in addition to checking out new collections. Here is a small compilation of posts counting down to Vegas.


ECPs Take to Social Media as Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month Gets Underway

By Staff

Friday, September 7, 2018 1:53 PM NEW YORK—Prevent Blindness and Liberty Sport are once again partnering for the annual “September is Sports Eye Injury Prevention Awareness Month,” program. According to Prevent Blindness—which has declared September as Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month in an effort to help educate the public on the need to protect vision while playing sports activities—more than 33,000 Americans were treated for sports-related eye injuries in 2017.

Optical Industry Observes August as National Eye Exam Month

By Stephanie Sengwe
Thursday, August 16, 2018 4:14 PM As children gear up to go back to school this month, the optical industry is promoting the importance of going for an annual eye exam by observing August as National Eye Exam Month. As VMail previously reported, National Vision Holding Inc. is among a number of companies in the optical industry that are joining the recognition of August as National Eye Exam Month, Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month, and Children’s Vision and Learning Month. Reade Fahs, chief executive officer of National Vision Holdings Inc. said that as kids and teens get ready to head back to school, “ensuring their vision is in top shape can help them not only see the blackboard more clearly, but we know that it can also have a positive impact on self-esteem, behavior and social interactions.”

Colleen Brondo Is The Crafty Optician

By Stephanie Sengwe
Thursday, August 2, 2018 12:56 PM SUSSEX COUNTY, N.J.—Colleen Brondo has been a licensed optician since 1994 and in November 2015, she created The Crafty Optician, which started out as a Facebook page dedicated to people who can’t get enough optical finds. Her first piece was a self-made necklace, which got such a strong response when she posted it, that she decided to create more. “I found that optical people—myself included—love optical finds,” Brondo said. “After I posted the photo of that necklace I made, so many people wanted me to make more. I have been adding items on a regular basis since then.”

Nicole Nguyen’s ‘Eye Scribbles’—a Therapeutic Hobby That Turned Into a Business

By Stephanie Sengwe

Friday, July 20, 2018 11:07 AM Nicole Nguyen, OD, has been a fulltime practitioner in the northern Virginia area for a little over a year now and her time as a full-time optometrist at MyEyeDr. in Chantilly, Va. inspired her to create Eye Scribbles, an Etsy shop that eye-related artwork tailored for fellow doctors and lovers of all things eyewear. Eye Scribbles, which Nguyen started this past June has already taken off, gaining traction on Instagram and boasting nearly 600 followers in the short time it’s been up.

ECPs Celebrate Independence Day Across America

By Stephanie Sengwe

Friday, July 6, 2018 11:31 AM NEW YORK—The Fourth of July means Independence Day here in the U.S. and on Wednesday, people found different ways to celebrate the day. From trips to the beach, barbecues, and of course, fireworks, ECPs from across the nation found a way to commemorate the holiday with their patients—even if they were not in the same space. Some spent quality time with family—taking new babies to the beach for the first time—others made sure that their four-legged friends were equally a part of the festivities and for most it was about the beautiful fireworks at the end of an eventful day.

Independent ECPs Take to Social Media to Promote #CataractAwarenessMonth

By Stephanie Sengwe, Contributing Editor


Wednesday, June 20, 2018 12:06 PM June is Cataract Awareness Month, and according to Prevent Blindness, more than 25 million Americans have cataract, a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in impaired vision. As VMAIL previously reported, research from the Prevent Blindness study, “The Future of Vision,” estimates that number will increase to 38.5 million by 2032, and to 45.6 million by the year 2050.

Main Street Promotes Awareness of May as Healthy Vision Month

By Staff
Friday, May 18, 2018 11:53 AM The National Eye Institute (NEI) celebrates Healthy Vision Month each May to promote eye health as a priority for the nation. Established in 2003, Healthy Vision Month aims to encourage Americans to protect their sight through proper eye safety practices including a comprehensive dilated eye exam, according to Prevent Blindness.