Product: The American Optometric Association (AOA) launched www.ContactLensSafety.org, a new, easy-to-use Web site to help answer consumer questions about contact lens safety. The AOA Contact Lens and Cornea Section (CLCS) created the site with the assistance of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO).
Top Line: (CLCS) created the site with the assistance of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO). “With more than 30 million Americans wearing contact lenses for vision correction, we saw a need to be able to answer questions that may come up outside of normal business hours,” said Thomas Quinn, Jr., OD, AOA CLCS Council Member. “This site has been created to become a one-stop resource for questions regarding contact lens safety.”
Close Up: Topics covered include lens replacement schedules, purchasing contact lenses and contact lens wear in various environments.
Vital Stats: Also included is the “Ask the Expert” section where consumers can submit their contact lens question to a panel of experts.
www.contactlenssafety.org

Product: eyeVantage Online
Top Line: Eyefinity has rebranded its Business Essentials solution to eyeVantage. The solution is a collection of online educational assets, proprietary tools and best practices that lay the foundation for the success of independent eyecare practices.
Close Up: As part of any OfficeMate client’s annual software maintenance agreement, eyeVantage is available complimentary and provides exclusive access to best-in-class training courses, ranging from basic optics to business management. Clients have 24/7 access to all of eyeVantage’s benefits, including:

• 15-minute role-based training modules designed to maximize staff training time
• Peer-to-peer forum with interactive Q&A, best practices, daily tips and an OfficeMate support section
• Free-flowing industry news dashboard with timely updates on tends and topics that affect eyecare businesses

Additionally, eyecare providers looking to take their practice to the next level can sign up for eveVantage Advanced, which offers an even wider set of tools and training to help their practice thrive. Beyond the tools previously mentioned, eyeVantage Advanced also includes:

• Access to advanced-level practice training lessons
• Automatic key indicators about practice performance from Eyefinity data, which identifies areas for improvement
• Recommendations on training lessons to help you improve areas of weakness
• Centralized performance/sales indicators for top-and-bottom performing locations

“With its refreshed brand identity, we are excited to see even more of our clients explore all that eyeVantage and eyeVantage Advanced has to offer their staff and business,” said Steve Baker, president of Eyefinity. “No matter what size of a practice you have, eyeVantage will help you better understand the quality of your sales, exam traffic and provide valuable training that will position your eyecare business to excel and remain competitive.”

Vital Stats: Current Business Essentials clients can use their same username and password for eyeVantage, which is now accessible at: www.eyevantage.biz.

Email: eyevantage@eyefinity.com; (877) 448.0707, option 2

Product: A new partnership between WebMD and Bausch + Lomb will bring both professional online resources to optometrists and ophthalmologists via Medscape.com. The joint initiative also creates a new consumer-oriented eye health resource section on WebMD.
Top Line: On Medscape, eye health professionals can engage in a clinician challenge; explore clinical topics, imagery and new information about overall eye health; and engage in peer-to-peer discussions. Medical professionals also will be able to explore related resources and information in the site’s Bausch + Lomb Eye Health Center.
Close Up: The medical destination also allows professionals to engage in peer-to-peer discussions with their colleagues in a registration-based eye health community. Initial discussion board topics include: breakthrough platforms for cataract surgery, ocular nutrition, visual acuity and bio-inspired eye health products. Medical professionals also will be able to explore related resources and information in the Bausch + Lomb Eye Health Center, which can be found on the site.

"Making sure that professionals have the right tools to better serve their patients is the foundation of our commitment to helping people see better to live better," said Dr. Calvin Roberts, chief medical officer of Bausch + Lomb. "This collaboration helps elevate the eye health discussion between providers and patients, a critical component to ensuring the proper course for prevention, diagnosis and treatment."

Vital Stats: More than 100 million unique visitors access the WebMD Health Network each month. The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD Health, Medscape, MedicineNet, emedicineHealth, RxList, theheart.org, drugs.com and Medscape Education.

Along with reaching optometrists and ophthalmologists, Medscape's online resources will also reach health care professionals in related fields who play a primary role in the prevention and treatment of eye-related conditions or treat systemic conditions commonly associated with co-morbidities of the eye. These fields include: pediatrics, cardiology, diabetes/endocrinology, obstetrics and gynecology, allergy/otolaryngology/ENT and primary care.

WebMD and Medscape editorial content is independently created, balanced and unbiased. Any content sponsored or contributed by Bausch + Lomb will be clearly labeled as such.
www.webmd.com/eye-health

Product: Microfiber cleaning cloths with custom-designed QR Codes
Top Line:Dynamic Laboratories is offering custom-designed QR (quick response) codes printed on microfiber cleaning cloths.
Close Up: Dynamic Labs’ product manager, James Kelly, said, “We are seeing explosive interest in this area of our product line because it truly helps the ECP develop their business at a fraction of what traditional advertising costs. Eye care professionals are realizing that with the popularity of smartphones that this is a technology that they need to pay attention to. Many are finding that the usage of this technology is not just preferred by the younger generation, but that the older population finds that this is a more convenient way to enter information rather than typing it in.”
Vital Stats: QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes that offer the ability to store a tremendous amount of information. The information that is stored in these codes is not just static information, but can also be interactive as well. By scanning a well-designed QR code, a potential customer can be directed to call a phone number, to set appointments, to promotions, to social media, to websites, to their front door by map, and many other capabilities are possible. A single QR code can also offer a menu of all of the above.
www.dynamiclabs.net; (888) 339-6264