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VISION EXPO EAST 2021 UPDATE

The Vision Council and Reed Exhibitions, organizers of Vision Expo, announced that Vision Expo East 2021, originally scheduled to take place at the Javits Center in New York City from May 25 to 28, 2021, will now take place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL from June 2 to 5, 2021. The decision was based on the current restrictions on large gatherings in New York State and the successful track record of previous events held at the Orange County Convention Center.

In other news, Vision Expo has established the Alan C. Ritter Innovation Award. Inspired by Alan Ritter, a transformational leader in the vision care industry and one of the original founders of The Vision Council who passed away in July 2020, the annual award will bestow $10,000 to a person or group who seeks to continually bring progressive change to the vision industry. The award is funded by Vision Expo.

The recipient of the inaugural 2021 award is the Open Your Eyes Scholarship Program, a recently launched 501(c)(3) charity created by The Vision Council through the Better Vision Institute (an educational foundation connected to the organization) to support high school students in marginalized communities throughout the United States who have an interest in pursuing a career in the optical industry. The program will support selected students through monetary scholarships to opticianry school, paid internships, and mentorships. The intent of the program is to launch a far-reaching effort that can expand to other segments of the industry.

For more information on the scholarship program, visit https://thevisioncouncil.org/members/diversity-equity-and-inclusion . ■

INDUSTRY BRIEFS

• Johnson & Johnson Vision (J&J Vision) has announced that Peter Menziuso will assume the role of worldwide president, Vision Care, for J&J Vision, effective immediately. He replaces Swami Raote, who retired at the end of 2020 after a 29-year tenure with Johnson & Johnson. Mr. Menziuso originally joined the company in 1992 and held a series of roles of increasing responsibility including regional controller, Pharmaceuticals, Asia Pacific; manager of Licensing and Acquisitions for Janssen Pharmaceuticals; and plant controller for Janssen Ortho LLC in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. Most recently, he was acting as president, Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Janssen. Mr. Menziuso is returning to Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, formerly serving as president, North America.
• CooperVision has committed funding for the new eyecare clinic at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. Contact lens services provided by the clinic include soft contact lens fittings for the correction of myopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia as well as myopia management for children through CooperVision’s Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program featuring MiSight 1 Day. Ohio State’s Optometry Clinic and Health Sciences Faculty Office Building is a six-story facility with 56 exam rooms in which optometry students are able to see patients. The clinic offers primary vision care, contact lens fittings, dry eye treatment, vision therapy, and pediatric services. There is also an optical shop with more than 3,000 frames on display.
• Treehouse Eyes announced the opening of 11 new centers to bring its proprietary brand of myopia management directly into certain primary care practices across the country. In addition, to support the company’s rapid growth, it has launched a new website at https://treehouseeyes.com/grow-with-us . The latest practices to join Treehouse Eyes are Dr. Laurie Sorrenson–Lakeline Vision Source, Cedar Park, TX; Dr. Paul Colbourne–Associates in Eyecare, Bristow, VA; Dr. Robert Goerss–Tomasino Goerrs Vision Source, O’Fallon, MO; Dr. Dean Amundsen–Camarillo, CA; Dr. Christopher Inclima–Inclima Eye Care, West Haven, CT; Dr. Fred Arima–Mill Creek Vision, Mill Creek, WA; Dr. Scott Klasman–Federal Hill Eye Care, Baltimore; Dr. Monika Spokas–Clarendon Vision Development Center, Westmont, IL; Dr. Nina Doyle–Crofton Family Eye Care, Crofton, MD; Dr. Aaron Law–Innovative Vision Care, Belton, MO; and Dr. Ryan Stybel–Look! Optometry, Manhattan Beach, CA.
• Leo Lens Pharma announced a corporate name change to MediPrint Ophthalmics, effective immediately. The company’s rebranding to MediPrint Ophthalmics is based on input from stakeholders and prospective customers and is intended to align its name with the innovative and proprietary pipeline of products that the company is developing. According to the company, its new name is the beginning of a refreshed identity that will span from its website to its logo to all other notable corporate identifiers.
• Art Optical has contracted Stephanie L. Woo, OD, to produce a four-part virtual education series focused on current trends in specialty contact lens practice. The one-hour webinars will be held monthly on Wednesday evenings from February through May and are complimentary to eyecare practitioners. All sessions begin at 8:30 p.m. EST. The webinar topics and dates are as follows: Practice Differentiation on February 17, Ortho-K Practice Management on March 10, Scleral Lens Success on April 21, and Specialty Lens Billing & Coding on May 19. To learn more or to register, visit artoptical.com/news-events .
• The Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety (APS) announced David A. Cockrell, OD, as its new chairman. Dr. Cockrell, a practicing optometrist in Stillwater, OK, succeeds Deanna Alexander, OD, whose term as chairwoman concluded at the end of 2020. Dr. Cockrell is a past president of the American Optometric Association (AOA), American Board of Optometry, Oklahoma State Board of Optometric Examiners, and the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians. He has also been inducted into the AOA National Hall of Fame, received the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians Distinguished Service Award, and was named the Optometrist of the Year by the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians.
• Nevakar Inc. and Laboratoires Théa announced that they recently entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the commercialization of NVK-002 in Europe. NVK-002 is a proprietary, investigational, preservative-free eye drop administered nightly and intended for slowing the progression of myopia in children ages 3 to 17 years old. Under the terms of the agreement, Nevakar will develop and obtain European Medicines Agency (EMA) approval for the product, and Théa will launch, distribute, and support the product in Europe as well as in parts of North Africa.
• The Global Myopia Awareness Coalition (GMAC), an advisory board under the World Council of Optometry, announced its 2021 Board of Directors. Formed in 2019, the coalition comprises leading ophthalmic companies and eye health associations focused on the clear need for increased public awareness about childhood myopia (nearsightedness or short sightedness). The GMAC 2021 Board of Directors includes Juan Carlos Aragon, GMAC chair-president, CooperVision Specialty EyeCare; Matt Oerding, immediate past chair & Marketing Committee co-chair-CEO and co-founder, Treehouse Eyes; Lisa McAlister, Marketing Committee co-chair-Global Myopia Lead, Johnson & Johnson Vision; Kovin Naidoo-senior vice president, Social Impact, Africa & Latin America, Essilor; Millicent Knight-senior vice president, Customer Development Group, Essilor of America; Bill Scott-president, Jobson Healthcare Information; Marc Ferrara-CEO of Information Services, Jobson Healthcare Information; Raul Trillo-chief commercial officer, Nevakar Inc.; Tony Sommer-senior vice president, Sales & Marketing, Visioneering Technologies Inc.; and Scott Mundle-immediate past president, World Council of Optometry.
• EyeGate Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that Franz Obermayr, PhD, managing director and former CEO of recently acquired Panoptes Pharma, has been appointed acting CEO.
• Ocutrx Technologies has announced that it has appointed William “Bill” Link, PhD, as chairman of the Ocutrx International Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Link will advise on the scientific merit of medical technology and products of Ocutrx and will provide strategic advice to the Board regarding cross-sector emerging science and technology issues and trends.
• Keeler announced a partnership with Merakris Therapeutics, Inc. The companies are pioneering commercially scalable biotherapeutic technologies derived from stem cells that promote homeostasis in damaged tissue. According to the company, the Opticyte Amniotic Ocular Matrix technology is based on a manufacturing process intended to retain extracellular matrix properties and structures, which makes it ideal for ocular applications. Opticyte Matrix provides an ophthalmic barrier to the corneal surface and supports cell attachment and ingrowth.