- Visioneering Technologies Inc. announced the appointment of Dr. Juan Carlos Aragón as CEO and executive director. Most recently, Dr. Aragón was president of CooperVision Specialty EyeCare. In the previous 23 years, Dr. Aragón has held several senior positions within CooperVision and a predecessor company. He also held positions within CIBA Vision, a predecessor company to Alcon, and with Bausch + Lomb. In addition, Dr. Aragón is a former board member and former chair of the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition. He also volunteers as chairman of the board of Optometry Giving Sight; and has been a board member of the Brien Holden Foundation, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, and Vision Aid Overseas (now Vision Action). He was also a board member of Sight Glass Vision, now a joint venture of CooperVision and EssilorLuxottica.
- ABB Optical Group announced a series of organizational changes and additions to its executive and senior leadership team. ABB has created the Office of Customer Experience to support the company’s strategic goals with two new roles: Erika Jurrens will lead the Office of Customer Experience and has been appointed ABB’s chief customer officer with responsibilities for customer experience, customer service, and marketing. Andrew Watt has been appointed to the new position of director of customer experience where he will lead the development and implementation of customer experience initiatives across ABB including the management of the customer service team. James Gilchrist joins ABB as general manager and senior vice president for ABB’s Business Solutions pillar. Jordan Burke has joined ABB as vice president of Digital E-Commerce and Abby and will develop digital commerce strategy and execution for all channels of ABB Optical Group. Mark Parisi has been appointed to the newly created role of chief revenue officer and will lead ABB’s enterprise sales organization to drive growth and market expansion across all business pillars.
- The International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) has announced the winners of the 2023 IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year Awards to recognize and reward achievement in contact lens education. Sponsored by CooperVision and the British Contact Lens Association, (BCLA) three IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year Award winners attended the BCLA’s Clinical Conference & Exhibition in June and received their awards during IACLE’s fourth World Congress on Contact Lens Education. The 2023 awardees are: IACLE Americas Contact Lens Educator of the Year–Myriam Teresa Mayorga, OD, La Salle University, Bogotá, Colombia; IACLE Asia Pacific Contact Lens Educator of the Year–Isha Dave, Lotus College of Optometry, Mumbai, India; and IACLE Europe/Africa/Middle East Contact Lens Educator of the Year–May Bakkar, PhD, MSc, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Ar-Ramtha, Jordan.
- The World Council of Optometry Myopia Management Standard of Care Pledge challenge is setting a new goal after having reached an important milestone. Since the pledge challenge was launched last year, 130 global eyecare organizations and 50,375 individuals have so far pledged to adopt myopia management as the standard of care. The organization, in partnership with myopia management category leader CooperVision, has set a new goal of 100,000 pledges. Learn more and take the pledge at myopia.worldcouncilofoptometry.info/myopia-management-pledge .
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has offered consumer labeling recommendations for hydrogen peroxide-based contact lens care products (HPCPs) submitted in premarket notification (510(k)) submissions. The recommendations are intended to help manufacturers develop labeling with information about specific risks and directions for use of the HPCPs in conjunction with a user’s prescribed contact lenses, in order to promote the safe and effective use of HPCPs. More information can be found at fda.gov/media/160909/download .
- Myopia Profile, a clinical myopia management information center for eyecare professionals (ECPs), prepared a website for the first Myopia Action Month, which was held in September. The website, myopiaaction.com , featured programming included Myopia Management Made Simple, a free, one-hour course that was available to ECPs throughout September; and the Myopia Action Month Online Seminar Series, resources that showcase the latest in myopia research, treatments, and techniques with internationally recognized experts. Each of Myopia Action Month’s four weekly seminars concluded with a themed lecture from Myopia Profile covering myopia management and practice. Premier Sponsors included CooperVision, Topcon Healthcare, EssilorLuxottica, and Johnson & Johnson Vision. Supporting Sponsors are Hoya, Menicon, Ocumetra, SightGlass Vision, and Visioneering Technologies Inc.Myopia Profile also announced the launch of its redesigned website at myopiaprofile.com . The revamped site includes a new Myopia Control Product Compendium that combines articles, case studies, and science reviews with tailored information on products for myopia control. Another new addition is a user-friendly, powerful Knowledge Center that has enhanced search capabilities.
- The Contact Lens Institute has added additional translations to its suite of EASY Way (Eyes, Awareness, Safety, and You) patient education tools, timed for back-to-school season. The social media graphics and animations are now available in English, Spanish, French, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. All can be viewed and downloaded for free from the resources section of contactlensinstitute.org .
- Optometry Giving Sight has issued its 2023 World Sight Day Challenge. The theme of this year’s Challenge is “Giving Together, Seeing Forever,” which celebrates the collective power of the optometry community to give the gift of sight to millions of people in need. The World Sight Day Challenge runs through the end of October, with World Sight Day to be celebrated on Oct. 12. Those interested in taking on the Challenge by leading fundraising efforts at their practice or company can visit givingsight.org/wsdc to register and receive a toolkit with ideas and resources. Others may choose to make one-time or recurring donations at givingsight.org/donate-wsdc .
- Valley Contax Inc., in partnership with Contamac US, announced the winner of their student travel grant. The grant was awarded to Derek Bryant, a third-year student at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. Mr. Bryant will use his travel grant to join fellow optometry students and attendees at Academy 2023 in New Orleans.
- To recognize his contributions to scientific advances in myopia management, The Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science at the University of California, Berkeley, has inducted Arthur Bradley, PhD, into its Optometry Hall of Fame—an elite group of 20 UC Berkeley alumni and faculty. Dr. Bradley earned his PhD in 1983 from UC Berkeley in Vision Science/Physiological Optics and went on to Indiana University where he was a vision science researcher and professor. His mentorship and instruction reached thousands of students, from undergraduates to PhD candidates in the optics, visual neuroscience, binocular vision, and visual function fields. Since 2019, he has been a research fellow at CooperVision, and his and his team’s groundbreaking research on myopia interventions have earned worldwide recognition. Dr. Bradley’s contribution to the company’s MiSight 1 day contact lenses has provided a valuable step forward in managing the myopia epidemic.
- The World Council of Optometry recognizes the exemplary contributions of four physicians who have advanced optometry worldwide. Each award was presented at O=MEGA23, The Fourth World Congress of Optometry in Melbourne, Australia. Scott Mundle, OD, received the 2023 Distinguished Service Award in Memory of Dr. Uduak Udom, the highest award of WCO, for his outstanding contributions to the achievement of WCO’s Vision and Mission. Ameer Abou Adela, OD, received the Young Leader Award in Memory of Dr. Paul Berman for showing promising leadership in the field of optometry in fewer than 10 years in practice. Sajeesh Kumar Kamala Raghavan, PhD, received the WCO International Optometrist Award for his commitment to developing optometry and vision care around the world. Priya Morjaria, OD, gave the Memorial Lecture in Honor of Ms. Karen Sparrow. Dr. Morjaria’s passion for public health reflects Ms. Sparrow’s own commitment to optometry in public health, especially in populations that lacked eye care.
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THE GP LENS INSTITUTE HOSTS 25TH ANNUAL CORNEA AND CONTACT LENS RESIDENTS SYMPOSIUM
• ON AUG. 10-12, THE GP LENS INSTITUTE (GPLI) hosted 38 cornea and contact lens residents and fellows for a three-day educational symposium. This program was coordinated by Ursula Lotzkat and Wink Productions and hosted by Nicky Lai, OD, MS, and The Ohio State University College of Optometry. The residents received more than 30 hours of education, including several online courses and a three-hour clinical program the week before the event. The symposium included workshops pertaining to GP spherical, toric, multifocal, orthokeratology, scleral, and irregular cornea lens designs. In addition, presentations on these important specialty lens designs were accompanied by a career panel and presentations on effective writing, speaking, and being a good clinical preceptor, among others.
Sponsored by Contact Lens Manufacturers Association member laboratories with Contamac as the Global sponsor, the 2023 program invited all past attending residents. In total, 55 past attendees—including many of today’s leaders and influencers—made the trip to join Saturday’s festivities, which included a COPE-approved educational program on the future of contact lenses. Craig Norman moderated a panel of experts that included Contact Lens Spectrum editor-in-chief Jason Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD. A gala event was held Saturday evening and included entertainment from GPLI associate director Tom Quinn, OD, MS, four of the “FAB Five” from the 2010 class—Brooke Messer, OD; Brittney Mazza, OD; Amanda Crum, OD, MS; and Erin Hitzelburger, OD, performing Elvis Presley—and a live GPLI Jeopardy game from Karen Lee, OD, and Maria Walker, OD, PhD.
GSLS EARLY BIRD PRICING
• THE GLOBAL SPECIALTY LENS SYMPOSIUM (GSLS) is the leading global contact lens conference with delegates attending from dozens of countries. The four-day conference—being held from Jan. 17-20, 2024, in Las Vegas—focuses on the successful management of ocular conditions using today’s specialty contact lenses through interactive educational platforms including expert panel discussions, breakout lecture sessions, and clinical workshops. Register by Nov. 17 for early bird rates at GSLSymposium.com .
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