Essilor International announced it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Coastal Contacts (Coastal.com).

The Ocular Nutrition Society (ONS) has announced the schedule for its education symposium, to be held Sunday, March 30, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Conference Center in New York City, in conjunction with Vision Expo East.

Patients will soon be able to undergo a refraction online through Opternative.com in a matter of minutes and for a fraction of the cost of a traditional exam, but the company doesn’t intend for its test to replace a complete eye exam.

Contact lenses are a large part of any general eye care practice. It is one source of great pride and satisfaction when a patient new to contact lenses first sees clearly without his spectacles, and we all enjoy seeing that epiphany. Yet, like with all experiences, the new soon wears off, and those patients who started out with the best of intentions regarding their contact lens wear and care can slip into some not-so-healthy habits.

What are some common questions our patients expect to hear from us? “How is your vision? Which is better, one or two? How many nights out of the average month do you sleep in your contact lenses?” Sure, these are the easy answers, but when is the last time you surprised your patient with a question about their diet?

Although the Demodex mite is not a recent discovery, you might not realize that by the rapid rise of demodex in the ophthalmic professional sphere. From peer-reviewed journal articles to lectures at professional meetings to chatter on the exhibit hall floor to thought-leader informational videos, Demodex has been a popular topic for the past 12-18 months.

Next month in Boston, the American Society of Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) will host optometrists its second Integrated Ophthalmic Managed Delivery Model (IOMED) track at the group’s annual meeting. The format will be similar to last year’s meeting with a half-day symposium as well as courses that will be available for optometrists to earn CE credit.

I readily admit I am from another time, before cell phones and laptops. But not video games. I wore Pong out back in the day. Still, I think I have adapted reasonably well as an old curmudgeon to the available technology.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked healthcare professionals to stop prescribing combination prescription pain relievers that contain more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per tablet, capsule, or other dosage unit, citing the risk for liver damage.

Kelly K. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO, has been named dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry.

The New Jersey State Legislature recently passed a bill that will require the New Jersey Department of Education to develop an educational fact sheet for parents concerning sports-related eye injuries.

Lenstatin recently introduced its nutritional supplement containing an antioxidant blend of micronutrients with anti-cataractogenic properties.

Volk Optical recently introduced the Pictor Plus, a handheld ophthalmic camera that can provide high-resolution images of the retinal and anterior segment at off-site clinics or during field work.

We give [students] the issues of what's going on in the profession but not to a degree where they're going to become overwhelmed. We try to cover an issue with a proactive and positive voice.

Except for a 6-month stint at an optical more than 20 years ago, I haven’t spent much time in that part of the industry. It’s time I did. Plus, we’re going to step up coverage in our pages and online presence as well. I hope you’ve already noticed the new look of our InDispensable news and product section.

There is significant healing power in the doctor-patient relationship. If we work together in these relationships, significant improvement can occur to our patient’s quality of life and health status.

We are all seeing an increasing number of presbyopes in our practices, as the baby boomer population bubble enters that stage of life where wisdom causes the loss of focus. There are many challenges we as doctors need to address within this population, including contact lens wear.

Otolaryngologists (ENTs) have it easy. They can instruct their patients not to stick anything in their ears that is smaller than their elbows, and not only is it sound medical advice, but it has a fairly high rate of compliance. Eyecare professionals (ECPs) who fit contact lenses, on the other hand, have a more difficult hill to climb because we purposely put materials in our patients’ eyes, an impossible feat without biocompatible products.

At the heart of every optometric dispensary lies the important job of managing the frame board inventory. This task can appear to be challenging at times, but by following some simple strategies, it will lead to success.