Every online purchase of any new pair of Maui Jim sunglasses from www.mauijim.com through July 31 will result in the donation of a pair of new Maui Jim sunglasses to Unite for Sight, a non-profit group that has as its goal improving eye health and eliminating preventable blindness among severely impoverished people.

Switching patients to 1-day disposable contact lenses (CLs) may improve lens-wearing comfort for those who have seasonal allergic conjunctivitis, according to CooperVision.

A new device (TearLab Osmolarity System, TearLab Corp.) that measures the osmolarity of tears to aid in the diagnosis of dry eye disease has been given FDA 501(k) clearance and also has received a silver 2009 Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA).

S

Many optometrists are eager to open a new practice but want a partner. The groundwork for joining forces with someone includes doing your homework and not rushing the process.

The inaugural "Opticians in May" education day was held in California to provide continuing education for opticians.

Incorporating a system for the assessment, diagnosis, and management of glaucoma (Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 3, Heidelberg Engineering) in a clinical glaucoma and retinal practice enables the clinician to make better-informed decisions about what therapy to start or maintain to treat patients with either disease.

At the recent American Optometric Association annual congress, Astavita Professional introduced astaxanthin (AstaREAL, Fuji Health Science) for the relief and prevention of asthenopia.

The Adolescent and Child Health Initiative to Encourage Vision Empowerment (ACHIEVE) study gives credibility to the life benefits of prescribing contact lenses to children.

Transcend Medical Inc. has closed a $35 million Series B round and is continuing the development of its Transcend CyPass System, a novel proprietary system for the minimally invasive treatment of glaucoma.

All optometrists should consider tapping into the market of sports vision optimization. The opportunities and interest in this niche market are great. Add to this fact the relative ease of launching a sports vision component in your practice and you have a win-win situation for practices and patients.

A doctor-owner needs timely and accurate information about business activity in his or her practice. The doctor-owner must capture and incorporate those data to effectively implement improvements in the practice.

Transitions Optical Inc. awarded optometry and opticianry students 18 scholarships totaling $10,000 through its Transitions Healthy Sight for Life Fund.

Running an optical shop requires business skills, which are not taught in optometry school. Training staff on customer service best practices can help increase a loyal customer base and keep current customers faithful. By helping employees learn and apply a few basic skills, the bottom line may never look so good.

Pfizer Inc. has launched a program called MAINTAIN (Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need) to provide more than 70 primary-care medicines for free to newly unemployed Americans.

Tura's lightweight TuraFlex model M840 features a unique upper-mounted endpiece for a fashionable look.

The latest sunwear models from Kaenon Polarized are characterized by their rich texture, earthy tones, and bold prints-which enhance Kaenon's signature athletic inspiration and contemporary style.

The perception of an optometrist by the general public seems to be that of a provider of ophthalmic-related products and services, an occupation that is as accessible as any other retailer. We are, in fact, eye physicians and have earned the right to call ourselves doctors and treat our patients with all the skills that we have at our disposal.

In the past, eye-care providers diagnosed glaucoma based solely on raised IOP or visible or distinct damage to the optic nerve. Those rules have changed, thanks to more information about the risk factors for glaucoma including thin central corneas, elevated IOP, cup-to-disc ratios, and retinal nerve fiber layer defects.

Vistakon, a division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., has launched an online staff-training program (Office Readiness) to improve efficiencies in the delivery of contact lens services.