OWA 2020 Honorees
The Optical Women’s Association (OWA) has announced its 2020 Award Honorees. Millicent Knight, OD, and SVP of Customer Development for Essilor of America, will receive the Pleiades award to recognize her advancement of women’s leadership in the optical industry. Jean Sabre, owner of Uptown Vision, (shown) will receive the Pyxis award for her contributions to the OWA’s continuing growth. Sheena Taff of Optician About Town will receive the 2020 Visionary Award to recognize her cultivation of the professional development of women. They will be honored at Vision Expo East during the OWA’s Annual Champagne Breakfast on March 26, 2020 at Gotham Hall in NYC. opticalwomen.com
Soft Still Best
According to the Contact Lenses Market Report by Future Market Insights, the global market for contact lenses reached revenue of $8 billion in 2019. Soft contacts remain the most prescribed (80 percent of overall sales), while toric lens designs are gaining popularity. Demand for silicone hydrogel CLs is also rising. North America is expected to retain its dominant position in the global market due to high adoption, demand for branded products, frequent new product launches, and significant presence of prominent players. Increasing usage of therapeutic CLs for ophthalmic drug delivery is also creating a window of opportunity. futuremarketinsights.com/reports/contact-lenses-market
Americans Know Less Than They Think They Do
A survey conducted by The Harris Poll for the American Academy of Ophthalmology has uncovered key gaps in Americans’ knowledge of eye health, and what they don’t know is putting them at risk of vision loss. While 81 percent of adults say they are knowledgeable about eye/vision health, less than 1 in 5 (19 percent) were able to identify the three main causes of blindness in the U.S. (glaucoma, AMD, diabetic eye disease). Only 37 percent know you don’t always experience symptoms before you lose vision to diseases and less than half are aware your brain can make it difficult to know if you are losing your vision by adapting to its loss. aao.org/eyesmart