Visionary Program Delivers One Million Reasons to See a Better Future

InKwaZulu-Natal(South Africa), the one millionth patient recently received an eye exam and the eyecare they need thanks to an innovative program initiative of Optometry Giving Sight, the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE), Standard Chartered Bank and the KZN Department of Health.

The Giving Sight to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) programme, as it is known, is a visionary effort and example of the power of public-private partnerships. The target of reaching one million patients in KZN started in July 2007 with the objective of providing accessibility of eyecare services to communities throughout the province using the existing public health system. The ultimate goal is already achieved – the program now paves the way for ongoing eyecare services in the public health system that will serve millions more long after the initial program has concluded.

The World Sight Day Challenge (WSDC) is one of the global key campaigns run by Optometry Giving Sight which not only celebrates World Sight Day on October 13^th, but also raises much needed funds for eyecare projects like The Giving Sight toKwaZulu-Natal programme.

Companies such as Optiq Frames, look forward to participating in events like the WSDC in October. Optiq Frames President Joe Nadler has chosen Optometry Giving Sight as its corporate charity. “I have always been impressed with the difference they make to so many people around the world and feel it is important to give back in a meaningful way.”

Optiq Frames has given thousands of frames to children inCanada, and will continue to provide to children in need, but has added Optometry Giving Sight to expand its reach.

Marcolin Celebrates its 50^th Anniversary

Fashion industry luminaries turned out in full force to celebrate the Marcolin’s 50^th anniversary. Diego and Andrea Della Valle, Dean and Dan Caten, Renzo Rosso, Giuseppe Zanotti, and Neil Barrett were just a few of the notable guests at a fabulous evening enjoyed by all.

Surrounded by contemporary art inaugurated especially for the event, guests were invited to sip champagne and mingle amongst the ‘La Visione oltre lo Sguardo’ exhibition, set in the new Marcolin showroom in Milan at 36 Corso Venizia. A visual multimedia and multi-sensory experience consisting of drawings and paintings, as well as sculptures, videos, and installations by young and internationally acclaimed artists such as Grazia Toderi, Elisa Sighicelli, Marcus Schinwald, Kerstin Braetsch, Matthew Brannon, Tobias Rehberger, Sharon Lockhart, and Atelier Van Lieshout. The group of artists was selected by Tar Magazine – the Milan-based biannual publication with an international outlook, edited by Martina Mondadori and Fracesco Bonami – together with Giò Marconi, one of the biggest names on the Milan contemporary art scene, and Marcolin S.p.A style and licensing officer Maurizio Marcolin.

Many great things have happened since the company’s founding, and over time, through a major commitment to work, unyielding effort, challenges and successes, Marcolin has become a leading player in the global luxury eyewear market, building a reputation as the “Eyewear Atelier” due to its unique products and unwavering attention to quality and aesthetics.

New Appointments at Rodenstock

Rodenstock Canada is pleased to announce that the company welcomes two new lens representatives. In keeping with its belief that lenses are very well represented by professional dispensers, Rodenstock has hiredJaime Lovegrove, RO for westernOntarioand Vanessa Sapack, CCOA forBritish Columbia.

Jaime LovegroveRO, has chosen to continue the family tradition, pursuing a career in the optical industry. Since graduating fromGeorgianCollegein 2007, Jaime has been working with a large Canadian eyecare provider as a licensed optician, contact lens fitter and store manager. Heavily involved in new associate training and national PR ad campaigns, Jaime is passionate about educating the public on high quality eyewear products.

Before entering the optical industry, Jaime spent two years living inSoutheast Asiateaching English and Science. Next on her travel agenda are theGalapagos Islands. She can be reached at 226-338-7372, or at jaime.lovegrove@rodenstock.ca.

Vanessa Sapach, has been appointed as the new lens account manager forBritish Columbia. Vanessa’s career as an ophthalmic dispenser has been based in the Kootenays for the past nine years and she has left behind many satisfied customers that wish her well in her new job. Over the years, she has attended many continuing education seminars, as she believes that education is critical to growth in the optical field.

Vanessa has relocated toVancouverwhere she will be closer to Rodenstock’s many customers, and still within sight of the mountains. While in the Nelson area, she would spend her days off enjoying hiking in the mountains and playing third base on a couple local softball teams.

Vanessa is looking forward to meeting and working with optometrists, opticians and dispensers in the BC region. She can be reached at 778-808-7166, or vanessa.sapach@rodenstock.ca.

Caroline MacIsaac Nominated as One of the Most Influential Women

Former registrar and CEO of the Collegeof Opticiansof Ontario, Caroline MacIsaac has been selected as one of the 200 “Most influential women in optical” at the Vision Monday 9^th annual call for nominations. Caroline MacIsaac has been chosen by her peers, colleagues and staff in the vision care community because… “She is one of those rare leaders that can inspire individuals to believe in themselves and achieve what they once thought was impossible. She has had greater impact on educational and professional standards for opticians inNorth America than any one person in recent history.”

Until few weeks, MacIsaac was the registrar and CEO of theCollegeofOpticiansofOntario. Her responsibilities included strategic planning, regulation, collaborative and cross-jurisdictional project management.

As reported in Vision Monday, MacIsaac has a brilliant career. She is the current past president of the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR), after serving in the executive office for two previous years as president-elect and president. An active participant in national opticianry issues, MacIsaac works closely with the Opticians Council of Canada (OCC) in the development of national best practices, the building and fostering of partnerships with key stakeholder groups, a national branding and public awareness campaign and the identification of emerging trends in vision care globally.

TELUS Health eClaims Solution Offers ECPs a Custom-Made Service

TELUS Health eClaims Solution is Canada’s first online national exchange service for extended healthcare providers, including opticians and optometrists, designed to streamline the claims and reimbursement process with private insurers, on behalf of their patients. TELUS is working with Great-West Life to provide eClaims with a web-based, secure and fully integrated solution that optimizes the claim submission process, including enrolment tools, reimbursement claim submission and immediate confirmation of the insurance company’s response.

The solution also allows the option of assigning benefits to the healthcare provider, making it simple for the patient to pay only the out-of-pocket cost at the point of care, with the insurance company paying the balance to the provider.

Great-West Life is the first insurance company to collaborate with TELUS on the introduction of a real-time claim submission service, specifically designed for extended healthcare providers.

Registration is fast and easy. All ECPs have to do is register on telushealth.com/eclaims. They will receive a welcome package confirming their enrolment and providing login information that will give them access to the new TELUS Health eClaims portal. When they log into the portal, an option on the welcome page allows them to submit claims to private group insurance companies. This information and all related instructions will be sent to them by email once they have registered.

For additional inquiries, ECPs are invited to call TELUS Health Solutions at 1-866 240-7492 option 1.

Occhiali Canada, a New Beginning

“Revamping an existing company and launching the new identity of OcchialiCanadawas one of the biggest challenges of my life,” says CEO Melkon Kechichian. OcchialiCanadapurchased Allison Canada in August 2010 and relocated the headquarters fromTorontotoOttawa. The reborn company distributes 21 European brands coming from Allison S.p.A. inPadova,Italyand announces that it has signed to be the exclusive distributor of True Religion and Affliction eyewear.

Affliction is the proud sponsor of the great George St. Pierre, UFC welterweight champion. As with the Affliction clothing line, the eyewear is constructed from the finest materials, sparing no detail. From the intricate hardware down to the smallest component, each piece is hand assembled and evokes the dark and powerful themes Affliction is known for.

True Religion is a very popular design based on jeans and jean related brands. This new fantastic couture line of eyewear continuously aims for a fashionable, bohemian, chick flair, with a vintage vibe. Targeted to men and women 18 to 45, the collection includes aviator frames in rimmed and rimless designs.

OcchialiCanadaset out to be one of the most flexible suppliers in the market, becoming a single destination for practitioners and offering the convenience of ordering from one supplier while consolidating and simplifying their accounting at the end of every month. “We don’t just sell product, we sell satisfaction,” says Kechichian.

This year the company will be launching brand new products with prices that benefit eyecare businesses and clients. OcchialiCanadabelieves in volume repeat business and not high mark up sales per unit. They will soon be launching their website, featuring all products that will be available upon opening an account. The company will also introduce an extensive variety of single vision lenses, which will be stocked in their facility, along with a line of tools, accessories, and doctor’s instruments with full refracting lanes.

Transitions Promotes Dave Cole to President

Transitions Optical has announced that Dave Cole has been appointed president. In this leadership role, Cole will assume full responsibility for the enterprise business.

Cole, who started with Transitions Optical when the company launched in 1990, took a global leadership position when he was named chief operating officer in October of 2010. In his expanded role, he will be accountable for effectively leveraging the regional and global leadership teams, and business strategy development and execution, while continuing to build strong strategic partnerships to drive the overall photochromic market.

“In the time Dave served as chief operating officer, he showed again and again how exceptionally well suited he is to lead Transitions Optical globally,” said Rick Elias, CEO, Transitions Optical. “His in-depth knowledge of the optical industry and our business, ability to continuously act with long-term perspective, and capability for building strong relationships within the industry and internally are just a few of his notable strengths.”

After moving through a variety of sales and marketing roles in PPG Industries over a nine-year period, Cole joined Transitions Optical in 1990 as manager of sales and business development. Since then, Cole has assumed positions of increasing responsibility as the company continued to experience strong growth, serving as business manager and then general manager of the Americas for Transitions Optical. In 2004, Cole added Australia and New Zealand to his North American responsibilities and in 2008 added global strategic initiatives. Cole’s leadership has led to significant growth for the company and motivated strong loyalty from industry partners in these markets. Cole holds a bachelor’s degree in medicine from the University of Notre Dame.

Transitions Optical Launches e-Learning Portal

Transitions Optical, launched an online learning portal, providing eyecare professionals a central source for continuing education. Found at Transitions.com/Learn, the portal offers optical professionals a wide range of education courses, links to helpful industry resources, as well as forums to discuss and share relevant information about the courses with other eyecare professionals. Canadian opticians can take the courses to earn continuing education credits, made possible through Transitions Optical’s collaboration with the Opticians Association of Canada (OAC).

“Continuing education is essential to the growth and development of the optical industry,” said Tim Schmidt, industry relations and education manager,Canada, Transitions Optical. “The e-Learning portal provides access to not only education materials, but also a network of peers with shared interests to make the learning experience more dynamic.”

In the Repository section of the new portal, users can find all of the courses with descriptions, outlines of each course, and links to relevant websites, white papers and other resources. Industry professionals can also interact with like-minded individuals in the course forums. Users can keep track of their courses in the Personal Desktop section. This customized area allows them to schedule course tests and review the courses they have already completed.

The learning portal is currently available in English, with plans to launch in French in early 2012. The site requires user registration; however, courses currently are available free of charge.

DirectLab Network New Nominations

DirectLab Network is pleased to announce the appointment of Ted Hahn as salesNorth Americavice president and president of DirectLab Atlantic.

With more than 25 years of experience in the optical industry, Hahn will be a considerable asset in the growth of DirectLab Network. Early in his career, he worked in theAtlantic Provincesas a representative in frames and accessories first with MenradCanadaand later with MarcolinCanadaand Ronor International. In 1996, he moved toMontrealas export manager for Ronor and later became director of business development for Ronor in theUnited States.

“I am proud to have Ted Hahn as my associate to develop the Atlantic market. With his integrity and knowledge, Ted brings our network to another level,” stated Daniel Beaulieu, CEO, DirectLab Network.

DirectLab Network is also pleased to announce the appointment of David Landry as territory sales manager – Atlantic Canada.

On behalf of DirectLab Network, Landry will be responsible for building strategic partnerships with eyecare professionals inNew Brunswick,Nova Scotia,Prince Edward IslandandNewfoundland.

“David Landry’s highly respected 25 years of knowledge and experience in the optical industry especially in Atlantic Canada combined with his most successful 18-year career with a premier lens supplier in Rodenstock is a tremendous asset to our lens network,” stated Ted Hahn, VP sales, DirectLab Network. “We are proud to have him work with us as we build our network in Atlantic Canada.

Silmo Paris – a Gateway to the Capital

The Mondial de l’Optique 2011 will take place at the best possible time right in the middle of Fashion Week Paris, an international event featuring the major fashion shows and hosting the world’s most influential buyers and journalists.

Alongside this major convention, the French capital is also an attractive city for shopping and leisure activities, with brand new and constantly refurbishing stores, a host of restaurants to tantalise the taste buds and party, and areas ideal for walking and relaxation. 

With its vast array of new museums and galleries,Parisis a showcase for prominent art exhibitions. This autumn brings a number of unforgettable events for visitors to enjoy: ‘Lucas Cranach’ at the Musée du Luxembourg, ‘Odilon Redon, prince du rêve (prince of dreams)’ at the Grand Palais, ‘Kees Van Dongen’ at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, ‘Manet, inventeur du moderne (inventor of the modern)’ at the Musée d’Orsay, ‘Dogon’ at the Musée du Quai Branly, ‘Paris-Delhi-Bombay’ at the Centre Pompidou… so many exciting exhibitions to explore on the fringes of this major autumn gathering dedicated to the international optics and eyewear sector from September 29 to October 2 2011.