Here’s a quick look at some industry news you may have missed this week.
- The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week the owner and operator of online colored contact lens retailer Candy Color Lenses was sentenced to 46 months in prison for running an international operation importing counterfeit and misbranded contact lenses from suppliers in Asia, and then selling them over the internet without a prescription to tens of thousands of customers around the country. Dmitriy V. Melnik, of Las Vegas, reportedly plead guilty in September 2016 to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and to introduce into interstate commerce misbranded devices.
- Both the University of Miami and University of California, Davis have received grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research related to optical coherence tomography. The University of Miami will be looking at Endothelium/Descemet's Membrane Complex Optical Tomography, while UC Davis will be investigating Properties of Photoreceptoers and Muller Cells Investigated with AO-OCT.
- The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) has published a standard for lighting the visual environment for seniors and those with low vision in an effort to help increase lighting designers' understanding of age-related vision loss. The standard is also meant to stress the importance of lighting design decisions that could impact the safety and independence of the growing senior population.
- Scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered the mechanisms behind a genetic change known to cause a set of related diseases, including chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia, which is known to cause eye muscle weakness.
- A new study from the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center has found better eye training may help reduce concussion in women soccer players.
- Volk Optical has appointed Dr. Jyoti Gupta to the position of president, following the move of long-time Volk president Pete Mastores to the position of chief commercial officer on Volk’s board. In her new role, Dr. Gupta will be responsible for leading Volk Optical, providing strategic and tactical direction to support the future growth of Volk’s global sales and operations.
- TearScience has appointed Clarion Medical is Canadian distributor to all Canadian provinces except Quebec, where Oeilsec continues successful distribution. Through the partnership, Clarion will reportedly enhance the accessibility of meibomian gland imaging and MGD treatment to Canadian practices and patients.
- Pearle Vision was recently ranked #24 in Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500. Pearle is reportedly the only vision care brand to be included in the list and one of only three health care franchises in the top 25. In 2016, Pearle Vision was ranked #115.
- Canadian eye care products and services provider New Look Vision Group Inc. recently completed acquisition of the retail optical assets and business forming part of Visions One Hour Optical Ltd., carrying on business principally under the Visions Optical banner in local communities across British Columbia at 10 retail locations.
- And electro-optical medical device manufacturer Evergaze LLC has entered into a five-year agreement with nonprofit organization Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind to distribute Evergaze products to its affiliated network of nonprofit organizations nationally, including the new seeBoost® miniature wearable device designed to assist people experiencing vision loss where conventional refractive techniques fail.