Viva Las Vegas! What’s new at VEW 2016

Las Vegas-You may have missed some updates while rolling the dice, taking in a show, or enjoying a great meal. Perhaps you were strolling the vast exhibit hall.

Optometry Times keeps you in the know with four things you may have overlooked during the first few days of VEW 2016.

Search underway for CooperVision’s second annual Best Practices initiative

CooperVision has kicked off its second annual Best Practices program. The company is seeking to recognize U.S. optometrists who have found creative ways to make their practices thrive and can share a fresh perspective with others

All U.S. optometry practices currently fitting contact lenses are invited to participate. Best Practices candidates are encouraged to submit practice profiles and stories, sharing their insights and experiences in all of the following areas:

• Innovation will be evaluated on contributions to the betterment of eye health and education, leveraging technology in interesting ways to grow the practice, and advancing the eyecare profession among the public

• Industry Leadership will be rated on how a practice advances the profession and leads the industry regionally, nationally, and even globally

• Patient Experience will be judged on unique aspects of patient care as well as how a practice delivers excellent eye care experiences and education to its patients

“Best Practices is about bringing to light the innovative things that eyecare practitioners do every day to grow their practices and provide the best possible care to their patients,” says Michele Andrews, OD, director of professional affairs, North America at CooperVision.

“Through our partnership this year with the first 10 Best Practices, we have seen firsthand how practices are adjusting their approaches to eye care in response to the evolution of both the industry and the business landscape as a whole,” she says.

The inaugural class of Best Practices honorees was announced in February 2016.

Applicants can submit their stories via video or written response at EyeCareBestPractices.com through November 27, 2016. The 2016 Best Practices will be announced in early 2017.

Eye-tracking tests identify autism, Parkinson’s disease

RightEye LLC acquired exclusive rights to two eye movement tests that help doctors identify early stages of autism in children 12 to 40 months old and aid in detecting Parkinson’s disease.

The GeoPref Autism Test was  developed by autism researcher Karen Pierce, PhD, co-director of the University of California, San Diego Autism Center of Excellence. The test uses eye-tracking technology to compare the amount of time children spend looking at videos of people with the amount of time they spend looking at videos of geometric shapes.

This new test results in autism identification in one in five cases, says RightEye, and identifies children for further testing in nearly half of cases, allowing for the early therapy intervention that can have a profound impact on outcomes. The American Pediatric Association recommends intervention before age 3, yet often children are not diagnosed until later.

RightEye’s Parkinson’s & Other Movement Disorders Test has identified Parkinson’s and other rare movement disorders, including Huntington’s disease and essential tremor, in thousands of patients over 12 years, according to the company. The test accurately identifies and assesses patterns of eye movement that are affected in patients with movement disorders.

According to the company, the test offers more accuracy than traditional diagnostic methods, take only five minutes, and have a lower cost than standard PET, DAT, and MRI scans frequently ordered for diagnosis.

The eye-tracking tests are expected to be available to healthcare providers in early 2017 through RightEye’s platform, which was launched earlier this year and already offers a series of eye-tracking-based tests and training:

• RightEye Neuro Vision, a two-minute test that helps healthcare providers understand the severity of a patient’s head trauma and assess recovery over time

• RightEye Essential Vision, core vision tests that take only a few minutes to complete and provide a faster and more accurate way to implement standard vision screenings

• RightEye Performance Vision, a set of vision tests assess vision strengths and identify areas of vision that can be improved to enable patients to reach maximum performance levels

Submit your entry for Transition Innovation Awards Program by October 31

Beginning October 1, Transitions Optical will open the submission window for the 2016 Transitions Innovation Awards Program. The program recognizes optical industry professionals and Transitions partners from the U.S. and Canada.

The program is open to optical industry professionals, independent eyecare professionals and practices, educators, national and regional retailers, and optical laboratories.

The five award categories are:

• 2016 Transitions Brand Ambassador

• Best in Growth Achievement

• Best in Training

• Best in Marketing

• Best in Patient Experience

To enter, candidates must complete a nomination form and detail their 2016 efforts in the following evaluation areas:

• Commitment and inspiration

• Goals

• Plan and creativity

• Impact and results

Nominees are welcome to enter more than one category and may self-enter or can be nominated by a lab, lens manufacturer, industry colleague, or other industry organization representative.

Nominations for all Transitions Innovation Awards will be accepted online from October 1 - 31, 2016. All finalists in each category will receive a trip for two to the 2017 Transitions Academy, January 29-February 1, 2017, in Orlando, FL, where the winners will be announced. 

Cooper sponsors ebook companion to sight documentary premiering on WDS

CooperVision will be the exclusive sponsor of the ebook companion to a documentary celebrating vision.

“SIGHT: The Story of Vision,” a one-hour documentary produced by Koenig Films, will premier on PBS on World Sight Day, Thursday, October 13.

Narrated by Sir Elton John, the film highlights the technology and medicine that allows for understanding of how sight works, how to cure diseases of the eye, and how to correct vision.

The companion ebook is intended to be educational, according to Cooper, and to enhance and extend the viewer’s experience with the film. The ebook will be available electronically on the websites of PBS stations that broadcast the documentary and through other global broadcast partners.

“To be involved with this film was a natural fit for CooperVision, and we congratulate Koenig Films on the culmination of all the team’s hard work to bring ‘SIGHT’ to life,” says Jerry Warner, president, North America at CooperVision.