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Morel XL

Morel introduces a concept tailored for men seeking eyewear frames larger than average, unveiling the XL Cyan concept. These stainless-steel frames, with a revamped retro allure, are accentuated by a contrasting colour line for a striking effect. The finesse of their design, combined with Morel’s iconic comfort, provides a unique experience ideal for the modern man unwilling to compromise on style!

Distributed by Morel Canada: morel-france.com

About Morel:

Family-owned, independent and responsible, the company strives to transmit the authenticity of its expertise while developing a strong international distribution network. Today, we are present in over 90 countries!

Today, more than ever, MOREL is proud of our past and resolutely turned towards our future. Our sincere desire for improvement lies close to our hearts and has led us to embrace an environmentally and socially responsible initiative. MOREL strives to become a company that is committed to addressing the major global issues of our time.

CSI Dry Eye Software Announces Release of Version 5.0

CSI Dry eye software

CSI Dry Eye Software has announced the launch of its latest update, Version 5.0. This update represents a significant advancement in dry eye diagnostics and treatment recommendations. Developed after extensive research and input from key opinion leaders, Version 5.0 aims to improve efficiency, accuracy, and simplicity in pre-operative assessment and dry eye management.

Key features of CSI Dry Eye Software Version 5.0 include expanded language support with the addition of French and Spanish, enhanced visuals through integrated charts for better assessment analysis, and an integrated HIPAA compliant medical intake form that streamlines patient data management. Additionally, the software introduces a medication notification system for alerting users about drug side effects or eye disease-related issues, along with a referral center for managing incoming and outgoing referrals.

The new inbox system offers improved navigation and customization options for a better user experience, including notification management and centralized updates. Moreover, Version 5.0 provides simplified assessments with customizable pre-operative and dry eye screening tools to suit various clinic needs.

“We are thrilled to introduce CSI Dry Eye Software Version 5.0.  It represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to revolutionizing dry eye management and diagnosis through technology.  With its advanced features and user-centric design, Version 5.0 empowers practitioners to deliver exceptional care, improve patient outcomes and drive operational excellence”. 
Aftab Ahmad, Chief Technical Officer for CSI Dry Eye Software

Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghoul, MD, inventor and founder, will be speaking at ASCRS in Boston on “Machine Learning Model for Predicting Dry Eye Severity Using ASCRS Pre-Operative OSD Algorithm”. Visit booth #2377 for more information.

To learn more about CSI Dry Eye Software, please visit the website: https://csidryeye.com/

Click HERE for the full press release.

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Protect Your Vision: Safeguarding Canadians During the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8

Canadian Ophthalmological Society

On April 8, Canadians will get to experience a total solar eclipse and it’s important to remember the significance of protecting their vision during this event.

The Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) wants to make sure Canadians are taking the proper precautions to keep their eyes safe when viewing the eclipse. Even a brief glance at the sun during this time can lead to irreversible eye damage, potentially causing vision loss, also called solar retinopathy.

Solar eclipse
Solar eclipse

When watching the solar eclipse, Canadians should take the following eye safety precautions: 

  • Protect your eyes at all times using safe solar viewing glasses or a safe handheld solar viewer that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard.
  • It’s important to make sure that the glasses are not torn, scratched, or otherwise damaged before use.
  • Do not look at the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer, as the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and can cause serious eye injury.
  • Always supervise children using solar viewers.

What is solar retinopathy?

Solar retinopathy (also known as eclipse retinopathy) refers to photochemical injury to the macular tissue (central retina). It’s commonly associated with sungazing or eclipse viewing. A short duration of exposure, as little as a few seconds glancing at the sun, can cause solar retinopathy. 

What are some of the symptoms associated with solar retinopathy?

Some of the symptoms associated with solar retinopathy include:

  • Blurry vision
  • Vision loss in the center of your sight
  • Eye pain 

How is solar retinopathy treated?

Unfortunately, there is no known treatment for solar retinopathy, and those affected have to wait for it to go away. Your eye doctor may schedule follow-up exams to monitor you for any vision loss.

How long does it take for solar retinopathy to go away?

Most improve on their own over 3-6 months. Unfortunately, vision changes that are still present 6 months after the injury may be permanent. Some people will continue to have permanent distortions and blind spots in their central vision.

 What should you do if you do get direct eye exposure to the eclipse?

The best way to avoid vision loss or injury is prevention. Make sure to wear protective eyewear during an eclipse. If you experience any symptoms of eye damage after accidentally looking directly at the sun, seek immediate treatment from an ophthalmologist/eye care professional. 

To learn more eye health in general, visit www.seethepossibilities.ca.  

Additional Resources:

Queen’s University 2024 Total Solar Eclipse – find information and resources to help you safely experience and enjoy this unique astronomical event.

Canadian Space Agency – Looking directly at the sun, without appropriate protection, can lead to serious problems such as partial or complete loss of eyesight.

NASA’s Eclipse Explorer – an interactive map designed to enhance your eclipse-viewing experience. Crafted to complement our existing static eclipse maps, this tool enables users to dive into this amazing celestial event like never before. 

Eclipse America 2024 – The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, will be total in a narrow path from Mexico to Eastern Canada and partial to the northwest and southeast. Yellow curves indicate how much of the Sun is covered by the Moon outside the path of totality. The difference between a total solar eclipse and a partial one is literally the difference between night and day, so get yourself into the path of totality if you can.

Source: Canadian Ophthalmological Society

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WCO Announces Ambassadors for Myopia Management Outreach Initiatives

To help support its ongoing work to address myopia as a public health crisis and further the adoption of myopia management as the standard of care, the World Council of Optometry (WCO), in partnership with CooperVision, is appointing a team of ambassadors for their education, outreach, and practice-building initiatives. All four ambassadors serve a global role, representing a diverse set of regions, and are leading optometrists with extensive experience in myopia management in both clinical practice and educational settings.

“With cases of myopia soaring among children, there is an urgent need to adopt myopia management as a standard of care on a global scale. It is an important cause to each of our ambassadors, and I’m thrilled to collaborate with them to expand awareness around the world. Each ambassador will play a crucial role in our efforts, using their platforms to engage with the optometry community and reach a broader audience. While more eye care professionals have embraced evidence-based approaches focused on the mitigation, measurement, and management of myopia—there is still much work to be done. We have new and exciting endeavors planned for this year, and we’re ready to hit the ground running.”

Dr. Sandra Block, President, World Council of Optometry  

The WCO myopia management standard of care resolution was developed in partnership with CooperVision and introduced in April 2021. It includes the three main standard of care pillars of mitigation, measurement, and management.

All four WCO ambassadors are actively involved in day-to-day myopia management. They are:

Nicola Logan, World Council of Optometry ambassador
Nicola Logan, World Council of Optometry ambassador

Nicola Logan, PhD, MEd, MCOptom, SFHEA, FHEA, Global Representative: Nicola Logan is a professor of optometry and physiological optics at the School of Optometry at Aston University in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Logan is also director of research for the Optometry & Vision Science Research Group. Her research includes the Aston Eye study, which investigated refractive error prevalence in school children.

Logan was also the principal investigator of the MiSight® 1 day study and runs a myopia clinic that offers myopia control spectacles, myopia control soft contact lenses, and orthokeratology lenses. She collaborates with other researchers through the Myopia Consortium UK and has received the Neil Charman Award for Excellence in Research from The College of Optometrists, UK. Logan’s areas of interest are the epidemiology of refractive error, the development and aetiology of myopia, and myopia control. 

Jagrut Lallu, World Council of Optometry Ambassador
Jagrut Lallu, World Council of Optometry Ambassador

Jagrut Lallu, MSc Specialty Lenses, BOptom, FIAOMC, Asia–Pacific Representative: Jagrut Lallu is a partner of Rose Optometry in Hamilton, New Zealand. He is also the director of Innovatus Technology, which develops software to make contact lens design accessible to contact lens practitioners. In 2009, Lallu set up the first myopia control clinic in New Zealand devoted to evidence-based methods for management.

In 2023, he established the New Zealand Eye Research Centre, focusing on clinical trials and research in a new Hamilton location. Lallu is also a clinical senior lecturer at the Deakin School of Optometry in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, and is an honorary teaching fellow at the University of Auckland.  His areas of interest include keratoconus, dry eye, orthokeratology, and myopia management.

Síofra Harrington World Council of Optometry Ambassador
Síofra Harrington World Council of Optometry Ambassador

Síofra Harrington, PhD, FAOI, European Representative: Síofra Harrington is a lecturer, researcher, and clinical supervisor with the School of Physics, Clinical and Optometric Sciences at Technological University in Dublin, Ireland. She is also a fellow of the Association of Optometrists Ireland. Harrington supervises pediatric clinics that address several conditions, including myopia, amblyopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and more. She was the principal investigator for the Ireland Eye Study, which reported the prevalence of ametropia, amblyopia, and vision impairment in school children.

She was also the principal investigator for the Child Eye Health Study and co-investigator for the BLU-RAY Project investigating blue light phototoxicity. Harrington is the author of multiple peer-reviewed academic publications and numerous academic poster presentations reporting Ireland Eye Study findings.

Ashley Wallace Tucker World of Optometry Ambassador
Ashley Wallace Tucker World of Optometry Ambassador

Ashley Wallace Tucker, OD, FAAO, FSLS, ABO Diplomate, U.S. Representative: Ashley Wallace Tucker is a partner at Bellaire Family Eye Care and The Contact Lens Institute of Houston, a private practice in Houston, Texas. There, she primarily treats patients needing specialty contact lenses and myopia management. Tucker is also a visiting assistant professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry, where she is the course master for the Ophthalmic Optics Laboratory.

Through her affiliation with the University of Houston, Tucker regularly provides continuing education on myopia management and other topics. She is also a lecturer for the STAPLE (Soft Toric and Presbyopic Lens Experience) program. She specializes in corneal diseases, complex contact lens fits, and myopia management, particularly orthokeratology.

Visit the World Council of Optometry myopia management online resource featuring the standard of care pledge signup page, resolution, and practical tools and information for optometrists at https://myopia.worldcouncilofoptometry.info/. For questions about myopia management, email the WCO ambassadors at MMNambassador@worldoptometry.org.

Click HERE for the press release.

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Tax Planning for Eye Care Pros

Two professionals discussing financial graphs and charts with a laptop on the table

By Dr. Roxanne Arnal, CFP®

As the year winds down, personal tax planning opportunities with a year-end deadline demand attention. Though RRSP contributions can wait up to 60 days into the new year, some financial moves should be made before December 31.

It’s also worth noting that while focusing on personal year-end tax planning, one shouldn’t overlook the potential integration with corporate year-end planning, which may not align with the calendar year end. Bringing together both aspects can facilitate a more holistic approach to tax optimization.

🎓 RESP Withdrawals

If you have a post-secondary student, consider an additional Education Assistance Payment (EAP) before year-end. EAPs are comprised of grants and growth and are taxable in the student’s hands. Understanding your student’s expected 2023 income and the 13-week window from a child’s very first EAP will help you decide.

🏫 RESP Contributions

If you haven’t taken advantage of the annual grant room, consider adding to your child’s RESP prior to year-end. Remember, there are additional rules around grants with a lifetime maximum of $7,200 until the end of the year in which your child turns 17 and restrictions if you haven’t met certain criteria prior to the end of the calendar year in which they turn 15.

♿ RDSP Contributions

Registered Disability Savings Plans have annual grant allotments that need to be completed prior to year-end. If you have an eligible child, become familiar with the grant and bond process.

🗓️ Strategic TFSA Withdrawals

December is the right time for TFSA withdrawals if your tax planning includes recontributions in 2024, as withdrawn amounts are returned to your contribution room on January 1.

A wooden model of a house next to a stack of coins and a calculator, symbolizing home savings and financial planning.

First Home Savings Account Contributions

If you are saving for your first home, the FHSA is a new option that permits you to contribute up to $8,000 in the year you open the account. The big perk here is that contributions are tax-deductible, like RRSP contributions, in the year they are made, helping to reduce your 2023 income taxes. In addition, the growth on the investment is treated as tax-free when it is withdrawn as intended, and the plan can be used in conjunction with the Home Buyers Plan linked to your RRSP.

📊 Tax-Loss Selling of Investments

Offset capital gains with losses in non-registered accounts. These capital losses can be carried back three years or carried forward indefinitely. Be cautious not to trigger a superficial loss, which applies if repurchased within 30 days.

💍 Prescribed Rate Loan for Spousal Income Splitting

You can lower your household tax bill through the use of a prescribed rate loan for income splitting if your spouse is in a lower tax bracket. The current prescribed interest rate is 5% for loans set up in the fourth quarter of 2023. Once the loan is set, the interest rate remains for the duration of the loan. Discuss this higher level strategy with your advisor.

Charitable Donations

Receipted donations offer federal and provincial tax credits. The federal credit jumps up for total donations exceeding $200 in a calendar year. There are also substantial tax breaks where investments or life insurance are donated to registered Canadian charities in-kind.

A hand placing a coin into a glass jar labeled 'DONATE', filled with coins, representing charitable giving for tax deductions.

🏦 So Many Options

There are so many options and opportunities to save with proper tax planning. Of course, the best fit is based on your personal situation and goals. Consulting a Certified Financial Planner® who acts as your fiduciary and communicates well with your accounting and legal team allows you to maximize tax mitigation strategies effectively.


Roxanne Arnal is a Certified Financial Planner®, former Optometrist, Professional Corporation President, and practice owner. She is dedicated to empowering individuals and their wealth by helping them make smart financial decisions. This article is for information purposes only and is not a replacement for personalized financial planning. Errors and Omissions exempt.


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