Blog

May 20, 2016April 24, 2018

FYidoctors Continues to Expand its Footprint in Ontario

Calgary, AB – FYidoctors, Canada’s largest and fastest growing eye care company, is pleased to announce that Village Eyecare in Ancaster, Ontario has recently joined the FYidoctors team. Under the leadership of Dr. Tracy McMurter, this clinic joins the group backed by 21 years of experience in the community.

This acquisition will give FYidoctors a growing presence in this area of Ontario. Equipped with a range of diagnostic technology, a wide selection of designer and exclusive label frames and internal freeform lens designs, these locations will establish a new and prominent FYidoctors presence.

“After taking a break from growing to focus on our fantastic brand new laboratory and distribution facility, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Tracy McMurter and her tremendous team from Ancaster, Ontario to our company.” Says Dr. Alan Ulsifer, CEO & President of FYidoctors. “Dr. McMurter has been a valuable contributor to the profession and we are pleased to be able to continue to have thought leaders such as her contributing to our company. We are excited to be back in growth mode and look forward to welcoming more and more respected doctors to our team.”

Like all FYidoctors locations, Village Eyecare will offer detailed pre-testing, comprehensive eye exams, a menu of current lens technology and custom fittings with our electronic measurement devices.

“We are extremely involved in our community and look forward to elevating our offering to the residents of Ancaster, who we’ve served for over 20 years.” Adds Dr. Tracy McMurter of Village Eyecare. “FYidoctors’ philosophy of innovative technology and superior patient care parallels what Village Eyecare has been bringing to our patients for so many years. Our team is excited to be joining FYidoctors which brings opportunity to expand our product offerings, streamlines our processes and further enhance our patients’ experience at our office and in their everyday lives.”

May 20, 2016April 24, 2018

Hard Times for Independent Optometrists

In a recent article in Le Soleil, a daily newspaper in Quebec, the optometrist Lucie Laurin sounds the alarm on the plight of independent optometrists.

In Quebec, about one office per week is absorbed by a large optical chain. Eye exams have been traditionally financed by the sale of products, but online sales disrupt this dynamic. As more and more customers leave with their prescriptions and buy on the Internet, independent optometrists struggle to be profitable and end up selling their office.

Dr. Laurin also believes that chains neglect certain aspects of eye health and make profiling patients (selectively choose patients), discarding those that require additional time, such as the elderly. Le Soleil reports that the situation has also concerned the Minister of Justice of Quebec, Stéphanie Vallée, who is considering amending the Professional Code to better protect patients.

Source: http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/sante/201605/18/01-4983026-les-optometristes-quebecois-avales-par-les-grandes-chaines.php

May 19, 2016April 24, 2018

MarchonNYCKids Launches Four New Models

MarchonNYCkids presents four new frames for boys and girls. The temples on Estella and Celeste (photo) girls’ models feature a constellation of American stars and flirt with a one-tone metal or acetate front, while those for boys, Dominic and Derek, propose a clean black and white look, also with an acetate or metal front. A collection that proudly bears the brand’s New York DNA.

www.marchon.com

May 19, 2016April 24, 2018

Optometry Connects in Toronto for Education and Inspiration

The Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) hosted nearly 500 delegates in Toronto for its annual Symposium and InfoMart at the newly renovated Toronto Sheraton Centre Hotel April 7- 10. Once again, the centrepiece of the event was over 60 hours of high-level education by over 30 speakers from across North America along with local favorites.

OAO has become popular for its small workshop format where optometrists along with staff can learn a specific topic more in-depth and have a more hands on interactive experience.

The Symposium opened with its 106th Annual General Meeting where members had a chance to hear and voice their thoughts about their profession and the recent accomplishments and plans for the OAO. The President’s Keynote lecture featured Dr. Brad Sutton, Clinical Professor at the Indiana University School of Optometry, on Cancer and the Eye.

Once again, the OAO InfoMart was packed with over 100 booths featuring the latest in optometry related equipment, pharmaceutical advancements, business services, frames, lenses and more. Johnson & Johnson was the featured InfoMart Lead Partner and hosted the show’s first ever Cappuccino Bar which had constant line ups to experience the “eye” themed caffeinated hot drinks made by a professional barista. Bausch + Lomb sponsored a fabulous array of food for the Taste of Canada InfoMart Lunch. Alcon Canada was Diamond Marquee Symposium partner. Their sponsorship featured an entertaining keynote lunch by Brian Thwaites, a former high school teacher, on “Smart ways to use your brain.”

Mark your calendar for next year’s event in Toronto from April 7 – 9, 2017. To catch some highlights of this year’s event, visit the website at www.oaosymposium.com.

You can relive highlights of the OAO event at http://events.optikdigital.ca.

May 18, 2016April 24, 2018

AMD Before and After Anti-VEGF Drugs

A new study funded by the National Eye Institute finds that anti-VEGF treatments have greatly improved the prognosis for patients with AMD.

This study followed up with participants from the Comparison of AMD Treatments Trials (CATT) five years after the initial trial. 50 percent of patients who received anti-VEGF treatments had 20/40 vision or better, 20 percent had 20/200 vision or worse, while the rest were in between. This is a large improvement over photodynamic therapy, the best available treatment from ten years ago, where less than 15 percent of patients retain 20/40 vision.

The trial also compared outcomes for patients receiving different anti-VEGF treatments, ranibizumab (Lucentis) and bevacizumab (Avastin). Treatment with ranibizumab is approximately $1,575 per month in Canada, while bevacizumab costs around $7 per month.

“Some experts had speculated that two years of treatment with ranibizumab might have long-term benefits superior to bevacizumab. However, at five years, there were no differences in visual acuity between the two drugs,” said Daniel F. Martin, M.D., chair of the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute and CATT study chair.

Full paper available here.