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The Vision Council  >  Members   >  Divisions   >  Lens Division   >  Newsletter   >  July 2010

In Focus: July 2010

FDA Q&A Draft Lens Impact Resistance Update

Lens Description and Lens Marking Standard Released

Anti-Reflective Steering Committee Joins the Lens Division

Discounted CE Vouchers Available for Members to Share with Accounts

International Vision Expo News

Meetings at International Vision Expo West

Public Affairs and Advocacy Update

ISO Sponsorship Opportunities

Free Sales Professional Training for Members of The Vision Council

FDA Q&A Draft Lens Impact Resistance Update
In 2007 the Mass Lens Manufacturing Task Force of the Lens Division built an association response to the Draft FDA Impact Resistance document that was released in October of that year. The final written response to the FDA represented over 1,000 man hours of work, as well as a companion testing matrix consisting of over 1,400 individual drop-ball impact tests in support of the document.

During the Spring 2010 ANSI meetings in Alexandria, Va., the FDA representative informed staff that a new director had been appointed and that work was on hold while the department reorganized their priorities and, that on resumption of work, the document remains in edit in response to public comments.

Lens Description and Lens Marking Standard Released
Led by Darryl Meister of Carl Zeiss Vision and Mike Vitale of Essilor, the LDS Unified Task Force has completed work on the most recent versions of the successful Lens Description Standard (LDS), now version 2.0, and the new Lens Marking Standard 1.0. Both of these voluntary standards are available for member download from The Vision Council Web site.

The LDS 2.0 standard builds on and is backward compatible with version 1.1. The new Lens Marking Standard 1.0 has guidelines for human and machine readable markings to facilitate automated lens handling while not losing the human readable manufacturing and branding information.

For additional information on either standard please contact The Vision Council technical director Jeff Endres at jendres@thevisioncouncil.org.

Anti-Reflective Steering Committee Joins the Lens Division
The Anti-Reflective (AR) Steering Committee, lead by immediate past Chair John Quinn of LTI and new Chairman Joe DeZenzo of Luxottica, has voted to operate under the Lens Division and Lens Division Chairman Raanan Naftalovich of Shamir. The AR Steering Committee is the entity that was formed from the board members of the AR Council upon their merger with The Vision Council.

The focus of this group is to increase the use of AR lenses in the market through education. The educational initiative activities and curriculum grants provided by the Committee have resulted in the addition of mandatory education on the topic of AR lens at the 18 optometric colleges around the U.S., design of a new AR CE course, as well as The Vision Council's first ever on-line CE offering.

Discounted CE Vouchers Available for Members to Share with Accounts
In late 2009, The Vision Council launched an online continuing education (CE) platform to extend the reach of its divisional CE courses. Now, with a total of five courses available and more to be added in the coming months, members of The Vision Council have the opportunity to purchase online CE vouchers to reward accounts or to attract new business.

Custom vouchers with your company name and special code for tracking can be purchased for $5.00 each in packs of 250. The vouchers are good for one year and provide the recipient with one hour of free web-based ABO approved continuing education for each voucher, a $15 value to your account.

The current online offerings consist of high quality, product generic content and are designed to engage the learner and get results. Each course is delivered in an interactive manner and supported by audio, video, and print to address a variety of adult learning styles. Courses include:

• Prescribing and Selling AR Lenses
• The Dollars and Sense of In-Office Processing
• Troubleshooting Eyewear Complaints
• Increasing Capture Rate
• Lenses and Lifestyles^TM

The goal of this education is to enhance the skills and knowledge of eye care professionals which will increase the sell through of products, reduce returns and waste and expand revenue opportunities for both you and your accounts.

For information on the voucher program, please contact Rene Soltis, senior director of meetings and education, at rsoltis@thevisioncouncil.org.

International Vision Expo News
The Vision Council and International Vision Expo have several programs in place to help exhibitors make the most of their tradeshow investment.

We invite you to join us in Boston, Massachusetts to attend TS2: Total Solutions Marketing for the Exhibit and Event Professional. This 3-day exhibitor education event, taking place July 13-15, is designed for both seasoned tradeshow managers wanting to take their exhibiting results higher and tradeshow novices who want to get up to speed fast. Through our partnership, we have negotiated a significant discount on your company's registration to attend TS2. For more information on this exceptional education opportunity, please click here.

The Sales Pro Incentive Program is now live on the International Vision Expo West website. This FREE program allows you to register all your customers to the show with FREE admission to the exhibit hall (subject to the Show's attendee eligibility rules). This exciting opportunity not only allows you to promote your products and drive additional traffic to your booth, but you can also earn up to $40 per new attendee you sign up.

If you prefer more of a company-wide effort, the International Vision Expo Customer Invitation Program is available to exhibitors. This program allows you to communicate your presence at International Vision Expo, increase your booth traffic and register your customers and prospects for FREE to the exhibit hall! The Customer Invitations include:

• An animated web banner with custom URL promoting free exhibit hall admission that you can post on your company's website, as well as include in emails, email signatures and newsletters.
• A customizable electronic invitation highlighting your company's booth and product description
• A printed registration form available for exhibitors to print and distribute to their customers and patients.

NEW for 2010 - We've upgraded our Show Specials program to bring your company even more exposure to International Vision Expo West attendees. When you submit your special, not only will it continue to be featured on the International Vision Expo West website, but several other FREE marketing vehicles. We are also collecting a "what's new" show special of your company and products - anything from new licenses, research findings, technological advances, etc, that your company is looking to promote at this time.

Visit the International Vision Expo West website for more information on these free opportunities.

Meetings at International Vision Expo West
The Vision Council will host a series of meetings at International Vision Expo West. The meetings schedule is below.

All meetings will be held at The Venetian and the Sands Expo and Convention Center between October 5th and the 10th. For more information, please contact Amber Robinson at arobinson@thevisioncouncil.org.

Public Affairs and Advocacy
VisionPAC, The Vision Council's fundraising efforts to support federally elected officials, will be contacting member companies for Prior Authorization signatures over the course of the next few months. The Vision Council is asking members to have these forms completed by an authorized signature and returned via fax it. For information on VisionPAC, please click here.

In order to increase the scope of The Vision Council's influence on Capitol Hill, the Public Affairs and Advocacy Department is actively reaching out to old and new members of the advocacy community to promote our membership's interests. By making these connections we will be able to increase our exposure and effectiveness within the Beltway. Recently, staff has met with advocates from Prevent Blindness America, American Optometric Association (AOA) American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Wal-Mart, American Academy of Dermatology and others to pursue new initiatives that will bring The Vision Council and its members to the forefront of the legislative conversation. As new platforms arise we will keep members updated.

In May, the Public Affairs and Advocacy Committee met at The Vision Council office in Alexandria, VA to conduct its annual planning meeting. During the course of the two-day event the committee met with U.S. Senators, Representatives and staff to discuss the importance of vision care for all Americans, especially children. We also reiterated the need to ensure eyeglasses will be exempted from the excise tax in the new health care law being implemented in 2014. In addition, we pressed our Congressional leaders to remove all of The Vision Council's member's products from the tax and will continue that push in the future. 

ISO Sponsorship Opportunities
The Z80 standards committee and its administrator, The Vision Council, are pleased to host the 2010 International Standards Organization (ISO) meeting in Las Vegas just prior to International Vision Expo West.

ISO is the world's largest developer and publisher of international standards. ISO standards focus on the development, manufacturing and the supply of products and services. The ISO SC 7 Ophthalmic Optics meeting occurs once every 18 months and is a working meeting that attracts the leading technical experts from around the world. As you know the standards process serves as the critical foundation for everyone in the optical community.

In order to make this a first-class affair we need your assistance. Becoming a sponsor allows you to support 140 leading technical experts from around the world who set the ISO standards for the products you sell. We have established a variety of sponsorship opportunities allowing you to display your commitment to the international standard development process. For more information, please contact Amber Robinson at arobinson@thevisioncouncil.org.

Free Sales Professional Training for Members of The Vision Council
Mark your calendar for the next "On the Road Sales Coach" training session. The free quarterly sessions are conducted as topic-specific conference calls which are supported by tools and resources for sales professionals to stay on top of their game.

Based on attendee feedback and the high demand for the program, The Vision Council has introduced several changes and additions for 2010. The calls are conducted as 1/2 hour power sessions to reduce sales professionals' time commitment without sacrificing quality of content and new guest coaches have been added to offer diverse viewpoints and share best practices.

The remaining 2010 "On the Road Sales Coach" sessions include:

• Wednesday, September 1: "Chameleon Sales Techniques"
• Wednesday, December 1: "Eliminating and Overcoming Objections"

The sessions will be held at 8:00 a.m. EST and 11:00 a.m. EST to allow sales professionals on both the east and west coasts to participate before they begin their day. The training is led by industry experts and serves as an open forum for sales professionals to brainstorm and share best practices.

To register for the free sales training courses, please contact Amber Robinson, member services coordinator, at (703) 740-1094 or arobinson@thevisioncouncil.org. An agenda and dial-in/web information will be provided upon registration.