Hospitalized Elderly Need Their Eyewear
Topic: Eyewear
The New York Times recently noted that "situations like being without one’s eyeglasses, being in a darkened room and being unaware of the day and time can trigger delirium" in the elderly who are hospitalized. 

Under the Category: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Topic: Optical--Sort Of
Optician Thomas Paine of Great Yarmouth  was doing good. He was "preparing to donate his organs when he died suddenly." That's the way it was reported in Advertiser24. It didn't happen quite that way as the website explains more clearly.

CL Solution Recalled in Europe and Middle East
Topic: Contact Lenses
Last week VisionMonday reported: "Bausch + Lomb said last Friday it is conducting a voluntary recall of a limited number of lots of the company's ReNu Multi-Purpose Solution and ReNu MultiPlus multi-purpose solution in Europe and the Middle East."

Yanks Held Up Deal for CLs
Topic: Contact Lenses
CBSSports.com blogger Danny Knobler reports an official in baseball as saying in response to the claim that the New York Yankees were upset about how the Mriners handled the Cliff Lee trade: that "The Yankees? How can they say anything? They held up [last winter's three-team trade] by insisting that Curtis Granderson first get his eyes checked and then insisting that [Granderson] agreed to wear contact lenses."

Cause for Retinal Degeneration Found
Topic: Optical
Contactlenses.co.uk reports that Japanese scientists at Hamamatsu University School of Medicine have discovered genetic defect in how the cilia of cells communication can lead to retinal degenertion.

Length of a Good Eye Exam
Topic: Optical
A study by British optometrist Christian Dutton has come to the conclusion that "for an eye exam to be completed to an acceptable standard, it should take 29 minutes."

Slow News Sunday So Here's a Cool Sunglass Video
Topic: Sunglasses

There's never much news on weekends. Rather than hype some unimportant optical news. Here's some eye candy.

Sunglass manufacturer produced the video below. It has nothing to do with optics per se but it has great video and music.

But Officer, the Optician Did It
Topic: Eyewear
When Canton police pulled over a driver for crossing the yellow line, the driver blamed his broken eyeglasses, but the police discovered...

Electronic Bifocals?
Topic: Eyewear

Special Optics Need on Easter Island
Topic: Optical
Shortly after lunchtime, the moon passed between the sun and the moon, darkening a portion of the Earth, particular the area of Chile's Easter Island. Viewers used special glasses and other devices to "see" the solar eclipse. The next eclipse will be over Australia in November 2012. 

Roth and Charmant Break Up
Topic: Eyewear

It's been 12 years since Christian Roth tied the licensing agreement knot with Charmant Inc. It will end at the end of the year, says a report in the WWDMarket.

Ray-Ban Goes Carbon Fiber?
Topic: Eyewear

The blog called Luxist reports that Ray-Ban has launched its carbon fiber collection of sunglasses. 

 

Still Using Recalled CL Solution
Topic: Optical

Optometry.com reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was concerned that contact lens customers were still using the contact lens Complete MoisturePlus Multipurpose Contact Lens solution made by Advanced Medical Optics. The solution was recalled May 2007 because the infection called acanthamoeba keratitis had been linked to the product. About 20 people have come down with the disease this year (2010) because they used the product, according to reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Hybrid Frame
Topic: Eyewear

Scheyden Precision Eyewear says that it has introduced the world's "most comfortable composite frame...[by] combining a CRC (cedar rolled composite) frame with hypoallergenic NiAg temples and Cloisonne tips." The wrap line is also available for custom fitting.

MJB Comes Out with Her Own Line of Eyewear
Topic: Eyewear

Mary J. Blige is launching her own line of eyewear--”Melodies by MJB Eyewear.

Say No to Vodka Eyeballing--the New Drinking
Topic: Optical

There has been a rise in the number of cases of adolescents participating in a drinking game called vodka eyeballing. It's a simple and stupid game. You take a bottle of vodka, remove the cap, put it on your eye, and tip back until the vodka hits your eye. Does it get you drunk? No. Could it damage the eye? Heck, yes.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology came out with this statement: "A dangerous drinking game called 'vodka eyeballing' is attracting public attention on YouTube. People need to be aware that anyone who pours vodka directly into his eye risks damaging the surface epithelial cells--often causing pain and infection. More seriously, 'eyeballing' can also lead to permanent vision damage by killing endothelial cells in deeper layers of the eye's cornea."

 

Poor Eyesight Costs the World
Topic: Optical

African Business Review recently reported: "The World Health Organisation estimates that uncorrected refractive error (poor eye sight) costs at least $121.4 billion per annum globally in lost productivity. In African countries such as Rwanda, eyecare presents its own unique problems. With a population of 10 million, but only 8 ophthalmologists and 4 registered optometrists and nearly 85% of the population living in rural areas, access to services is severely limited." 

 

Being an Online Optician

The Wall Street Journal's Smart Money examines the work of Ronald Applebaum, who once had three stores in Manhattan. He sold them and started EyeglassDirect.com. Remember: One man's poison is another's....

Presbyopia Taking Worldwide Toll
Topic: Eyewear

Researchers have put on number on the impact of presbyopia worldwide. More than 1 billion people cannot see near and half don't have eyewear, most of them living in the developing world. The number will probably double in the next 40 years.

Germans Want Better Price-Quality Ratio/Belgians Selling More Multifocals
Topic: Eyewear
According to Companiesandmarkets.com, "The main trends influencing spectacles in Germany are towards a greater variety of products and designs and a better price-quality ratio."

Meanwhile in nearby Belgium, the sales of multifocal spectacle lenses are increasing along with the incident of presbyopia.