EDITOR’S LETTER

Augment WHAT?

Your reality, that’s what. The lines are blurring. Until recently, print was...well, hard copy. And online communications were just that—from outer space, as my dad used to say.

Thanks to what is called augmented reality technology, we’re melding the two in this and upcoming issues of Eyecare Business.

ENHANCING THE INTERACTION

Referred to as AR in tech circles, it allows us to enhance your interaction with EB by bringing a new dimension to the reading experience. This month, we use the technology in our Business of Blue Light supplement to link you to a recent newscast on the subject.

The details on how to use the technology are on page 3 of the supplement, which starts following page 40 of the magazine. Here’s the Cliff Notes version of what to do: download, then launch the Actable app, scan the page, and, voila, the just-under-two-minute newscast will play.

Many thanks to TV station WAFF-84 in Huntsville, AL, for sharing its Your Health segment on blue light with us (and you). In it, an area optometrist—Chris Teichmiller, O.D., who practices in Decatur—and an always-online patient speak with the station’s medical reporter about the problems and solutions surrounding exposure to blue light.

INVESTING IN YOU

Last month, we applied AR to an ad, and that is how it’s most commonly used—to augment, if you will, the connection to a product or company.

That’s a great application, but the fact that EB and our sister publications at PentaVision are investing in this technology not just in advertising, but to enhance editorial content as well, says a lot about us. Simply put, whether it’s in print or online, our goal is to help you build your business and enhance the patient experience.

Check out the newscast, and tell us what you think.

Happy viewing.

Stephanie K. De Long
Editorial Director