we serve up 4 surprising
sunwear trends + 10 must-know
business trends for a successful year.
What’s in a name? This year, the moniker is downright visionary.
2020 is kicking off to be the Year of Vision, with its optical-perfect digits representing excellent eyesight.
EB joins in the celebration with a new hashtag to watch—#EB2020Vision—and a fully fresh + highly focused new lineup content for the new year.
Must-read new columns include Thought Leadership on page 24, which taps into the industry’s most cutting-edge independent eyecare professionals and other leaders for a compelling view on the future outlook for the industry.
“Employment of optometrists is poised to increase 10% between now and 2028, yet what we do, how we do it, and with whom we collaborate will look extraordinarily different than it does today.” —HOWARD PURCELL, O.D., FAAO, NECO President & CEO, tells us in Thought Leadership on page 24
fashion designer John Varvatos to chat
about (and try on) his special, new
limited-edition eyewear collection with
De Rigo REM. Catch our Q+A on page 44.
New England College of Optometry President & CEO Howard Purcell, O.D., FAAO, kicks things off in this issue with a deep dive into the future of optometry and optometric education. The timing is spot on, on the heels of the inaugural NECO Employer and Industry Relations Summit held in November—which brought nearly 100 industry leaders and educators together to discuss optometry’s future—EB was honored to be a part of this monumental event.
Another exciting, new EB column to check out this month is Workload Hacks on page 30 to help you find your zen—and your mind—at work. Feeling overwhelmed and overloaded? Our reader research reveals this is a major issue for ECPs today, and we found a KonMari-certified optometrist to help out. With a few, simple steps you may just spark joy again in your practice.
And, there is so much more in this #EB2020Vision-packed issue. Dig in for 10 critical business trends that will shape the new year in optical, 4 surprising sunwear trends, 2020’s best news lens tech, smart tips for competing with online sales, and more.
On another note, I’d like to congratulate our recently promoted managing editor, Kerri Ann Raimo, and welcome our new associate editor, Caroline Eddy. Look for both of these amazing women at upcoming shows and events across the industry. We also bid a fond farewell with much gratitude to our former managing editor, Susan Tarrant, who is now PentaVision’s special projects manager.
Happy New Year…we hope you enjoy the issue!
Erinn Morgan,
Editor-in-Chief + Editorial Director
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