EDITOR’S COMMENT
Altogether now
For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Optician editorial team, along with a raft of expert judges, convened in London earlier this week to judge the entries for the 2024 Optician Awards. Whether done online or in person, Optician Awards judging is always a refreshing experience. Whether looking at a new contact lens product or an entry for Optometrist of the Year, they are always inspiring and reaffirm one’s faith in the industry.
It was reaffirmation that was well-needed too because recent weeks have shown that the nefarious side of industry is still very much in play. Misinformation, questionable product efficacy and dangerous products have all caught the attention recently and got me wondering how and if it could all be policed.
A Facebook advert for an eye drop called Lumineye, with its ‘stem-cell innovation’, said it could improve vision without the person ‘stepping foot in an optometrist’s office’. Intrigued, I searched Lumineye on Google and to my pleasant surprise, the site had a 54% trust rating on scamadviser.com. My posi-
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tivity was rather short-lived, however, as the basis for the rating came from factors such as a private domain registration and lack of reviews on popular sites. No clinical information about the product was present, which was surprising given the completely unfounded claims.
But this was a tiny website. Unsafe, unproven eyedrops wouldn’t turn up on the likes of Amazon, would they? Well, they do, and Optician purchased some of the Cataract Clear 4% N-Acetyl-Carnosine drops from the site, which arrived two days later with no information save for what was printed on the bottle.
In the US, Cataract Clear has been given the highest warning possible by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for non-compliant ingredients, prescription drug claims, no FDA registration and were described as a ‘Frankenstein eye drop’.
The industry has an opportunity to address a certain amount of this misinformation head on, but sites like Amazon really should be doing better.
Editor
15 Optician Awards
14 Showcase
NEWS 4 7 Days News from the past week 6 In Focus Leightons relaunches joint venture par tnership scheme
OPINION 8 Letters
Polarising opinion 10 Viewpoint
Embracing change 12 Viewpoint
The impor tance of engaging colleagues
PRACTICE 13 Informed
Updates from inside the industr y 14 Showcase
The latest product news
15 Optician Awards
Myopia Management Award winner
MANAGEMENT 17 Scanning faster and smarter
Options from the OCT marketplace 20 Economically able
Financial benefits of OCT
CLINICAL 23 On the frontline 8
Dispensing for children 27 CPD: OCT masterclass 1
An introduction to OCT
CLASSIFIED 34 Ser vices 37 Recruitment
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Optician is the weekly, paid-for information source for optometrists, dispensing opticians and the optical industr y. For 133 years Optician has been the independent voice for eye care professionals, students and business owners offering breaking news, analysis and education. In print and online, Optician provides an array of clinical, business and technology ar ticles, comprehensive CPD coverage along with the ver y latest in contact lenses, frame fashion trends and spectacle lens technology. Optician offers advice on careers and carries hundreds of job oppor tunities ever y week. Optician provides its readers with essential business help and offers a forum for eye care professionals and others in the market.
27 September 2024 OPTICIAN 3
