We bonded through education as we recognized we are all in this together. 2020 taught us that in disquieting times of the coronavirus pandemic, we band together, we can pivot on a dime, and we are adaptable and resilient.
2020 was a year of expanded learning on many levels, and it was a year of finding new and better ways to conduct exams and fit, and dispense eyewear safely. We mastered virtual meetings, and some practices even embraced eCommerce, virtual try-on programs such as Frames Data’s FittingBox program. Some practices expanded into telemedicine to triage patients pre-visit or conduct remote refractions and even provide comprehensive eye exams. With the coronavirus pandemic, manufacturers quickly jumped in to manufacture or donate or distribute PPE for essential frontline workers. They responded quickly to the optical industry’s need for new tools for safer environments with touchless measurement devices such as Shamir Spark Mi Up mirror. Or disinfection tools to kill the virus and germs on frames such as the ZEISS UVClean unit where UVC germicidal bulbs thoroughly disinfect multiple frames fast before they go back to the frameboard. The McGee Group helped us understand the challenges early on with frame disinfection with their sponsored course, “The Hygenic Optician.” Products such as lens coatings that have an anti-fog layer or disposable wipes and sprays to improve the visual experience in the age of COVID-19 and face mask and fogging.
Thank you all for using 2020mag.com/ce to fulfill your CE requirements and Pro to Pro for general learning. Thank you to our sponsors in 2020, which brought us free CE courses and excellent optical education articles. Thank you ZEISS, VSP BioTech, Neurolens, Wiley X, Rudy Project, The McGee Group, Mitsui, De Rigo REM, Shamir, PPG, Luxottica, Essilor, and IOT. This month’s CE invites opticians to learn about the proud heritage of ophthalmic lens history, the investment in research, and key developments and breakthroughs that bring us to this modern digital age of corrective lens optics.
As we look forward to 2021 and the end of this pandemic, stay safe until we can all meet again and bid goodbye to isolation and the coronavirus.
• Deborah Kotob
Pro to Pro Director
[email protected]
