Essilor News

The AOSA Optometry Student Bowl Powered by Essilor Celebrates 29th Annual Competition

Connor Christensen from The University of Houston College of Optometry took home top honors in front of more than 1500 virtual viewers

The AOSA Optometry Student Bowl™ (OSB) powered by Essilor has long been an anticipated highlight of Optometry’s Meeting. Due to COVID-19 and the cancellation of a live Optometry's Meeting, the event was held virtually for the first time in history. Essilor of America, the nation’s leading ophthalmic lens manufacturer, pulled out all the stops to celebrate the 29th annual competition. The event was broadcast from the Essilor headquarters in Dallas, Texas with more than 1,500 attendees tuned in to watch the contestants, students from all the schools and colleges of optometry, answer optometry-related questions.

“Essilor is committed to creating value for students and investing in the future of our industry. We are honored to host the Optometry Student Bowl again this year," says Dr. Ryan Parker, Director of Professional Education at Essilor of America, “The engagement of the viewers and contestants in this first-ever virtual OSB was impressive. We always appreciate seeing the creativity, innovation, and team spirit fostered through this fun and competitive setting."

In addition to bragging rights, the winning school, The University of Houston College of Optometry, took home $1,000, a host of diagnostic lenses from Volk, and will house the coveted Ventura Cup until next year's meeting in Anaheim, CA. Second-place winner, Alec Waters, Southern College of Optometry, received $750 and third-place winner, Katelyn Flood, University of Missouri St. Louis College of Optometry, received $500. As in previous years, each OSB contestant will get a Volk® Pan Retinal® 2.2 blue-ringed lens, generously donated by Volk Optical. Keeler also provided each contestant with a generous PPE kit.

Additional Awards

• The Zoom background winner went to The New England College of Optometry, who will help create next year’s “hype video” which helps kick off the competition with energy.
• The social media-based Virtual Spirit Award was given to The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences School of Optometry.

This year’s prestigious panel of judges included:

• Lead Judge - Dr. Linda Casser, professor, Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University; author, educator, clinician, and 1997 American Optometric Association Optometrist of the Year.
• Dr. Diane Adamczyk, author, lecturer, and professor at State University of New York College of Optometry and 2016 PCO Alumna of the Year.
• Dr. Bob Layman, President-Elect of the American Optometric Association, The Ohio State University College of Optometry graduate, past President of the Ohio Optometric Association, the 2006 American Optometric Association Optometrist of the Year.
• Dr. Sue Oleszewski is a Pennslyvania College of Optometry graduate and a retired Professor Emerita from Salus University, a clinical educator and administrator.

For more information and to see some of the excitement from this year’s AOSA Optometry Student Bowl powered by Essilor, please visit http://www.ecpu.com/optometry or http://www.facebook.com/essilorPro

 

Essilor Doubles Down on Private Practice Support with Expanded Partnerships Designed to Deliver Financial Freedom during these Unprecedented Times

Essilor of America doubles down on its support of private practice through expanded and new partnership programs designed to give them the financial freedom to dispense the products they believe are medically and visually best for their patients. 

Essilor Experts™, Essilor’s flagship partnership program, will be enriched through a new Essilor Preferred Rewards™ (EPR) points program that increases points based on which brands they prescribe, giving customers the financial flexibility to recommend the Essilor brands they believe are best for their patients. This reward enhances the already robust offering of Essilor Experts which includes a proprietary lens analytics dashboard, extensive training, patient traffic now driven by television featuring Essilor Experts and bolstered by digital advertising, prioritized positioning across locators, and exclusive SmartBook technology that converts patient demand to booked appointments.

The company is also introducing a new tier of the program called Essilor Partners™, giving customers flexibility to use partner brands like KODAK and Shamir in addition to Essilor premium brands, VariluxⓇ, CrizalⓇ and TransitionsⓇ and supporting growth through training, in-office tools, and an Essilor Partners specific dashboard. Essilor Partners are also eligible for the new EPR points program.

“2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for eyecare professionals running small businesses and we are committed to giving them every opportunity to remain competitive and help them succeed with the challenging market conditions they face,” says Sherianne James, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Customer Experience at Essilor of America. “This includes creating more robust programs with rewards that celebrate loyalty, gives flexibility and freedom to choose what products are best for their practice, and ensure they stay financially whole.”

The EPR rewards program takes effect on Sept. 1. To enroll in Essilor Partners or for additional information on the Essilor Preferred Rewards point program, please contact your local Essilor Account Executive.