The British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) has launched a new-look website with a vibrant design, improved navigability and exclusive online resources for members.

Launched on Friday 25 June, the new-look website has been redesigned to better meet the needs of contact lens practitioners and the public by providing a wealth of accurate and up-to-date information.

A new members-only area has also been created, dedicated to contact lens and anterior eye research and education. It features four online libraries containing posters, research papers, case studies, a clinical photographic library and an easily accessible online lecture library. The lecture library includes presentations from this year’s BCLA Clinical Conference, such as Dr Donald Korb’s BCLA Medal address.

Learn more about the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA)

Love Opticians have once again pulled a rabbit from the proverbial hat with the launch of ‘EyeCampaign‘.

EyeCampaign is an ethical email marketing service designed specifically for Ophthalmic Opticians.

We know Optometrists are often very hands on with the day to day running of their private Practices. Dealing with patients and administration leaves little time for all those great ideas on how to keep customers informed about the latest news not to mention any targetted promotions or vouchers.

Often left to their own devices on marketing and promotions, the EyeCampaign service helps Ophthalmic Opticians build online relationships via e-newsletters and promotions with their existing client database.

For those with great apsirations for driving new business and creating awareness for their private Practices this service is highly recommended. View some recent examples of email marketing campaigns for opticians.

Learn more about email marketing for ophthalmic opticians

The retail optical market will return to growth in 2010 after a particularly difficult year. This is the conclusion of a new report on the sector by the long-established retail market research evaluator Mintel.

In Optical Goods and Eyecare 2010, Mintel predicts:

• ‘modest growth’ to return this year
• sales to increase by 19% during 2010-2014
• the value of the market to rise to £3.2bn by 2014 from £2.65bn in 2009 and suppliers will work more closely with retailers, offering extra support through training schemes.

In future Mintel believes that opticians will need to find even more ways of adding value within the mix of goods and services they offer, ‘or else face a squeeze on margins’. This, the report suggests, will include adding more elements to the eye examination in order to justify the charges.

Although independents and small chains still make up 41% of the overall share in sales of optical goods today, Specsavers now has 23%, followed by Vision Express 11%.

A survey of 680 adults in December for the report found that one-in-three purchases of optical goods had gone to Specsavers in the previous 12 months, with independents getting 26%, Boots Opticians 7%, and Vision Express and D&A tied on 5% each.

The report states that spectacles take 63% of consumer spending within the sector, although spending on spectacles fell 4.6% in 2009. And it says there is a growing enthusiasm for contact lenses, especially in the 25-34 age group, and the numbers in this age group will grow by around 12% in the five years to 2014. One element of marketing, the internet, is here to stay, judging from a long-term Mintel survey of lifestyle trends of 25,000 adults contained in the report – back in 2004, 29% of us viewed the internet every day, however by 2009 this figure had shot up to 52%.

In a survey especially commissioned for Optical Goods and Eyecare 2010 of 1,011 adults, 67% said they had had an eye examination in the last two years, 14% 2-5 years ago, 10% more than five years ago, and 9% have never had an eye examination.

For further information click here

Supporting your continuing professional development needs

Optometry Tomorrow 2010 will be held on Sunday 18 and Monday 19 April at the York Racecourse.

Optometry Tomorrow 2010 is the must attend event for optometrists, giving you access to high quality learning and development opportunities, enabling you to build your clinical skills and enhance your understanding of the latest research and current thinking in optometry.

The College has developed a comprehensive programme, featuring a diverse range of thought-provoking lectures, and inspiring, hands-on, clinical workshops.  Delegates will have the opportunity to learn from leading experts who will share their knowledge and skills, discussing the key topics affecting everyday practice.  Delegates will have the opportunity to gain a multitude of CET points, including specialist points.

The conference programme features Dr Lou Catania, keynote speaker, recently named one of the 10 most influential optometrists of the 20th century, as well as expert speakers on a variety of topics including anterior eye, OCT, independent prescribing, therapeutics, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and contact lenses, as well as a glaucoma panel debate.

Hands-on workshops provide you with the opportunity to refresh your clinical skills covering gonioscopy, presbyopia, OCT, contact tonometry and pachymetry, slit lamp, peripheral retinal imaging, indirect ophthalmology, epiphora and lacrimal syringing, and orthokeratology.

New for 2010, non-clinical CPD sessions will give you the opportunity to learn how to develop and manage your business. Topics include boosting business and improving customer retention, leadership and management skills, world class commissioning and communicating with patients.

The Conference provides a great networking opportunity and the Gala Dinner promises to offer a night to remember.  This year’s Gala Dinner will be held on the evening of 18 April at the unique National Railway Museum in York.

The conference offers fantastic value for money as the two day delegate rate remains at 2009 prices and includes your gala dinner ticket.

See more about Optometry Tomorrow 2010 on the College of Optometrists web site

It’s true we have spent more time this December adding festive cheer to the websites of our clients than decorating the studio.

Overdosing on Xmas stock imagery ensured our creative team had developed quite an appetite in time for our first welcome delivery of seasonal mince pies. On matters of seasonal bites, a short post to thank the team for their hard work on the whirlwind festive banners created for Visioncare Opticians.

Incidently if you are looking to win a pair of Mont Blanc designer spectacles then a trip to one of their stores including the impressive Harley Street Practice should suffice and I’m sure you would do your chances of winning no harm by letting them know what a lovely web site they have too! Learn more about successful marketing for opticians.

45 million people in the world are blind, but 80 percent don’t need to be. A cure is often simple and inexpensive, but in poor countries, help is often out of reach. ORBIS UK is a London-based affiliate of ORBIS International. ORBIS UK is committed to bringing sight-saving care to the developing world.

On approaching the flying eye hospital, it looks like any of the other passenger jets on the runway waiting to take holidaymakers to exotic destinations. But this DC-10 jet is exceptional – it houses the only airborne operating theatre for eye treatment in the world.

Its mission is to tackle avoidable sight loss and its charter reaches developing countries where 90% of the world’s 45 million blind people live. Next stop is India, a country that has one of the highest rates of blindness among children – one in five of the world’s blind children is Indian.

Hospital with wings
The flying eye hospital was the vision of one man, Dr David Paton, an eminent eye surgeon at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, US.

In the 1970s, while touring throughout the developing world, he was shocked by the state of eye care services he found in these countries.

Although the doctors he met there wanted to learn the necessary skills to cure blinding diseases like cataracts, glaucoma and retinoblastoma, the costs and practicalities involved prevented it. Dr Paton’s solution was a mobile teaching hospital.

With a fully equipped plane, donated by United Airlines, doctors trained in the latest ophthalmic techniques could bring their surgical knowledge and skills to the doctors and patients in developing countries.

• The local doctors can then use their newly learned skills in their homeland.
• The first hospital with wings was launched in 1982, its maiden voyage being to Panama.
• Since then, the flying eye hospital has visited 75 countries and saved the sight of tens of millions of people.

View video footage of the Orbis flying eye hospital courtesy of the BBC web site

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Visioncare benefit from our specialist web design for opticians service. Their standard eye examinations are available either privately or under the NHS (for those eligible) and include routine checks to promote clear vision and healthy eyes.

The Love Opticians team have secured a long term partnership with Visioncare Medical Eye Centre. As an independent group of practices (established over 20 years ago) they are devoted to providing high standards of eye care and top quality eyewear products. They have practices in Harley Street, Barnet and Wealdstone Harrow. Following a thorough understanding of the strategic objectives our brief was to create a new content managed web site and to work alongside the internal marketing team and to manage the creation and mail out of regular e-marketing campaigns to their respective contact lens and frames customers.

As independent business Visioncare have the professional freedom to offer a truly individual service and quality eye care products from each to the general public.

Visioncare Medical Eye Centre is also about value, and the blending of modern technology with traditional high standards of service. Over 90% of their spectacles are made on the premises using the latest machinery. This ensures consistent quality and rapid turnaround. Their clinics have some of the most modern instrumentation available.

Visioncare specialise in varifocals and hi index lenses and are an approved Varilux Specialist Centre as well as Nikon, Zeiss & Hoya Centres.

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Learn more about web design for Opticians

Welcome to Love Opticians!  We are a team of creative and technical specialists who are as passionate about the success of your Optical Practice as you are!

The National Optometric Conference will be held on Thursday 26 November and Friday 27 November at the Majestic Hotel, Ripon Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire  HG1 2HU.

The NOC is the conference for optometrists, optometric advisers and Local/Regional Optical Committees.  LOC officers and members are encouraged to attend the conference which will provide an unrivalled opportunity to engage first hand with the LOC Support Unit and to share knowledge and network with colleagues from around the country.  A variety of companies (contact lens and equipment manufacturers, software suppliers etc) will be exhibiting at the conference.

The conference, held at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate, begins on Wednesday 25 November with an informal opportunity to meet colleagues over dinner.  Click here find out more.

Successful marketing of your optical Practice is more critical than ever particularly in a challenging climate.

Choosing the right strategy can make all the difference between winning and losing, so it’s important to carefully consider the range of marketing marvels at your fingertips. It’s all very well having the best looking opticians web site in your region or even the country however if no-one can find it then you are missing opportunities to win new customers. Today the internet is the first port of call for the masses and happens to be one of the key channels to help drive awareness and customers to your Practice!

Perhaps you represent an independant Opticians with a modest budget and would like some practical advise on making your Practice work for you…. well here goes…

Successful Marketing for Opticians – Step 1 – Know your audience

Understanding the needs of your respective customer groups is essential. For example there is little point marketing gas permeable lenses if the customer requirement is that of daily disposables. Creating a segmented database of customers with respective needs will allow you to promote the right message to the right customer. Marketing relevant services to each audience group will increase the chance of success and strengthen the brand relationship.

In an industry traditionally clinical, scientific and reserved with it’s marketing it’s refreshing to see the likes of Vision Express boldly going where no optical Practice had gone before with advertising campaigns featuring giant eyball headed aliens!! Whilst the quirky approach is far removed from anything we have seen in the optical market it’s certainly memorable and adds personality to the brand and a key step in building audience relationships!

Don’t miss this new service. It’s called EyeCampaign and is a new service specifically designed for owner / managers of  Ophthalmic Opticians.marketing services for Ophthalmic Opticians

Watch this space to learn more about successful marketing for Opticians.