April News Round Up

🆕April News Round up

🗓️ Business Year 3
Vision Executives business year grew significantly in its third year. Here are our key highlights:
The company hired two new employees, Lauren Stansfield & Ravanni Khaira with new hire Venus King (Senior Optometry & Ophthalmology recruiter) starting this week. Natasha Ellison has been promoted to Senior Relationship Manager after 2 years of service. The business achieved 19% sales growth despite less vacancies than year 3 reflecting a slower hiring market. We have had 24% increase in candidates placed across 3 different continents. We have also secured a new larger office at HUB26 as we continue to expand our team.

🚀Gene Therapy in #Ophthalmology
Ocugen received FDA approval for an amendment to its investigational new drug (IND) application, allowing it to launch a phase 3 clinical trial of OCU400, a treatment for retinitis pigmentosa. Additionally, REGENXBIO Inc., in partnership with AbbVie, announced promising results from their phase 1/2a study of ABBV-GGX-314 in The Lancet. This gene therapy offers a one-time treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), highlighting advances in ocular gene therapy.

☀️Solar eclipse
After the solar eclipse on April 8th across Mexico, North America, and Canada, many people reported eye discomfort. Google searches for “why do my eyes hurt” surged, reflecting the impact of ignoring warnings about looking directly at the sun during an eclipse. Symptoms included blurry vision, headaches, and increased sensitivity to light. In some cases, permanent vision loss occurred, underscoring the risks of unsafe eclipse viewing.

🏥NHS waiting list
NHS England removed 3,911 patients from its elective treatment waiting list between December 2022 and November 2023. This action followed guidance introduced in October 2022, allowing clinicians to remove patients who declined two treatment offers, shifting them to “active monitoring”. This new approach helps manage waiting lists and ensures resources are focused on patients actively seeking treatment.

👓Specsavers
Specsavers celebrated the opening of its 1000th store in the UK and Ireland, with co-founder Dame Mary Perkins inaugurating the new location in Hertfordshire. The practice, which received a £350,000 investment, offers eye care and audiology services. This milestone comes four decades after the first Specsavers opened in Bristol in 1984, marking its growth into the largest privately-owned optical group with practices in over 11 countries.

🌱Eco Eyewear
Eco Eyewear’s ‘one frame, one tree’ program has planted 3.6 million trees, capturing over 164 million kilograms of CO2. For every frame purchased, a tree is planted, supporting both climate preservation and local farmers. The program provides education and resources to improve soil quality, leading to better crop yields and new business opportunities for farmers. It illustrates how sustainability initiatives can benefit both the environment and local communities.