Marge Axelrad Editorial Director

In the everyday world of 2009, we are all overwhelmed by too much information.

Detail “crawls” at the bottom of television shows (‘Next! Dancing Celebrities!”)

Mini TVs in New York taxicabs (“The latest stock headlines! New restaurants!”)

News bytes, political pundits, special offers, 400 incoming e-mails, “This just in!”

You know what I mean. Information, sped by cable, wireless and broadcast, can overwhelm and engulf us.

But, information and new technology can be your friend. And in terms of how the Internet has transformed capabilities for professionals to learn, understand and more efficiently run their business, the benefits can far outweigh the drawbacks.

More ECPs and optical retailers than ever are learning to embrace the opportunities in practice systems, online purchasing and patient management in both the eyecare and dispensing sides of their optical business.

At a time when removing costs, trimming expenses and gaining a sense of control by better understanding how to manage and analyze how things are working (or not working), new attention is rightfully being paid to such approaches.

Taking advantage of these is not without a learning curve. It takes time to electroni-cize files, reorient daily project management, assign new responsibilties and keep up with training. But today’s tech resources better allow for a scaling up of systems. There’s an ability to build up a commitment to learning how to adapt.

The Internet and detailed, behind-the-scenes programming that make today’s B-to-B tools more user-friendly, are enabling optical retailers and eyecare professionals to gain the upper hand in a very tough environment. ■