I read a funny opinion piece on the internet this month where a great columnist had almost given up trying to find a catchy "name"for this odd current decade, even though nearly half of a decade has passed and it's 2005.

Marge Axelrad Editorial Director

Instead of the "double-o's" he finally decided to refer to this as the "Oh-Ohs" since he felt it kind of summed up, tongue-in-cheek, the state of business and the world these days.

I'd have to agree on several counts, that "Oh-Oh" could very well apply to the optical industry as well.

Consolidation didn't just continue last year, it proceeded at a roar, with many of the industry's largest companies buying/merging/combining with other larger companies.

Coming after several years of other deals, many suppliers and retailers large and small have conveyed their own version of an "oh-oh" reaction. In these cases, oh-oh means "not the same." No one likes that much change.

On a broader level, oh-oh in optical could also mean "yikes" to the independent eye care professional, to small and local chains, to wholesale laboratories (who serve ECPs) and to all who compete as the little independent player in a sea of big corporate players.

But as much as I'd agree on the sentiment behind an apprehensive, hesitant meaning of "oh-oh," I think it conveys a better, take-charge attitude to turn the oh-oh on its, uh, head.

For example let's think of it as "Oh! That's great news! What are our opportunities now?"

Listen, it's the start of the New Year.

Let's all say "Oh, heck, let's just decide how we can best take advantage of the best our industry offers and not stress over the Big Picture and What It All Means just yet."