Walman Tees Off With Callaway
Walman Optical has entered into a license agreement with the Callaway Golf Company to promote the Callaway Sunwear collection featuring the technologically advanced Neox Transitions SolFX outdoor lenses. Under the terms of the agreement, Walman will develop and distribute Callaway branded sunwear and ophthalmic fashion frame collections. In addition, Walman Optical has exclusive marketing, sales and distribution rights to the Neox Transitions SolFX lens.

“The Callaway brand will be a cornerstone collection, allowing us to expand our premium branded frame offerings in the future,” says Marty Bassett, president and CEO of Walman Optical, which is based in Minneapolis. The combination of our proven success in digital free-form lens processing and the cutting edge Neox Transitions SolFX technology provides us with an outstanding product for the active outdoor consumer segment.”

Walman Optical plans to launch the Callaway sunwear line and the Neox Transitions SolFX lenses simultaneously in April 2010. The Callaway branded men’s ophthalmic frame collection is slated for a May 2010 introduction. Both lines will be distributed exclusively by Walman Optical’s Imagewear, Walman Ophthalmic and Soderberg Ophthalmic divisions.


Transitions And Vidaysalud.Com Unveil New Salud Visual Channel

Transitions Optical, Inc. is partnering with Aliza Lifshitz, MD, through VidaySalud.com to reach Spanish-speaking consumers about the importance of protecting and preserving their sight, and the sight of their families. Representatives from Transitions Optical joined Dr. Aliza at Milagro Charter School in Los Angeles in February to unveil the Salud Visual channel, the first online channel in Spanish written for U.S. Hispanic audiences. Hosted on www.vidaysalud.com, the new channel provides eye health information from a medial, yet user-friendly point-of-view and will include information relevant for adults and children.

“There’s no question that healthy vision is instrumental in a child’s learning and developing process,” says Manuel Solis, multicultural marketing manager, Transitions. “The new Salud Visual channel educates Hispanic parents about the important role vision plays in a child’s life—in the language they feel comfortable with most—and encourages them to set up regular eye exams for their children.”

The Salud Visual channel will be updated regularly with new articles and will also feature a number of animated videos, developed by Transitions Optical, to reach younger viewers and their parents about eye health topics in a creative, appealing way. Eyecare professionals can also link to the channel on vidaysalud.com as an added resource for their Spanish-speaking patients.
While at Milagro Charter School, Transitions representatives also reinforced to students how important healthy vision is to learning and reading, donating more than 150 Spanish and bilingual books to the school’s library on behalf of the company.


SoCal Practices Score with Zeiss Individual and Transitions
Five practices enjoyed a private tailgate party and a San Diego Chargers game at Qualcomm Stadium as winners of the “Charge into the Revolution” promotion from Carl Zeiss Vision, Perfect Optics and Transitions.

“Charge into the Revolution” gave Perfect Optics customers the opportunity to earn points for every pair of Zeiss Individual progressive and Zeiss Individual single vision lenses. Practices could score a “touchdown” by dispensing a pair of Zeiss Individual progressives with PureCoat by Zeiss AR, an “extra point” by adding Transitions, and a “field goal” for dispensing a pair of Zeiss Individual single vision lenses with PureCoat by Zeiss and Transitions. The five practices with the most points at the end of the promotion period received four tickets for the tailgate party and the game.

“Because Zeiss Individual lenses are precisely personalized, we wanted to give our top Individual users a personalized experience,” says Adam Winkelman, partner and co-founder of Perfect Optics. “That’s why we gave them a private tailgate party and sported the personalized Chargers jerseys. And we’re very pleased with the growth we have seen in Zeiss customized lenses and Transitions
during the promotion period.”

The winning practices were: Barry Mozlin OD, Richard Skay, OD, Point Loma Optometry, Mira Mesa Optometry, Tony Pham, OD and Greider and Associates.


WOS Releases Redesigned 2010 Catalog
Western Optical Supply (WOS) has redesigned its 2010 catalog to provide more “how to” information about its extensive line of unique dispensing hand tools and accessories. Over 35 new tools included in the expanded line up, including many pliers that are available with a foam grip or enhanced steel grip in addition to the traditional vinyl. For more information or to request a catalogue, contact WOS at www.westernoptical.com or contact your WOS distributor. ­

—Andrew Karp