As announced in breaking news in VMail and in the December 14th issue of Vision Monday, 20/20 presents here the selections in the first-ever EyeVote Readers’ Choice Awards, a special survey aimed at identifying the best new products to hit the market this year. In a joint effort, both publications teamed up this fall to develop EyeVote, tapping into readers’ minds by asking optical retailers’ and ECPs to identify the leading products in six distinct categories: optical frames, spectacle lenses, sunglasses, contact lenses, optical equipment and diagnostic instruments. Selected companies were chosen based on both brand and company choices supplied by readers.

EyeVote was all about you, our readers and your choices of the top products in the optical industry today. Readers’ Choice selections were as follows:


Optical Frames—Readers’ Choice, Company: Marchon; Readers’ Choice, Brand: Silhouette. Spectacle Lenses—Readers’ Choice, Company: Essilor; Readers’ Choice, Brand: Varilux. Sunglasses—Readers’ Choice, Company: Luxottica; Readers’ Choice, Brand: Maui Jim. Contact Lenses—Readers’ Choice, Company: Vistakon, J&J VisionCare; Readers’ Choice, Brand: Acuvue. Optical Equipment—Readers’ Choice, Company: Santinelli International. Diagnostic Instruments—Readers’ Choice, Company: Carl Zeiss Meditec.

EyeVote was conducted from Oct. 1, 2009 to Nov. 2, 2009. Respondents were contacted by email invitation to take the survey and links were posted on 20/20mag.com and visionmonday.com. An incentive of a chance to win a trip (air fare and lodging) to New York for Vision Expo East 2010 or a $500 American Express Gift Card was offered to entice respondents to answer the survey.
The winner of the incentive was Serge Wright, OD from Sedona Eye Care P.C., in Sedona, Ariz. Wright says, “It sounded like an interesting concept. I figured it was a good opportunity to recognize the people and the vendors who’ve helped make my office a success.” Wright’s 5,600-square foot facility offers three visiting ophthalmologists and an associate, and features an adjoining surgery center—Sedona Surgery Center. The high-tech practice has highly trained associates providing many of the objective tests using today’s latest ophthalmic instruments. The practice offers a fairly large dispensary with a variety of ophthalmic frames and an unusually large inventory of sunwear.

In tallying the votes, only one response per respondent was counted. Votes from manufacturers were ineligible. In total, nearly 2,400 readers voted in the six product categories.

—Mary Kane