New dates for iDay 2022

New Stepper Essentials range

Stepper

New for 2022, Essentials by Stepper is a range of affordable styles that deliver many of the characteristics evident in the Stepper and StepperS brands but at a lower price. “These frames broaden the appeal of our offering, allowing us to deliver Stepper comfort and fit to even more frame wearers,” said Peter Reeve, managing director of Stepper UK.

The frames are positioned as an introduction to Stepper Eyewear and comprise of male, female and unisex designs. The 15-model range offers metal and plastic construction –each in a choice of three colourways. Plastic models are created from TX3 and offer the brand’s renowned comfort due to their ‘design from the bridge’ concept, 3D design/manufacture and lightness. Metal models benefit from a Stepper comfort bridge. “With understated, elegant designs, value eyewear has never looked or felt so good,” added Peter.

Essilor

Essilor has introduced a new generation premium anti-reflective coating, Crizal Sapphire HR, said to outperform previous generations – with up to 70 per cent more scratch-resistance and up to 20 per cent improvement in thermal resistance.

New Crizal High Resistance technology, from which Crizal Sapphire HR takes its name, offers an extra top layer for smudge resistance and a superior ability to repel dirt and water.

Tim Precious, managing director at Essilor, said: “This is a considerable development for the coating industry and will provide a powerful armour for spectacle wearers to tackle concerns around annoying reflections, irreversible scratches and smudges that make the lenses hard to clean. It replaces Crizal Sapphire UV with superior protection in terms of scratch and thermal resistance, after undergoing rigorous Crizal Lifeproof multi-tests to become our highest performing Crizal coating to date.”

Support materials such as leaflets, posters and window stickers are available.

Highest-performing Crizal coating yet

Independents Day

Proven Track Record has confirmed that due to a clash of dates, Independents Day (iDay) will now take place on Monday 4 July at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham. PTR director, Nick Atkins, said: “Due to 100% Optical inadvertently clashing with our revised date, following its decision to postpone until 23-25 April, we were left with no option other than to reschedule iDay 2022.

"I’m grateful to our venue for their understanding, as well as their flexibility in allowing us to push out to July. So, plan D means that, figures-crossed, we will finally deliver our ‘Commercialising myopia management’ programme on the anniversary of the original date with most, if not all, of our speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors unchanged,” Nick added.

British Contact Lens Association

A new ‘hybrid’ conference being staged by the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) in June will be held both online and in person at the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham. BCLA Focus on 11 and 12 June, open to non-members too, will feature a live lecture stream and workshops while providing sponsors and exhibitors the opportunity to discuss the latest innovations and share new products and business strategies.

BCLA chief executive, Luke Stevens-Burt, said: “We are excited to add BCLA Focus to our annual calendar of events, following

BCLA Focus will take place at the Vox and online

on from the success of this year’s Clinical Conference and BCLA Vision. Given the continued uncertainty around travel and face-to-face interaction, we feel a hybrid event is the way to go and we look forward to welcoming eyecare professionals and industry partners both in person and online as part of BCLA Focus.”