Have you ever thought about thinking small in a big way?

Optical happens to be a great place for that sort of inverted view when evolving one’s abilities in connecting with the needs of that unique combination of a patient who is also a consumer. The arena of vision health care encompasses a facet where literal hard core products (frames AND lenses) come into vital play addressing the needs of all seeking a road and resource to better vision.

And although the nature of this interaction with patients varies to a certain extent when it comes to the roles and goals of ophthalmologists, optometrists and opticians, the game plan is a true team effort distinctly unlike the scenarios in place for other health and wellness initiatives.

I’ve addressed the issue of moving “onward” with determined resolve in this editor space within these last three challenging years. But that said, I’ve personally avoided the sometimes typical resolve of defining the “new normal” since I’m far more comfortable relishing the uniquely evolving dimensions of our beloved optical world. As the diagnostic and fitting aspects of vision care literally came face to face with NO face to face between health care providers and patients, these same professionals were the first to resort to viable online alternatives, ensuring immediate recourse to those in their care.

And as restrictions on interpersonal contact eased up, these same 3-Os practiced through to engaging means in everything from diagnostics to frame fitting. So, with this issue and our bonus March 15 What’s Brand New 20/20 issue, we are particularly pleased to focus on a variety of specific initiatives unique in interactivity from the point of view of independent optical shops, highly attuned and special optical product vendors and that special variety of ECPs gathering for trade show interaction in New York City. I love 20/20 show issues, and as you will see via features on L’optique CEO Janice Gibbs and her shops in this issue’s Successful Retail Strategies; Larry Sands and his ultra-luxury Bugatti Eyewear debut as portrayed via Inside the Frame; and our radical cover story on Corey Shapiro with his Vintage Frames retail/vendor journey coming in our March 15 issue—small but fine-tuned initiatives might indeed be the New Big.

Eyecare is the perfect place for that fresh sense of renewal in order to move onward based on a reverence for tradition coupled to an openness for adventurous action. At 20/20, we’re happily infected by this vibrance. It takes a powerful wallop of daring and doing, and I’m positive you cannot just accept the challenge but actually create it.

• James J. Spina
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]