FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Jessica Clark
Senior Marketing Manager
VisionWeb
(512) 241-8561
Steve Wasserman
Director, Communications Group
American Optometric Association
(314) 991-4100, ext. 212
American Optometric Association Finalizes Affiliation Agreement With VisionWeb
AOA Officially Joins Industry Leaders to Bring the Efficiency of the
Internet to the Eyecare Industry.
AUSTIN, TX, and St. Louis, MO -
May 2, 2003 - VisionWeb, the Internet-based tool to help eyecare providers
simplify and streamline their practices, and the American Optometric
Association (AOA) today announced that the AOA has become an equity participant
in VisionWeb.
The announcement signifies the AOA's dedication to the optometric community,
and its role in helping move the entire eyecare industry forward. As part of
the agreement, the AOA will receive one voting seat on the VisionWeb Board of
Directors.
"This is a very exciting announcement for our organization," said C. Thomas
Crooks III, O. D., of the AOA. "VisionWeb is an easy way to help streamline
tasks and increase efficiency in the practice, and our members' businesses and
their patients will benefit from that." Dr. Crooks will represent the AOA on
the VisionWeb board of directors.
Jacques Stoerr, Chief Executive Officer of VisionWeb, adds, "We are
delighted to finalize this agreement. The AOA is instrumental in promoting
efforts that bring value to the eyecare practitioner, and VisionWeb is the best
way for optometrists to conduct business online."
Since 1898, the AOA has been a champion of causes and efforts to improve
vision care and to help optometrists grow and succeed professionally. The
participation in VisionWeb provides the AOA an opportunity to help its members
recognize the benefits of e-commerce. The AOA counts over 33,000 optometrists,
optometric faculty, optometry students, and optometric technicians among its
constituency.
The AOA joins other industry visionaries dedicated to helping move the
eyecare industry forward by introducing the speed, accuracy, and efficiency
that the Internet's instant communication provides. Other VisionWeb equity
participants include Essilor of America, Inc., the nation's leading
manufacturer and distributor of spectacle lenses; Johnson & Johnson Vision
Care, Inc., manufacturer of the world's three best-selling contact lens brands;
Advanced Medical Optics, the respected producer of ophthalmic pharmaceuticals
and other products; Jobson LLC, the top publisher of ophthalmic industry and
clinical information; and Marchon Eyewear, Inc., the world's largest privately
owned producer and distributor of fashion eyewear, as well as the largest
provider of practice management software to the US market.
At www.visionweb.com, eyecare providers can enjoy direct-to-supplier
ordering of spectacle lenses, contacts lenses, frames, and lab work with
one-stop convenience, and track those orders 24/7 until they reach the
patient. As an open and neutral
exchange, VisionWeb invites all eyecare manufacturers and distributors to participate.
Through the participation of Marchon Eyewear, Inc., VisionWeb offers a seamless
interface between the OfficeMateŽ practice management system and the VisionWeb
procurement engines. The Web site also offers a comprehensive collection of
industry and clinical news and information, and other benefits for eyecare
providers.
ABOUT VISIONWEB
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, VisionWeb is the premier Internet-based tool
to help eyecare providers streamline and simplify their practices. VisionWeb
offers convenient and direct-to-supplier online ordering; one-stop access to
ophthalmic clinical news and information pooled from 1,200 publications around
the world; and other benefits for opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists,
optical manufacturers, laboratories, distributors and patients.
ABOUT THE AOA
The American Optometric Association (AOA), founded in 1898, represents more
than 33,000 doctors of optometry, students of optometry, and paraoptometric
assistants and technicians in more than 6,600 communities across the country
and in foreign countries. AOA members are dedicated to providing the highest
quality of eyecare. AOA is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.
