While the annual South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference & Festival in Austin, TX generally revolves around music and film, eye care definitely made its mark at this year's event thanks to a panel session presented by Orbis International, The Vision Council educated attendees about harmful blue light at its health lounge, and Luxottica and Rai Cinema partnered up to show the third edition of Films of City Frames.
PHOTO: Orbis panel members (from left) Brian Studwell, Dr. Daniel Neely, Dr. Danny Haddad, and Corrie Pelc. Image courtesy Orbis.
Orbis Panel
Orbis' panel, "Fighting Blindness with Tech Innovation & Access," was presented on Friday, March 10th as part of SXSW's Health series. The panel featured Dr. Danny Haddad, chief of program for Orbis; Dr. Daniel Neely, professor of ophthalmology at Indiana University School of Medicine and a long-time Orbis volunteer; and Brian Studwell, director of consultant programs for Crestron Electronics. And the panel was moderated by Corrie Pelc, content director of OphthalmologyWeb and OptometryWeb.
The panel provided attendees with a look at how Orbis is using technology in innovative ways to fight blindness, including using the world's only eye hospital aboard at MD-10 aircraft. Attendees had the opportunity to "tour" the Flying Eye Hospital, learn about the different technologies it uses, and hear real-life stories on how it's making a difference.
Click here to view the Facebook Livestream of the Orbis panel at SXSW.
Dr. Justin Bazan poses at The Vision Council's SXSW lounge.
The Vision Council Lounge
The Vision Council sponsored the official health lounge at SXSW in an effort to educate conference-goers about the harmful side effects of blue light and digital eye strain, as well as the lens technology solutions available.
The Time Out Lounge: Give Your Eyes a Break with The Vision Council was open at the Austin Convention Center from March 10-14 and served as a spot for attendees to unwind from the conference's many activities in a comfortable seating area.
Dr. Justin Bazan, owner of Park Slope Eye in Brooklyn, N.Y., was also on-hand at The Vision Council lounge to talk to those who came in about digital eye strain and what they could do to protect their eyes. According to Bazan, many times patients believe there is nothing they can do to combat digital eye strain and just accept it. He says by building awareness, patients can find relief in knowing there is something they can do about it. And this will also help eye doctors have better conversations with their patients so they can ask the right questions and provide them with solutions in the form of lenses designed for digital solutions.
Those who stopped by the lounge also had the chance to view glasses from select members of The Vision Council's Eyewear & Accessories and Sunglass & Reader Divisions that were outfitted with specialized lenses from Lens Division members featuring blue light-filtering and anti-reflective technologies. Attendees were invited to try on different pairs in an interactive photo booth as part of a social media challenge.
Luxottica Film Project
And the third edition of Giorgio Armani's Films of City Frames was presented March 11th at SXSW. With this project, undertaken in partnership with Luxottica and Rai Cinema, Giorgio Armani continues his commitment to support emerging talents in various art forms, from fashion to cinema.
The private screening of the five short films that encompass the project were hosted by this year's mentor, Dev Patel, and Roberta Armani, and was followed by a discussion moderated by fashion critic and curator Angelo Flaccavento.
All five short films can be viewed online at framesoflife.com.
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