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RSS content can be read using software called an "RSS reader," "feed reader" or an "aggregator." The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.

The initials "RSS" are used to refer to the following formats:

* Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)
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* Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91)

RSS formats are specified using XML, a generic specification for the creation of data formats.

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* NEW * Hotel Discount Program View Full Story Minimize

Posted: May 15, 2012 |

Exclusive OAC Worldwide Hotel Discounts

OAC/OBC members, friends and family now have access to a worldwide inventory of hotels at exclusive discounted rates. Whether travelling for work or pleasure, individually or in a group, domestically or abroad, you can take advantage of savings that may exceed 50% and average 10-20% below best available rates. Any hotel, anywhere, anytime. OAC members, friends and family now have access to a worldwide inventory of hotels at exclusive discounted rates. Whether travelling for work or pleasure, individually or in a group, domestically or abroad, you can take advantage of savings that may exceed 50% and average 10-20% below best available rates. Any hotel, anywhere, anytime. These discounted hotel rates are only available to OAC Members, their friends and family. Therefore, members must LOGIN to the OAC Member Portal to obtain the website address and special access code.

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Vision/La Revue Magazines View Full Story Minimize

Posted: May 14, 2012 |

New Edition: May- June 2012

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WEAR EYEGLASSES TO LOSE WEIGHT! View Full Story Minimize

Posted: May 14, 2012 |

Researchers at Tokyo University have invented eyewear that change the size of food, to help dieters feel fuller faster by giving the appearance of eating more. Researchers at Tokyo University have invented eyewear that change the size of food, to help dieters feel fuller faster by giving the appearance of eating more. This study indicates that how we see objects modify the messages sent to our brain. In this case, the belief that the quantity of food is more important than it really is triggers a satiety signal to the brain.

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“Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month” View Full Story Minimize

Posted: April 11, 2012 |

April has been declared “Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month” by Prevent Blindness America (PBA), a non-profit organization. April has also been declared “Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month” by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Both of these campaigns have the stated objective of educating the public about eye health and safety issues, and as part of them, the sponsoring organizations and others make available information and resources for patients and consumers highlighting eye health and safety issues.

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Good News for Refracting Opticians in BC View Full Story Minimize

Posted: April 02, 2012 |

Under the GST/HST, corrective eyewear that is supplied on the written order of an eye care professional authorized by provincial law to prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses is zero-rated. Under the GST/HST, corrective eyewear that is supplied on the written order of an eye care professional authorized by provincial law to prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses is zero-rated. Under recent provincial law changes, opticians have been authorized in certain circumstances to conduct vision assessments and produce records of the assessment that authorize dispensing of corrective eyewear. Budget 2012 proposes to zero-rate corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses supplied under the authority of an assessment record produced by a person who is entitled under the laws of the province in which the person practices to produce the record authorizing dispensing of corrective eyewear. This measure will apply to supplies made after Budget Day and to supplies made on or before that day if GST/HST was not charged, collected or remitted in respect of the supply.

Vision & LaRevue Magazines March-April 2012 View Full Story Minimize

Posted: March 25, 2012 |

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Great Glasses back in business … in B.C. View Full Story Minimize

Posted: March 19, 2012 |

He’s baaack. You didn’t think one year in jail and $17 million in outstanding fines for contempt could keep Bruce Bergez from his dream of selling low-cost eyeglasses to the Canadian public, did you? He’s baaack. You didn’t think one year in jail and $17 million in outstanding fines for contempt could keep Bruce Bergez from his dream of selling low-cost eyeglasses to the Canadian public, did you? Bergez, a disgraced former optician from Dundas, has relaunched his Great Glasses empire with a new store in Chilliwack, B.C., using the same logo and same “3-for-1” business model he employed with his now-defunct chain of two dozen stores that once dotted southern Ontario.

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High-tech Braille devices are touching the lives of blind Canadians View Full Story Minimize

Posted: March 14, 2012 |

Braille still has the bumps — but now it has the high-tech bells and whistles too. Braille still has the bumps — but now it has the high-tech bells and whistles too. “It’s a revolution in making material accessible to people who can’t read print and know how to read Braille,” says Darlene Bogart, national braille convener for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

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Automated Refracting Course - Only 2 More Intakes Available View Full Story Minimize

Posted: January 27, 2012 |

As previously announced, the future of training for Sight Testing is changing. The NAIT/OAC Automated Refracting Theory course has been approved by the College of Opticians of British Columbia (COBC) until December 31, 2012. In 2013, the Automated Refracting Theory course may no longer be the course of choice in B.C. Future Opticians may be required to complete an Advanced Practice Sight Testing program. As previously announced, the future of training for Sight Testing is changing. The NAIT/OAC Automated Refracting Theory course has been approved by the College of Opticians of British Columbia (COBC) until December 31, 2012. In 2013, the Automated Refracting Theory course may no longer be the course of choice in B.C. Future Opticians may be required to complete an Advanced Practice Sight Testing program. Due to this change, the OAC may only be offering 2 more intakes of the Automated Refracting Theory course. These intakes will take place starting March 1, 2012 and September 10, 2012. The application deadlines are February 15 & August 15 respectively. These courses can only be run if there is a sufficient number of applicants. Interested in registering or receiving further information? Contact the OAC Education Department at 1-800-847-3155 or via email at education@opticians.ca

Focus on the Future View Full Story Minimize

Posted: January 04, 2012 |

Half of Canadians are ignoring their eye health and may pay the price with blindness. Are you one of them? Make sure to scroll down for all the articles. Leslie Hughes is a self-employed mom on the go who, like half of all adults in Canada, has not had an eye exam in five years or more. For Hughes, 41, it’s been 10 years, despite the fact that she wears corrective lenses — contacts she orders online using her decade-old prescription. “I’m an ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ kind of gal,” she admits, in a telephone interview from her home in Newcastle, Ont. “It’s just one of those things that’s not on my to-do list, with all the other appointments we have going on. I force myself to go to my annual physical. I do go to a dentist. I did, at one point, put that off and it caught up with me.”

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Old-Age Vision Problems Linked to Dementia View Full Story Minimize

Posted: December 02, 2011 |

Untreated vision problems in older age are associated with an increased risk of decline in cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease, data from a cohort study showed. Untreated vision problems in older age are associated with an increased risk of decline in cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease, data from a cohort study showed.

Uncorrected poor vision was associated with a five- to 10-fold greater risk of Alzheimer's disease and a five-fold greater risk of cognitive decline without dementia, compared with older people who had very good or excellent vision.

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CooperVision recalls more contact lenses View Full Story Minimize

Posted: November 21, 2011 |

Contact lens maker CooperVision is expanding its recall of the encore 100 brand lenses. The company announced Wednesday it is recalling certain lots of encore100 Sphere contact lenses that may have silicone oil residue. Contact lens maker CooperVision is expanding its recall of the encore 100 brand lenses. The company announced Wednesday it is recalling certain lots of encore100 Sphere contact lenses that may have silicone oil residue. CooperVision previously announced a recall of certain lots of encore100 Toric contact lenses. CooperVision "The presence of the residue [silicone oil] on encore100 Sphere contact lenses may cause hazy vision or discomfort, severe eye pain or eye injuries requiring medical treatment," the company said in a statement.

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Better Business Bureau Doesn’t ‘Like’ Coastal Contacts’ Facebook Campaign View Full Story Minimize

Posted: November 21, 2011 |

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—In response to a recommendation by the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, online retailer of eyeglasses and contact lenses, Coastal Contacts Inc. (TSX: COA) (Stockholm: COA) revised a promotion that offered consumers “Free Glasses” for “liking” its Facebook page. VANCOUVER, British Columbia—In response to a recommendation by the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, online retailer of eyeglasses and contact lenses, Coastal Contacts Inc. (TSX: COA) (Stockholm: COA) revised a promotion that offered consumers “Free Glasses” for “liking” its Facebook page. The NAD made this recommendation, and others, after reviewing offers of free glasses, free shipping and savings of 70 percent and over 70 percent made by Coastal Contacts. The claims at issue were challenged before NAD by 1-800 Contacts, Inc. NAD noted its appreciation of Coastal Contacts’ voluntary discontinuation of the challenged savings claims.

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Minister backs bill to regulate cosmetic contact lenses View Full Story Minimize

Posted: November 03, 2011 |

OTTAWA — Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq is getting behind legislation to regulate cosmetic contact lenses as medical devices — almost guaranteeing the bill's passage into law. OTTAWA — Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq is getting behind legislation to regulate cosmetic contact lenses as medical devices — almost guaranteeing the bill's passage into law. Conservative MP Pat Davidson won the high-profile backing for her private member's bill Monday, after opposition MPs stood in the House of Commons to also voice support for amending Canada's Food and Drugs Act to treat non-correction cosmetic contact lenses just like corrective contact lenses.

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Safety and compliance of prescription spectacles ordered by the public via the Internet View Full Story Minimize

Posted: October 28, 2011 |

This study investigated prescription spectacles ordered from online vendors and delivered directly to the public for compliance with the optical tolerance and impact resistance requirements for eyewear dispensed in the United States.

To download the article, click here This study investigated prescription spectacles ordered from online vendors and delivered directly to the public for compliance with the optical tolerance and impact resistance requirements for eyewear dispensed in the United States.

To download the article, click here

Cosmetic contact lens legislation sees the light of day! View Full Story Minimize

Posted: October 19, 2011 |

Cosmetic contact lens legislation sees the light of day! Cosmetic contact lenses have a risk of harm and should be classified the same as corrective contacts. Ottawa, October 5, 2011 – It is appropriate as we approach Halloween, that legislation (Bill C-313) has been introduced in the House of Commons by MP Pat Davidson (Sarnia-Lambton) to amend the Food and Drug Act to classify cosmetic contact lenses as class II medical devices, the same as corrective lenses are now classified.

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Optician Council of Canada Urges Trick or Treaters To "See" Halloween Safely View Full Story Minimize

Posted: October 18, 2011 |

The Opticians Council of Canada (OCC) urges consumers to heed their warnings when considering cosmetic contact lenses (non-corrective coloured lenses) for their Halloween costumes. The Opticians Council of Canada (OCC) urges consumers to heed their warnings when considering cosmetic contact lenses (non-corrective coloured lenses) for their Halloween costumes. Cosmetic lenses, sold over-the-counter as costume accessories at some retail outlets and online, are used to change the colour and/or appearance of eyes. While cosmetic lenses are readily available, consumers need to make the right educated choices.

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New York Girl Loses Sight After Buying Illegal Contacts View Full Story Minimize

Posted: August 25, 2011 |

A New York girl needs a cornea transplant after she illegally purchased a pair of colored contacts at a local beauty store, WPIX.com reported. A New York girl needs a cornea transplant after she illegally purchased a pair of colored contacts at a local beauty store, WPIX.com reported.

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8 Education Webinars - Member ($89) View Full Story Minimize

Posted: August 30, 2011 |

8 Education Webinars - Member ($89) Rate for Opticians Association Members: Including members of OBC, AOA, and OAC. This grants you access to the video recording from past seminars. These 8 courses are worth 17 credits. This offer is available from August 8, 2011 to December 31, 2011.

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Group Discount Rates on: VISA and Mastercard View Full Story Minimize

Posted: July 15, 2011 |

The OAC is bringing its members significant savings on Visa/MasterCard processing fees with Pivotal Payments. *NEW* Significant Savings on Visa/MasterCard Processing Fees with Pivotal Payments Pivotal Payments is a long established full service Merchant Services Provider to point-of-sale merchants, Internet business owners, and mail order/telephone order businesses. We provide credit & debit card processing, gift/loyalty/stored value card programs and terminal management solutions in both Canada and the USA.

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