Learning Never Stops: How Essilor Experts Makes Year-Round Education Possible

Now more than ever, staying ahead of the curve is essential for independent eye care professionals (ECPs). The Essilor Experts program is dedicated to empowering and supporting ECPs by providing valuable resources and tools that keep them at the forefront of the industry. Through year-round events, the Essilor Experts program equips ECPs with the latest knowledge and strategies to enhance patient care and practice profitability.

The Essilor Experts workshops evolve every year to meet the needs of ECPs, their patients and the ever-changing market landscape. Workshops highlight key industry trends, effective operational strategies and product innovations to ensure ECPs are positioned to best serve their patients. Those who want to learn, grow and differentiate themselves as leaders in the industry can attend these workshops to learn from industry experts.

Claudio Lagunas, OD, owner of Lifetime EyeCare Associates, Essilor Expert and Vision Source administrator in Woodlands, Texas, recognizes the impact of these workshops for his team. “It’s important to be cutting-edge. Patients come into our practice knowing that they’re coming to a practice that’s always going to give them the latest and greatest,” he says.

2025 Essilor Experts Workshops

This year’s Essilor Experts Insider Experience Workshops have focused on enhancing patient care and driving key practice metrics through innovation, technology and collaboration. These interactive workshops encourage peer learning and offer two hours of continuing education credit. Industry experts lead workshops on topics such as practice optimization and psychological safety in the workplace.

Attendees have found the psychological safety course to be especially helpful, as it’s a novel yet relevant topic for their workplaces. Psychological safety refers to the ability to take interpersonal risks without fear of punishment or humiliation, fostering an environment where people can share creative ideas without fear of personal criticism or reprisals.

Research shows that this sense of safety is vital for employees to fully engage and work to their highest capacity. However, many work environments struggle to achieve this vital aspect of workplace culture. Employers who create a psychologically safe workplace tend to enjoy higher staff retention and greater productivity. This workshop dives into the importance and key components of psychological safety, offering practical tips to help participants build a supportive and trusting work culture

“This was the best workshop I’ve been to in my seven years. We learned new things and it will help us with revenue and mental health, which is just as important,” one attendee said.

The workshops also showcase groundbreaking eye care products and services that are revolutionizing the industry. Among this technology is Ray-Ban Meta, with its newest AI advancements, and Nuance Audio, the revolutionary all-in-one audio and visual solution to the market gap.

Attendees get hands-on experience with these latest solutions and learn how to best position them to their patients. These exclusive experiences are crucial for ECPs looking to stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.

Another attendee said he found value outside of what he expected from the workshops. “We covered a few different topics, and not the typical ones. [The workshop] was stimulating, useful and helpful. I appreciate when I have completed a workshop, that my time was valued.”

The Lasting Value of Essilor Experts Workshops

Year after year, ECPs continue to find immense value in the Essilor Experts workshops. Whether it’s for training staff, sparking conversation among colleagues or equipping their teams with the tools needed for success, ECPs return to the workshops time and again. With a satisfaction rate of 95% or higher over the past three years, these workshops remain one of the most highly rated benefits of the Essilor Experts program.

Julia Kuhn, Director of Operations at Signature Eye Care in Cedar Park, Texas, knows how insightful Essilor Experts workshops can be. “I would always encourage someone to attend the Essilor Experts workshop. It’s the most in-depth way of getting a full training on new products and new technology. You just learn so much,” she says.

The knowledge and resources Dr. Lagunas and his team gain from these workshops reflect his practice philosophy. “We’ve tried to attend every single workshop in the last few years, and it’s been very beneficial for our staff, opticians and doctors,” he says. “Don’t overthink it, you should go. If you have to shut down for the day, it’s well worth it.”

The Power of Connection Among ECPs

Networking with other industry professionals is another key advantage of attending Essilor Experts workshops. Peer-to-peer interaction gives attendees the opportunity to share insights and learn from one another. The collaboration that takes place is priceless, fostering deeper relationships and greater understandings among industry professionals nationwide.

“What you learn at these programs is going to help your business grow in the long term, so it’s valuable and fun to have staff come together to build that culture so we can translate that to the patient care we provide,” Dr. Lagunas says.

Attendees leave these workshops feeling informed and energized, taking the information and tools back to their practices—and leaving with ABO credit hours to keep their certifications up to date.

Learning Never Stops with Essilor Experts

As the 2025 in-person Essilor Experts workshops come to an end, a series of virtual events are on the horizon. These events will focus on practice optimization, identifying patient needs and upcoming innovations, all available exclusively to Essilor Experts.

The upcoming Essilor Experts Business Insights Dashboard webinar series will educate attendees on the various analytics the Dashboard offers. This foundational tool compiles business intelligence based on your practice performance in real time, enabling you to easily visualize and track how your business grows over time.

More virtual Essilor Experts workshops are also returning this year in a shortened, accessible-from-anywhere format. Completing these workshops offers one hour of ABO credit. Additionally, the Management Development Program still has openings available for 2025 cohorts! Through a combination of live and online instruction, this MBA-style six-month course is designed to help practice, office and optical managers gain the confidence and business expertise they need to positively impact their eye care practice.

Interested in joining the Essilor Experts partnership program? Click HERE or reach out to your Essilor Account Executive to learn more.