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Anyone obsessed with celebrity would have had a field day at Vision Expo East in wet and windy New York, writes Rory Brogan.

 There aren't too many optical shows where your interview with a frame company comes to a halt because Mickey Rourke needs the booth for some 'R and R' after a marathon photo and autographing session.Anyone obsessed with celebrity would have had a field day at Vision Expo East in wet and windy New York.

 He was a guest of Revolution Eyewear which also had a lively catwalk show with models (male and female) wearing varying amounts of clothing inspired by the American tattooist Ed Hardy's tattoo designs. Revolution's director of key accounts Ray Geerloff assured me that Ed Hardy eyewear - vast sunglasses sporting Swarovski tattoo-like detailing - would be coming to the UK further down the line, although there was no mention of celebrity involvement.

Not to be outdone, Gripping Eyewear secured the services of Paris Hilton, who after some build up pouted her way through a photo session to announce the launch of her sunglass range with the company. Paris, as I can now call her, also put in an appearance at a launch party at Bungalow 8, a palm tree-filled venue in New York's Chelsea. When it comes to the sunglasses, expect lots of pink packaging and the company's patented magnetic temples that secure the frames to clothing, as well as a clever range of magnetic accessories. No wonder Paris, who did some sketching for the line, was smiling.

There was also a vote of approval for American Idol's ebullient Randy Jackson who has his own range of eyewear at Zyloware. He seemed genuinely pleased to be at the show and Optician magazine was on hand to record it.

For those of you who are faint-hearted, turn away now. A Texas inmate, jailed for murdering his wife, his son and his wife's 13-month-old baby, tore out his only good eye and ate it - five years after tearing out his right eye.

Death row inmate Andre Thomas, 25, was found with blood on his face in his cell and has now been transferred to a prison psychiatric facility in Houston. In 2004 at his original trial he was declared competent to stand trial despite having already pulled out his right eye.

This would seem to be a drastic way of showing mental instability -  most people in the UK usually appear on Big Brother.

Doug

An un-dated shot of Andre Thomas

Although its been widely accepted that supermarket opticians have not brought about the apocalypse in optometry that some doom-mongering practitioners envisaged, the thought of another major retailer trying its hand at providing GOS could bring some practitioners out in a cold sweat, especially if the name Woolworths is mentioned.

Politics is a dirty business, especially in America. In North Carolina the speaker of the local parliament, who also happens to be an optom has had to hand in his badge after a political scandal
The fact that he's being sent to jail probably means his inability to practise is not of too great a concern to him.
At least he will be used to being locked in a small dark room for long periods of time.
And the basis of one of his crimes -- taking illegal payments from a group of chiropractors.Backhanders I think they are known as.