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For many children, the experience of getting their first pair of glasses is an inevitable milestone, the first in a lifetime of visits to the eye doctor.But what if those lenses could actually help preserve the child’s vision and reduce the chances for more serious eye problems in adulthood?That’s the promise of a new type of lens approved by the Food and Drug Administration in September. While the technology has previously been available in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world, it’s now rolling out in the U.S.Here’s what to know about the new approach. What is myopia and why is it increasing? Myopia, commonly called nearsightedness, is when people can clearly see objects at close range but struggle with distant objects, which often appear blurry or indistinct.Studies conducted around the world have shown rising rates of myopia, which researchers have associated with increased time indoors looking at screens, books and other objects held close to the eyes.In the U.S., 30% to 40% of children will have myopia by the time they finish high school, according to Dr. Michael Repka, a professor and pediatric ophthalmologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.Until now, doctors had few options for treating the condition.“It was typically and simply: ‘Your child needs to wear glasses and they’ll live with it,'” Repka said. “‘It will be lifelong and it will likely get worse over the next few years.'” How do the new lenses work? The specialized glasses, sold under the brand Essilor Stellest, are approved by the FDA to slow nearsightedness in 6- to 12-year-olds.The FDA said it cleared the lenses based on company data showing children experienced a 70% reduction in the progression of their myopia after two years.Over time, myopia causes the eye to grow longer, worsening vision and increasing the risk of tears to the retina the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that is essential for vision.The new lenses use 11 concentric rings filled with tiny raised dots to refocus light onto the retina in a way that is believed to slow elongation of the eye.“Whether this hypothesis is ultimately proven to be true, of course, matters only in part,” Repka said, noting that the lenses appear to work regardless of how the underling science works.In the company study, children wearing the lens showed a 50% reduction in eye lengthening when measured after two years. Currently, researchers in the U.S. and other countries are conducting their own independent studies to confirm those results.Ophthalmologists say the potential benefits go beyond preserving vision to heading off some long-term consequences of severe myopia, which can include cataracts, glaucoma and retinal detachment that can lead to blindness.“Now we have a way to slow that down and maybe we can prevent kids from having that really elongated eye that puts them at risk for blindness,” said Dr. Rupa Wong, a Honolulu-based pediatric ophthalmologist. How much will the lenses cost? The suggested retail price is $450, according to EssilorLuxottica, the company that makes the lenses.Major U.S. vision insurance providers are expected to cover the lenses for children who meet the prescribing criteria. How do the new lenses compare to older treatments? The only other FDA-approved product to slow myopia are contact lenses made by a company called MiSight. The daily disposable lenses, approved in 2019, use a similar approach intended to slow the progression of nearsightedness in children ages 8 to 12.But Gupta says many parents and physicians are likely to prefer the glasses.“A lot of people might be hesitant to put a child as young as 8 in contact lenses, so the glasses offer a really nice alternative,” she said.Some doctors prescribe medicated eye drops intended to slow myopia, but those are not approved by the FDA. Which children are good candidates? Under the FDA’s approval decision, the lenses can be prescribed to any child with myopia who’s within the recommended age range. There were no serious side effects, according to FDA, although some children reported visual disturbances, such as halos around objects while wearing the lenses.The studies that the FDA reviewed for approval were conducted in Asia. Repka said U.S. ophthalmologists and optometrists may want to see some additional research.“I think before it becomes widely used, we will need some data in the United States” showing that the lenses work, said Repka, who is conducting a U.S.-based study of the new lenses supported by the National Institutes of Health. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer
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“Zootopia 2” had a roaring and record-setting opening at the box office.The animated animal city sequel from the Walt Disney Company brought in $96 million in North America over the weekend, earned $156 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame, and scored a staggering $556 million globally since its Wednesday opening, according to studio estimates Sunday.That made it the highest international opening ever for an animated movie, the fourth highest global debut of any kind, and the top international opener of 2025.“Wicked: For Good” stayed aloft in its second weekend for Universal Pictures, earning another $62.8 million domestically over the weekend for a North American total of $270.4 million. The second half of the “Wicked” saga has brought in $393 million internationally.The pair of PG-rated sequels combined to make the Thanksgiving weekend a glimmering exception to an otherwise dark year at movie theaters. The five-day holiday run brought in $290 million in total, $188 million of it coming Friday through Sunday.That could be a blip or an indication that a strong finish might salvage Hollywood’s box office year, with “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” among the films still to be released in 2025.“This is a great result and a big momentum builder for the box office as we head into the final four weeks of the year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.“Zootopia 2” arrives almost a decade after the original, a hit that outpaced expectations and had a March domestic opening of $75 million.Like the first, it features the duo of bunny cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and small-time hustler fox Nick Wilde ( Jason Bateman ) in a city of comically domesticated wildlife.Dergarabedian said the sequel represented “a beloved franchise delivering what audiences were looking for around the world.”It was the sixth biggest North American opening of 2025. But its biggest market was China, which made for nearly half of the film’s global total with a whopping $272 million in ticket sales. No American-made animated film has ever opened bigger. It was the second best nonlocal film opening of all time in China, after “Avengers: Endgame.”Such a result in China was once almost commonplace for Hollywood. But in recent years, as geopolitical relations have grown uneasy, box-office results have turned unpredictable at best. Aside from a handful of exceptions, like the “Jurassic World” films, Hollywood has come to virtually write off Chinese theaters and recalibrate blockbuster budgets accordingly.The big bounty in China for “Zootopia 2” could be an aberration or a signal of a thaw in the freeze. In recent years, China, which censors which films that are released in theaters, has leaned more toward homegrown fare. Earlier this year, the locally made blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” grossed $1.8 billion in China.“Zootopia 2” had a clear path to a big Chinese opening. The first “Zootopia,” known there as “Crazy Animal City,” grew into a surprise hit, grossing $236 million. Shanghai Disneyland has a theme land devoted to the films.“Wicked: For Good” didn’t seem to be hurt by the beastly competition as Universal’s gamble of splitting the Broadway tale of Oz into two films continued to pay off. It brought in a worldwide weekend total of $92.2 million.“Hamnet,” certain to be a major player in awards season after a celebrated festival run, had a strong limited opening and landed in the overall top 10. In just 119 theaters it earned $1.35 million from Wednesday through Sunday and $880,000 on the weekend, with a per-theater average of more than $11,000. Director Chloe Zhao’s Shakespeare story starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal expands next weekend. Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: “Zootopia 2,” $96.8 million. “Wicked: For Good,” $62.8 million. “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” $7 million. “Predator: Badlands,” $4.8 million. “The Running Man,” $3.7 million. “Eternity,” $3.2 million. “Rental Family,” $2.1 million. “Hamnet,” $880,000. “Sisu: Road to Revenge,” $810,000. “Nuremberg,” $749,325. This story has been corrected to show that “Zootopia 2” had the sixth biggest North American opening of 2025, not the fourth. Andrew Dalton, AP Entertainment Writer
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Even as the costs and challenges of doing business continues rising, there is a growing political effort creating artificial barriers that undermine business growth. Legislation and political directives are tying business leaders hands and limiting their choices in an increasingly diverse economy. National political rhetoric and autocratic use of federal and state agency authority preempt business leaders from doing anything with a hint of diversity, equity, or inclusion. This ultimately interferes with smart business decisions, restricts markets, and limits communities from achieving inclusive growth and shared prosperity. Inclusive growth should be practical business, not a source of conflict. Inclusion is not just ethical. It can, and should, be profitable. Empowering communities creates widespread prosperity. Inclusion improves the bottom line. Living Cities, the organization I run, has over three decades of experience building inclusive economies for community building and growth. We are witness to the power of people in organizing, governing, and nurturing economic environments that build wealth. With an inclusive approach to development, everyone can benefit. THE DIRECT IMPACT OF CAPITAL INVESTMENTS Most recently, we successfully closed out our Blended Catalyst impact investment fund, which deployed capital around the country in inclusive ways for 10 years. Through that capital, we invested in business models and innovative capital structures that modeled new ways of doing business and delivering results. Over 10 years, from 2015 to 2025, the Blended Catalyst Fund brought together financial and philanthropic partners to improve capital access and investment as a key driver for equitable and inclusive economic opportunity. With our operating partners, Known, we were able to: Deploy over $25 million in capital, the majority going to small businesses and real estate or housing. Leverage that capital 18x for almost $500 million in additional capital to communities that needed it. Create over 6,500 jobs and offer 4,000 social services. While those large-scale numbers are impressive, they do not speak to the direct impact of the capital in communities. After 10 years of investing for inclusion, we have found that inclusive capital does more than generate returns. It can create results that go beyond the balance sheet. NEW BUSINESS MODELS Inclusive capital creates new business models by unlocking financial resources for organizations and entrepreneurs in undercapitalized communities, giving space for innovative ideas that never had the chance to grow. By removing barriers, an inclusive approach to capital can empower entrepreneurs to create solutions tailored to their communities. For example, in early 2025, Fortis Capital and Sunrise Banks offered a loan package to NATIFS, an Indigenous organization addressing economic and health disparities in Native communities. Their loan supported the transformation of a property into a hub featuring an Indigenous restaurant, commissary kitchen, and a center for expanding Indigenous food systems. This partnership shows how tailored financial strategies can fuel entrepreneurship and reveal community-driven solutions in undercapitalized markets. MARKET EXPANSION Expanding inclusive capital allows businesses to enter new markets. When entrepreneurs have access to personalized investments, companies can take advantage of market opportunities and rapidly scale. OnShore Technology Group is a Chicago-based firm that provides validation solutions to life sciences companies, part of a regulatory mandate. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many of OnShores clients, including Moderna, were hurriedly working to bring COVID vaccines and therapies to market. Systems validation was part of this process. Founders First, which received an equity investment from the Blended Catalyst Fund, developed an accelerator program aimed at supporting entrepreneurs like Onshores founder, Valarie King-Bailey. She participated in the program, and then secured a $500,000 revenue-based financing investment from the business accelerator and investment firm. After their engagement with Founder First, OnShore experienced revenue growth of around 90% in one year and have been named to the Inc. 5,000 list three years in a row. COMMUNITY WEALTH BUILDING Inclusive capital is a catalyst for community wealth building, enabling local businesses to grow, create jobs, and foster social and economic connections within undercapitalized neighborhoods. By investing in a diversity of entrepreneurs through business expansion, inclusive capital helps transform small enterprises into engines of prosperity for their communities. Victor Diaz built Renegade Running in Oakland not only as an athletic shop, but as a hub for community building. Diaz participated in Blended Catalyst Fund loan recipient ICA Funds business accelerator program in 2022. He subsequently applied for growth funding. With that initial investment, Renegade Running was able to increase its capital by 100% with an additional investment from retailer REI. The run club, and the company, has become a community hub for Oakland, and in 2024, expanded its operations into Los Angeles. These are three of countless examples of how taking a broad and inclusive approach to capital can benefit everyone. The results from the Blended Catalyst Fund show that direct investment can help private enterprises lift entire communities. The evidence is here. It is time for business and investment leaders to act on the growing body of data proving that inclusive investment is both profitable and beneficial to a healthy local and national economy. Joe Scantlebury is president and CEO of Living Cities.
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