American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z80 Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) Elects New Vice Chair

Alexandria, VA – Oct. 20, 2022 – As the Secretariat to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z80 Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) for Ophthalmic Optics, The Vision Council is pleased to share that Lauren Bianchi, Director, Global Quality & Compliance at Marchon Eyewear, has been elected as the committee’s new Vice Chair.

The Vision Council and volunteer members have produced and contributed to multiple standards and communications to assist the industry in serving the eyeglass wearing public. ANSI Z80 ASC for Ophthalmic Optics develops and maintains American National Standards within its scope and develops U.S. positions at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The Z80 Committee, established in 1956, is a U.S. national standards developer accredited by ANSI. The current chair is Dr. Carl Tubbs of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The committee, made up of 21 voting organizations and more than 200 participants, meets twice a year. There are seven subcommittees that operate under the Z80 committee.

Recently, the committee elected Lauren Bianchi, Director, Global Quality & Compliance at Marchon Eyewear, as the Vice Chair. She previously held the Chair position of Subcommittee 3 (SC3 Frames) and was also an active member of SC1 (Prescription Lenses) and SC2 (Plano Sunglasses & OTC Readers). Lauren has 22 years of experience in the eyewear industry and has been American Board of Opticianry Certified (ABOC) since 2010.

Lauren has created and implemented a standardized Global Quality System at Marchon Eyewear, which includes a comprehensive Technical/QC Manual for Vendors and a 360-degree compliance program. She is currently Chair of ANSI ASC Z80 SC3 and will work with the committee to appoint an appropriate replacement for her. She is also a frames and technical expert representing ANSI for various ISO TC172/SC7 working groups.

All Accredited Standards Committees must be ANSI approved and audited. The ANSI Z80 Committee, its subcommittees and Secretariat operate under the ASC Z80 Operating Procedures. The Z80 Committee also refers to the guidelines of the Optics and Electro-Optics Standards Council (OEOSC), administrator of the ISO TAG that includes ophthalmic optics. These guidelines detail the procedures for the development of U.S. positions on international standards issues. For more information about ANSI, please click here. For more information on OEOSE, click here.

To learn more about The Vision Council’s role in standards, click here. Please direct all questions to Michael Vitale, Vice President. Membership & Technical Affairs at mvitale@thevisioncouncil.org.