Articles for September, 2009

We’ve seen numerous examples of modern technology transforming into accessories (think the Bluetooth earpiece or iPod headphones), but rarely do we see traditional accessories transform into pieces of modern technology. TriSpecs Sunglasses Blue Tooth Stereo Fashion Eyewear brings fashion eyewear into the digital era by installing blue tooth and MP3 capabilities and headphones into sunglass temples. TriSpecs sunglasses work by connecting wirelessly to Bluetooth capable phones and MP3 players. Retractable ear buds pull down from the temple tips and fit comfortably in the ear. Conspicuously placed buttons along the temple allow the user to control the MP3 player, adjust volume or answer phone calls. The eyewear can be connected to two different devices simultaneously allowing one to listen to their MP3 player as well as receive phone calls. The eyewear requires some patience to set up initially, but once the set up is completed, operating the MP3 or Bluetooth function is fairly easy. Although TriSpecs play to the sport-look with their frame style and the temples are muscled-up as well, they are an interesting spin on the future and function of eyewear.     —Jaclyn Stewart --Article reprinted from 2020 Magazine with permission from Jobson Publishing.

As a brand, Calvin Klein has always been known for its classic and clean designs, never flashy… until now. This fall the designer brand and its eyewear partner Marchon are unveiling the ck USB sunglass, which feature a 4GB USB flash drive in the temple.

“We wanted it to physically be the smallest possible flash drive so when you look at the sunglass you have no idea it’s embedded in the temple,” says Linda Ryno, senior brand manager for Calvin Klein Eyewear. “The overall design is very modern and minimal. The designers at Calvin Klein create designs that are very complex yet are able to achieve a minimal look; we did the same with this sunglass.”

While the actual device is designed to be as small as possible so that it fits seamlessly in the frame, it is capable of storing lots of data. By way of example, a 4GB flash drive can hold about 1,000 songs.

“The temple is just slightly thicker so it can house the USB drive, which can store pictures, data, media and music,” explains Ryno. “We are launching globally in the fall with special imagery, a special tower display, counter card cube, packaging and consumers brochures that explain the technology. We did a European soft launch in Italy and Spain. People were very excited.”

The unisex sunglass can also easily convert into an ophthalmic. The frame comes in two styles in three colors: ck 3083S USB in black, dark Havana and light Havana; ck 3084S USB in black, dark Havana and pearl. The frames are patent pending.

“It’s one less gadget to carry. We have so many gadgets to remember,” says Ryno. “But you’re always going to have your sunglasses.”         
--Article reprinted from 2020 Magazine with permission from Jobson Publishing.

Celebrity Sun Glasses, Celebrity Eyeglasses!

A Good Vice — Katherine Heigl (1) seems to have one serious vice: her Red Hot sunglasses from Jee Vice. The actress has been spotted all over Hollywood wearing the shades… Sheen Seen — British actor Michael Sheen (2) in Calvin Klein Collection CK7306S (Link: Calvin Klein CK7306S sunglasses) from Marchon. Sheen has gained notoriety for his performances in such acclaimed films as “The Queen” and “Frost/Nixon”… Go Joe — Channing Tatum (3), who made his action hero debut in “GI Joe: Rise of Cobra” this summer, wears Calvin Klein Collection CK7304S (Link: Calvin Klein CK7304S Sunglasses) from Marchon… Here We Go — John Krazinski (4), star of the NBC hit sitcom “The Office,” in Joseph Abboud JA142 (Link: Joseph Abboud JA142 glasses), from Marchon. Karzinski also starred in the summer flick “Away We Go”… The Right Address — AnnaLynne McCord (5) of “90210” fame wears the Coach Leanne from Marchon… Simply The Best — Actress Eve Best (6) who plays Dr. Eleanor O’Hara on the new Showtime series “Nurse Jackie” starring Edie Falco, sported Sàfilo sunglasses on both the second and third episodes of show. Best is seen here wearing the Jimmy Choo JJ and the Dior Cherry Tree… Shady Lady — Emmanuelle Chriqui (7), who plays Sloan on the HBO hit series “Entourage,” in Perry by Badgley Mischka Activee Eyewear from Sama… In the Swing — Oakley-sponsored golfer Ricky Barnes (8) created a media stir with his stellar performance during the U.S. Open. Sporting Oakley from toe to eye, Barnes wore Flak Jacket eyewear with golf-specific G30 lenses while on the green at Bethpage Black… Eye Sing — Wearing styles from Luxottica are hip hop star Common (9) in Ray-Ban RB5121 (Link: Ray-Ban RB5121 Glasses) and singer Pink (10) in Dolce & Gabbana DG2028… Standing Out — Rex Lee (11) of the HBO hit “Entourage” wears Sean John SJ2023 (Link: Sean John SJ2023 glasses) from Marchon.                              —Jackie Micucci.  Article is reprinted from 2020 Magazine with permission from Jobson Publishing.

Strip Tease —
Get ready for the return engagement of Vision Expo West in Las Vegas on October 1, 2 and 3. And not a second too soon. This might be the first StreetSeen we’ve ever experienced where the eyewear and sunwear needs a boost in the trendsetting. Sorry folks. The neon outstrips the shades and specs. It’s time for an opti-shop visit.

—James J. Spina

Article is reprinted from 2020 Magazine with permission from Jobson Publishing.

Photograph by Ned Matura; Lenses courtesy of KBco and Vision-Ease Lens

By Timothy Coronis

High-index plastic lenses (Link: Lens Wizard) can greatly improve the eyeglasses you build. Using a high-index lens material—one with an index of refraction ranging from 1.60 to 1.74—can reduce lens thickness and weight, making eyeglasses comfortable and cosmetically appealing. High-index lenses can also be used to improve the fit of lenses in the frame.

Because of the ever-expanding range of high-index lenses on the market, many dispensers are unsure of how choose an appropriate lens for a patient. With so many lens materials and lens treatment combinations available, knowing when to recommend one high-index lens versus another can seem like a numbers game. To win that numbers game, you’ve got to master a few key optical concepts and facts.

Understanding Index of Refraction
Index of Refraction is the speed of light in a vacuum divided by the speed of light in a given material. The resulting number (1.5, 1.6, 1.67, 1.74) is referred to as the “index.” The higher the number, the more light is slowed down or bent. This means high-index lenses bend light at steeper angles than standard-index, hard resin lenses. Therefore, high-index lenses need less curvature to achieve the same focal power. That’s why a lens made from a 1.67-index material can be significantly thinner than a standard-index (1.50) plastic material with the same prescription.

An additional benefit of high-index lenses over standard plastic lenses is that they offer inherent UV protection as opposed to having to apply a UV coating, which may cause some standard-index lenses to turn yellow.

High-index lenses also have flatter curvatures than their standard plastic cousins. Aspheric design, when combined with high-index resin, will further thin and flatten both plus and minus powers. All these factors make high-index lenses an especially good match for today’s frames, which are of an increasingly flat design. And its high tensile strength makes a 1.67 material a good choice for drilled rimless.

Factoring in Abbe Value
When looking through a lens at a point other than the optical center, the component colors making up white light are displaced laterally by differing amounts resulting in a degraded image, so a challenge in high-index lens design is minimizing effects of chromatic aberration, or color dispersion occasionally noticed by the eyeglass wearer as a “halo” or color fringes around the edges of an object.

A scale used to rate the degree of chromatic aberration of optical materials is the Abbe value. A lower Abbe value indicates more chromatic aberration and a higher Abbe value indicates less.

Comparing High-Index Materials

Material	Refractive Index	Abbe
1.74	1.74	32
1.70	1.70	36
1.67	1.67	32
1.60	1.60	42
Polycarbonate	1.59	32
Trivex	1.53	45
Standard Plastic	1.50	58

A “sweet spot” exists at and around the optical center of lenses within which chromatic aberration is more tolerable. Minimal decentration of lenses in the frame and a smaller ED minimizes the effect of chromatic aberration. The idea is to position the best optics directly in front of the patient’s pupil and to reduce areas of the lenses in which the chromatic aberration is most noticeable. There is no practical way to eliminate chromatic aberration, but anti-reflective (AR) lenses can help patients tolerate the problem.

The AR Advantage
When dispensing high-index materials, AR lenses offer significant advantages over non-AR lenses. Because high-index materials are relatively dense, they have significantly higher reflectance than lower index lenses. This higher reflectance creates increased veiling glare under ordinary lighting and also creates annoying ghost images when bright light sources are introduced into an environment of generally low illumination (e.g. oncoming headlights during night driving or candles in a darkened restaurant). By reducing the higher reflectance that is otherwise going to be present whenever index is increased, the optical performance and the cosmetic appearance of these lenses are both improved.

Presenting High-Index Options
When recommending a high-index lens to a patient, remember to go easy on the technical features. Focus instead on the benefits the patient will receive (while always being prepared for questions and concerns). You’ll feel more like the expert when you act like the expert, recommending what’s best and keeping in mind the individual’s prescription and lifestyle needs, rather than presenting a laundry list of every option.

Always consult with your optical laboratory or lens sales consultant if a patient is having difficulty wearing a particular lens material. They can recommend other lens materials and treatments. For example, a patient who cannot tolerate a polycarbonate material or a high-index can still be given a highly impact-resistant material by using a lens made of PPG’s Trivex, which features a 1.53 index and an Abbe value of 44.

With knowledge, ability and a little patience, it’s possible to ascertain what your customer wants and then combine several elements of cosmetics and technology into a pair of glasses that are as attractive as they are functional.

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Timothy Coronis ABOC-NCLE, is a certified optician and contact lens examiner based in Keene, N.H. He is also an American Board of Opticianry technical speaker. He may be reached at timothycoronis@hotmail.com.

Solving Patient Needs
Here are some examples of how choosing the right high-index material can solve a variety of patient’s optical and cosmetic needs. Example 1
The patient’s prescription is -8.00 R –7.75 L and the PD is 58mm. The patient selected a fashionable, rectangular frame, 52-20, and is asking about polycarbonate lenses.

This prescription/lens/frame combination could spell trouble. The fact that the lenses are decentered 7mm each and rectangular shape means the outer edges of the lenses would be very thick. It’s better to avoid thick lens edges through careful frame selection and choice of materials whenever possible.

A useful tip when building glasses and anticipating how lenses will look in the frame is to remember that greater decentration causes thick lateral edges for minus prescriptions and thicker centers for plus lenses. The former case is exactly what we’re trying to avoid. Solution
Recommending a smaller, 48-18 as something to complement the lenses, will result in a decentration of only 4mm each. A less severe frame shape such as an oval means there will be less thick lens edge in the eyeglasses. These decisions, combined with a 1.74 index and an aspheric design, mean there will be much thinner lenses in the frame. In our new example, each factor worked toward the same goal, thinner, more attractive lenses.
Example 2
The patient’s prescription is  +0.75 OD, +4.25 OS, PD is 65. The patient picked out a 48-20 zyl frame and then had eye exam. These are two very different lenses and two very different powers. Glazing a zyl frame with these lenses would result in the OS temple being angled inward because the left eyewire must be molded around the steep lens curvature, while the OD side would be more nearly at right angles to the front. Solution
To achieve better symmetry and to get this prescription into a zyl frame in an artful and practical manner, the optician suggested a 1.67 aspheric lens for the OS and a standard plastic, non-aspheric for the OD. The high-index makes the OS lens thinner and being aspheric will makes it even flatter. The OS lens is a non-aspheric standard plastic. In spite of dissimilar powers, the lenses will look like a matched pair and will behave similarly in the frame, and the patient with dissimilar eyes can receive eyeglasses of the same cosmetic standard as anyone else. AR lenses are also recommended for low power lenses.

Patients with this much anisometropia will be more prone to spatial distortions if they have approximately equal acuity between the eyes, and moderate to good stereopsis. A consultation with the Rx-ing doctor would be a good idea before proceeding.   Example 3
The prescription is +1.00 OD and +1.25 OS, add power is +2.75 OU and the PD is 56. The patient likes a grooved and rimless frame design that measures 52/18. He wants to use his glasses for reading only and he likes the idea of standard plastic being the cheapest option. He mentions having gotten “eyeglasses-in-an-hour” last time.

This is a different type of potential problem. The full reading prescription here is +3.75 OD and +4.00 OS. Plus lenses are thickest in the center and thinnest at the edges. The patient’s PD of 56mm means the lenses would have to be decentered 7mm each, which would result in eyeglasses with lenses inordinately thick both near the bridge and in the centers. In fact, in this particular case, ordering lenses surfaced to get sufficient thickness for grooving at the temporal edge would make the overall lens thickness considerably greater.

After reflecting on similar situations, the dispenser explained to the patient that in order to get the lenses in their best form, another frame would have to be selected. Solution
Use 1.67 aspheric lenses mounted in a zyl frame to conceal the thick nasal edge and a rounder frame design at 48/19 to reduce decentration. The lens and frame combination will harmonize quite well. The aspheric greatly reduces the lens thickness at the nasal edges. Example 4
The prescription is -4.00 OD, -3.75 OS. Patient likes drilled rimless frames. Conversation revealed the patient works in a bank, uses a computer screen all day and deals with the public. Recommendations should include that AR lenses present a nice appearance, relieve eyestrain from prolonged computer use and improve the appearance of rimless designs.  Solution
Rimless, eight-hole drilled, anti-reflective lenses for looking at the computer screen all day, fabricated with 1.67 drillable material with a high-tensile strength.   Article reprinted from 2020 Magazine, with permission from Jobson Publishing.

L’Amy America: Columbia Tweeners
TWEEN TIME

07-2009

Columbia Eyewear (Link: Columbia Eyeglasses), available from L’Amy America, introduces its second wave of tweeners ophthalmic styles to complement its first casual–basic collection for a total of 12 styles. The new six-piece addition features more sport-aggressive frame shapes, sport-oriented bridges and architectural temple details, mirroring Columbia’s best-selling adult sport frames. Patented Diagonal-Secure Fit rubberized temple tips provide stability and sport appeal. Spring hinges add flexibility and comfort. Shapes consist of tea cup and rounded square and rectangular designs in shades of matte and shiny gunmetal and grappa, matte tank, shiny carbon and vino and brushed twig. Sizes range from 46mm to 50mm with 15mm to 17mm bridges and 130mm and 135mm temple lengths.

PHILOSOPHY: “Our objective with the new styles is to expand upon the current, highly successful Columbia Tweeners Basics Collection with more sport-aggressive options,” says Connie Reiss, L’Amy worldwide brand manager for Columbia eyewear. “Because of this new category of business, Columbia Eyewear market share is growing.”

MARKETING: Each frame comes with a black leatherette case.

Two-tone colorations in signature Columbia colors such as shiny carbon reflect the sport aesthetic while remaining true to classic Columbia styles. Article reprinted from 2020 Magazine, with permission from Jobson Publishing.

Bolle: Kids Collection
LESS SIZE—MORE FEATURES

07-2009

Bolle, a division of Bushnell Outdoor Products, launches Bolle Kids, a seven-piece collection of sport eyewear designed specifically to fit the contours of smaller faces. The frames are constructed of grilamid TR-90 nylon. The lenses are molded polycarbonate with CarboGlas coating, a proprietary scratch-resistant treatment applied to both sides of the lenses. Most of the styles have Bolle’s exclusive Thermogrip temple tips and nosepads to keep the glasses firmly in place even during rugged outdoor play. Colors range from pink, blue, crystal rose, candy apple red and white to black, silver, crystal smoke, silver and tortoise, all with shiny finishes.

PHILOSOPHY: “Too often the quality of eyewear for kids is compromised by the need to keep prices low,” says Andrew Cohen, Bolle global product manager. “The commitment to performance that defines our existing sunglass lines is very much present and accounted for in Bolle Kids.”

Grilamid TR-90 is extremely durable, yet flexible and very lightweight. Nearly impervious to extreme temperatures, frames made of grilamid will not degrade when exposed to even the most powerful sunscreen products. —Gloria Nicola. Reprinted from 2020 Magazine, with permission from Jobson Publishing.

Hall of Frames 07-2009 American Eye-dol — There may have been a few questions raised about the controversial final results of this season’s “American Idol,” but there’s no questioning the great Marchon sun styles sported by the two finalists. Winner Kris Allen (1) wears Fendi FS5038M and runner-up Adam Lambert (2) sports Karl Lagerfeld shield KL635S… Yes, They Cannes — Some hot Luxottica sun styles played a starring role during the recent Cannes Film Festival. Oscar winner Hilary Swank (3) in Prada SPR 25L and Italian actress Asia Argento (4), who served as a member of the jury at this year’s festival, in Dolce & Gabbana D&G 8056… So Precious — Pop diva Mariah Carey (5) wearing Ferragamo style FE 1176B (Link: Ferragamo FE 1176B glasses) shades at the photo-call for her new film “Precious”… Cop Out — R&B artist Ne-Yo (6) wearing Police sunglasses style S1614 Z42 from Eastern States Eyewear while at the Cannes Film Festival… Duff Stuff — Hilary Duff (7) out and about in Los Angeles in Christian Roth by Charmant CR14253 LB… He Rocks — Academy Award winning director Quentin Tarantino (8) has been all around the Cannes Film Festival wearing Rocks 1 from Face a Face… Dancing Eyes — “Dancing With the Stars” judge Bruno Tonioli (9) wears Karl Lagerfeld KL126S while the show’s host Samantha Harris (10) sports Coach Tasha, both from Marchon… Eye See — A couple of famous faces in icBerlin! Actor Kevin Bacon (11) has been spotted all over Hollywood wearing the Nameless 5 and Julian McMahon (12) of FX’s “Nip/Tuck” sports the Russ and Kjell…   Love At First Bite — Reality TV star Kim Kardashian (13) takes a bite out of a pair of Carrera Vintage Sunglasses while actress Gabrielle Union (14) knows sunglasses look better on the face than in the mouth. Sàfilo hosted a party in Los Angeles for the launch of the collection at a poolside bungalow at The Chateau Marmont. Others sporting the shades include actress Jordana Brewster (15) and legendary actress-turned-director Penny Marshall (16)… Stage Presence — “American Idol” contestant Danny Gokey (17) performs in JOE by Joseph Abboud JOE507, from Altair. Gokey was this season of Idol’s resident eyewear maven… Marc It — Celebs in Robert Marc: Rachel Griffiths (18) of the hit ABC drama “Brothers & Sisters” wearing style 546; Michael J. Fox (19) wearing style 219 on his way to the David Letterman Show; and Oscar winning actress Susan Sarandon (20) wearing Lunor A5 Collection model 215. Reprinted from 2020 Magazine, with permission from Jobson Publishing. —Jackie Micucci

Taking the Plunge With Digital Lenses

06-2009


No other segment of the eyecare industry is experiencing the type of breath-taking change that is now winding through the lens and surfacing laboratory business. The broad arrival of free-form, digital surfacing equipment has, seemingly overnight, resulted in some labs beginning to completely abandon the conventional fabrication tools, spindles, laps and calculations that have been employed essentially unchanged for more than 100 years.

Why is this class of lens so quickly invading the turf occupied by traditional lenses?
The numbers reveal all:
1. Surface precision improves a factor of six times, from 0.06D to 0.01D.
2. Fabrication times are cut by 50 percent.
3. Lens size and cut-out issues are almost non-existent since any design can be “de-centered” into the Single-vision lens blank of your choosing.
4. There are almost no refractive index or substrate restrictions. You can make the lens design of your choice on the material of your choice. For instance: No more searching for what lenses are available in Trivex Transitions. Inventory requirements are slashed. Processing free-form/digital progressive lenses requires that you only carry single-vision, semi-finished lens blanks. No more various progressive lens designs times base curves times near adds. And in the most sophisticated designs, corridor length and inset can be specified by the dispenser.
5. Increased variety and ever more sophisticated lens designs are and will be available as quickly and easily as the specific design algorithm can be downloaded to the lab’s computer.

With the latest and most sophisticated lens designs available for either single-vision, progressive or wrap (or combined), coupled with a “dealer’s choice” from the cornucopia of material index, curve and photochromic options, what could stop ECPs from immediately embracing this new technology?

Let’s take a look:
1. Increased cost—In the beginning, every new technology has an increased cost as compared to the traditional technology of the day. In the not-too-distant past, the start-up laboratory costs for free-form equipment had been very high. And the prices for free-form lenses also seemed expensive. But as production, acceptance and market penetration of free-form lenses has grown, we’re seeing the prices of these lenses decreasing to the level where many good free-form designs are priced in line with traditional lenses. And further reductions are sure to follow.
2. My current/main lab doesn’t offer these new lenses—If they don’t now, they soon will. But why wait? Why not try one of the newer, all-digital labs that specialize in only free-form, digital lenses. As mentioned above, these lens costs can be comparable to your favorite, traditional premium lenses.
3. The unknown frontier—For many ECPs, digital/free-form technology is just all too new, unfamiliar and risky. With an established tradition of questioning the benefits and increased cost of any new lens, frame and other related ophthalmic technology, who can blame an ECP for asking “What I’m using now isn’t broke. Why should I experiment and take the risk changing from what I work with now?” By being among the first to introduce new products to their clients, ECPs can continue to effectively compete with the lure of Internet eyewear.

Risks and Rewards
With progressive lenses, ECPs generally accept the traditional wisdom of not changing the brand of progressive that a client is wearing, particularly if they seem “satisfied.” We’ve all taken risks here and sometimes found failure. And when we’ve experienced failure, we often immediately run back to the lens we already know. But looked at realistically, we all realize that there is no single progressive that is good for everyone that walks into your office. Yet, the prospect of experiencing dissatisfaction should not be a sufficient enough reason to avoid taking the risk of introducing a new lens design.
It is said that we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. But even the normal updating or changing of a patient’s Rx comes with risks. We need to understand the questions that help define the risks we face every day in dispensing eyewear:
1. Will they see well?
2. Will they experience an unwanted or altered perspective?
3. Will they feel their eyewear will let them accomplish their daily tasks?
4. Will they like the way they look?
5. Will others (family and friends) approve of the appearance of the new eyewear?
6. Will the eyewear fit comfortably?
7. Will it hold its adjustment in a satisfactory manner?
8. Will the eyewear purchase be perceived as a good value?
9. Will the eyewear prove to be inconvenient?
10. Will the total eyewear experience ensure your client will be a repeat customer?
It’s no wonder, considering how complexly these risks are juggled when dispensing eyewear that ECPs are innately and often subconsciously concerned with managing and reducing the prospect of creating an unhappy customer.

How Well Do ECPs Manage Risks
When faced with recommending new eyewear, most dispensers tend to be a little chicken. This is a direct outgrowth of using a need-based approach to new eyewear. How many of the following, need –based, risk-reducing phrases do you or your staff use in an average work week?
1. “There’s so little change in your Rx, you don’t really need to get new glasses.”
2. “Don’t bother purchasing [expensive] prescription glasses, when over-the-counter    readers will work out just as well.”
3. “This frame style will go with everything you wear, so you’ll need only one pair.”
4. “Progressive lenses will let you see all ranges. There’s no need for separate pairs of glasses for work, hobbies or play.”
5. “Congratulations! Your eyes are perfectly healthy and you do not need to get (or change your) prescription glasses.”
6. “You only need to wear glasses to drive.”
7. “Choosing photochromic lenses means you won’t have to deal with the inconvenience and expense of separate sunglasses.”
If you don’t think these phrases connote reduced risk, then imagine communicating just the opposite thought for any one of them. Immediately you’ll discover the risks you’re avoiding by not suggesting your clients actually spend more money (and in some people’s opinion, more than they have to) for new, different or supplemental eyewear technology and/or fashion.
It’s important for ECPs to realize that our habitual approach to reducing risk has been rationalized and codified into being afraid to “guinea-pig” the latest products on our clients. Continuing to follow this modality would be a major mistake.
Instead, try taking a more proactive approach with recommending new technology. But always keep a back-up plan defining how you will handle the recommendations that don’t deliver on the promised benefit.

Recommending New Technology
There really are almost no risks to recommending this latest lens technology. Why? Because almost any type of quality free-form lens has a promise of better vision. And this benefit is consistent with every eyecare practitioner’s job to deliver the best vision possible. Using these better products, combined with a new, preventative approach to maintaining eye health is a win-win situation for patient and practitioner.

But, always lurking behind every recommendation is the doubt that either the client won’t find the new product superior to their previous, lower-cost eyewear or suffers an experience that is actually inferior to what they had before. Every ECP wants to avoid situations like these because they set precedents in the patient’s mind that some future product recommendations, especially those requiring paying more, may be met with increased doubt or skepticism. We’ve all heard clients say, “We’ve tried that (more-expensive) product before and it didn’t make any difference.”

Let’s look at an example that, in the recent past, truly didn’t work out as hoped. Every ECP will agree that earlier anti-reflective coatings for plastic lenses, from about 1998 to about 2002, could fall into this category. The approach I use to respond to client’s dissatisfaction with older AR (cleaning and/or adhesion failure that often appeared to clients as a propensity to scratch more easily) is simply honesty is the best policy. “Yes, these older AR coatings were substantially inferior in their cleaning and ability to stay adhered to your lenses. But today’s, premium AR finishes are in fact I believe, much better than they would have been if this crisis never occurred.” In keeping with the old saying, you learn more from your mistakes.

Taking Baby Steps in Free-form
Even with all the cheerleading for ECPs to try out these newer, free-form progressive lenses, some will simply not want to take a chance with either the increased cost or the prospect of problems that moving tried-and-true lenses can bring.
One of the best ways to begin experiencing the benefits of free-form technology is with single-vision. Especially if the Rx you’re dealing with has more than a 0.50D of cylinder power, consider suggesting one of the current free-form, single-vision designs, such as Essilor 360 SV or Shamir Autograph II SV. When packaged with a quality anti-reflective coating, these lenses will produce “wows” at your dispensing desk. In my store I heard the following exclamations when delivering free-form, single-visions lenses to mild to moderate astigmats:
1. “This is unbelievably clear!”
2. “It’s almost like HD vision!”
3. “Wow! This lens is like freaky clear!”
4. “It’s like a picture window made with my prescription.”
And single-vision, free-form costs only pennies more than some similar quality, stock finished lenses. The cost to the client and practitioner is not at all intimidating, while the accompanying optical compromises in progressive lenses are removed from the equation all together.

Free-form lenses represent the pinnacle of optical technology. Lens manufacturers and labs are continually improving the way they are designed and manufactured. If you’re not yet dispensing free-form lenses, or have had concerns about them, now is the time to fully embrace them. Your clients deserve nothing less than the best vision products you can deliver.   Article reprinted from 2020 Magazine, with the permission of Jobson Publishing.

Nouveau Eyewear: Phoebe Couture
Eye candy

06-2009

Following its successful launch last fall of Kay Unger Eyewear, Nouveau introduces the Phoebe Couture collection. Created for the newest generation of Kay Unger fans, the Phoebe Couture brand is exactingly tailored for fit and comfort, and uses vibrant colors, vintage draping and flouncy hem lines for a playful approach to fashion. The eyewear line, which consists of eight ophthalmic styles and four sunglasses, is an eclectic collection designed to accentuate the clothing. Inspired by romantic eras of the past, the frames are created for those who aren’t afraid to turn heads. Bold graphics—polka dots, fabric patterns and wave motifs—in such colors as chocolate brown, red and pink provide sexy sophistication. The sunglasses are Rxable and equipped with polarized lenses.

MARKETING: Merchandising materials include a 3-D display, poster and “lips” logo plaque. A $25 gift card and pink heart luggage tag come with a 16-place order. Frames and sunglasses are packaged in hard cases.

PHILOSOPHY: “Phoebe Couture was created for the 20-something trendsetter,” says Marj McGraw, Nouveau co-president. “Emulating the chic styling found in her dresses, Kay Unger’s newest eyewear collection takes a playful ­and downright flirtatious ­approach to fashion. Once upon a time, eyewear was solely for those who wore prescription lenses. With Phoebe Couture, it’s become a must-have accessory.”

PRICE POINT: $$$. For additional information, contact Nouveau Eyewear, (800) 292-4342; web site: www.nouveaueyewear.com

TIP
Kay Unger launched Phoebe Couture in Spring 2007 with the same aesthetics as Kay Unger New York, but with an edgier and more fun approach. “We call Phoebe Couture ‘the alternative prom dress.’ It’s really not so much about age as about mind set,” Unger explains.   Article reprinted from 2020 Magazine, with the permission of Jobson Publishing.