Goodness, gracious, my head's spinning...

[drk]

Anyone else out there "going under" with all these new progressive releases?

So many names!

Such dearth of information!

Is anyone aware of a comprehensive product listing summary, to date?

I won't bother to ask for design specifications!


Can we at least name the major players?
Essilor
CZV
Hoya
Shamir
SA
Seiko
Rodenstock

Others?

Can we throw together a database?

[ziggy]

This may get me beheaded but..at least from what I seen, most of the "new" lens on the market are just redesigned old ones. Stick with some of the oldies but goodies and save yourself some money.

[For-Life]

I think we are going to see a lot more as the companies move their designs to a digitalized process. This can be seen with the Ovation ADS and Ellipse 360. I think this process is better than the Physio route, because we already have established lens designs and know they will work.

[drk]

It would help me to understand categories, too:

Let me take a crack:

"Traditional progressives": (whatever process to create mold, but...) molded front progressive surface and base curve with traditional surfacing on back side

"Digitally surfaced progressives": lenses that have digital surfacing on back and/or front surfaces. Progressive curves can be put anywhere.

"Individualized digitally surface progressives": special class of digitally surfaced progressives that are designed specifically per patient parameters (p.d., Rx, vertex, etc.)


Is this even close?

[drk]

And, of course, we should specify some design aims:

Higher-order aberration reducing designs:

To reduce lens-induced higher order aberrations
To reduce human eye induced HOA
To reduce both lens and human HOA

Maybe this is not correct, as I think Darryl has said that all progressives attempt to reduce lens-induced HOAs.

I think the human eye induced HOA can only be done in a general, average sense.

I don't think any lens claims to be in category three.

[For-Life]

:) glad I am retired :)

[Uncle Fester]

Do you have the Opthalmic Lens Association booklet "Progressive Identifier"?

I got it from my lab free on request. You're right- 307 lenses diagramed in the 2006 edition yet they don't say how they're formed which would be very helpful and the place we should lobby to get this question answered IMHO. However I wonder if the lens manufacturers themselves can agree on a general definition of lens design. Maybe we plinkers could start a list ourselves:idea: Or is that the question? I'm so confused:hammer:

My list:
MBSCS- molded, back surface conventionally surfaced

FMBSCS- Free formed molded, back surface conventionally surfaced

FMFCB- Free formed molded front, custom back

CFCB- Custom Front, Custom Back

What else is out there???

[orangezero]

Just like video game systems, we can add "360" to the end of anything and sell it for twice as much.

I know there were some places online that have a PAL identifier. I think it would be great to have this info available. I think that was the question.

I vote for drk to do it:bbg:

[Fezz]

I vote for drk to do it:bbg:

I'll second that motion.

I'm sure he is a step up kinda guy!

He wouldn't be a step aside kinda guy......would he?


:cheers::cheers::cheers:

[karen]

drk, email me and I wil send you something that will at least help with availablity and minimum segs and stuff.

oh and check out www.thelensguru.com, if you haven't already.

[bren_03825]

Check out:

http://www.laramyk.com/tools/pal_chart.html

Keep in mind of the 307 or more lenses out there, many of them are different materials of the same lens. Technology is moving ahead all the time, so keep reading up, but remain wise to what you know works for what kind of lifestyle, work, prescription, etc.

Know what they mean when they say "freeform" vs "free-form"
Digital surfacing can "soften" or "improve" a design, yet it is still the same design.

Moving the progression from front to rear, or vice versa, can help, depending on design.

:cheers:

[orangezero]

thanks for the links everyone.

What I would be interested in is a way to look up when the design was originally made, and also a way to see which lenses are in the same "family." This would be a huge help for those in grade school when some of these came out :)

If a lens is made from company XX and sold to private practices as one thing, and a chain as another, it would be great to know that also. I know there is some controversy about how similar or different some of them really are.

[TLG]

I originally started researching for TheLensGuru.com (http://thelensguru.com) last fall, before the dearth of FreeForm, Digital Surfaced, Whatevers overcame us all. I apologize for not having kept up-to-date. I work alone, after a day/week of dispensing alone in a busy OMD practice. You can't imagine the hours of research I spent in the initial release ( I have entered over 650 lenses to date - and still have more I'm missing). I am rededicating myself to getting all the new stuff in (good-bye to my favorite beach - again :cry:). I realize that there is a need to re-categorize some of these new breeds too. Part of the problem is finding all the info I want. I don't want to publish a lens with just 'some' of the information - I won't put it up until the info I have is complete, accurate and current. Getting mfg's onboard to provide good, accurate information is much more difficult than you'd think. That said, I have had tremendous cooperation from most of the big players - people like Pete Hanlin/Essilor, Nancy Thompson/Zeiss, Greg Rook/Polycore, Chris Bailey/KBco, Dave Gohman/X-Cel, Tim Gibbons(my brother)/Vision-Ease and many others have been extremely gracious with their time and resources to assist me, a virtual nobody to them ('cept my bro), in getting their products represented properly. It ain't as easy as it seems. I will be busy at VEW trying to strengthen some of these relationships so when new information is available I can be ahead of the curve.

The concern that 'adding 360' to something doesn't necessarily make it better or whatever is impertinent to me. My site will always be presented transparently, without any favoritism toward any company or lens - that's why search results are listed alphabetically. My goal is to provide usable information - I'll leave it up to all of you to determine what you like and don't like.

I have begun work on the Identifiers also. When finished you will be able to view a page of PAL Identifiers that will each be a clickable hyperlink that will take you to the 'Details' page for that lens. I also have printable charts for remarking and checking cutout for most lenses.

You all could do me a huge favor by listing what you would like to see and help me fill in the holes. I also want to categorize these PALs as drk has suggested. Any suggestions for category types would be appreciated. Understand, I'm not looking for anyone to do my work for me - I would just like to know what I need to add to my database. All of us, me included, only know what we've seen, experienced or heard of. Tell me what you'd like to see - I'm committed to creating something special.

Believe me, I would love to leave my day job and focus on this project. But as you can see on my site, I make nothing doing this. It's free to use and there is no advertising. We all need this - I use it a few times a week myself at work. drk - your wish is my command. If anyone is interested, I will post a weekly update of lenses I've added or updated as I go along.

Best wishes to all -

[RT]

Do you have the Opthalmic Lens Association booklet "Progressive Identifier"?

I believe that you are referring to the Optical Laboratories Association.

www.ola-labs.org (http://www.ola-labs.org)

[Uncle Fester]

RT-
I believe that you are referring to the Optical Laboratories Association.My bad- break out the wet noodle:bbg:

TLG- You are the BOMB for doing this. Please be sure to get in a couple days at the beach. Life's to short!

[gemstone]

With all this market saturation, the price must come down.

[Judy Canty]

Roflmao!!!!!