Anyone knows who makes the ptosis crutches-frames with the support for the upper eyelid? I think there's a guy in New Jersey but I heard he retired. HELP!!!
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Anyone knows who makes the ptosis crutches-frames with the support for the upper eyelid? I think there's a guy in New Jersey but I heard he retired. HELP!!!
Easy...........make it yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by optiboarder
Solder a metal bar to the top or side of the frame, cover it with a plastic tubing, adjust it the right way (which is the most delicate part).
Any good qualified optician should be able to make one. Or you can (if you don't mind waiting forever) get one from Frannel.
Sorry but not every GOOD, QUALIFIED optician knows how to make it. Especially if they've never been taught.
Shell Rob:
You missed the point, we fail to educate "good qualified opticians" this should be basic and in our training programs before "sales" and "the four thousand hours of education on progressive lenses."
Was a slam on our "training" and what we call opticians now, not the individual asking the question.
Chip
I did misunderstand. I honestly don't even know anyone in my area that can provide this including myself and honestly wouldn't know where to go if indeed I was as asked.
Can't they also be had from Hilco?? Might be better service than Frannel.
Ptosis crutch.
Metal frame: Get a piece of music wire (hobby shop) bend to desired shape, and weld to top of chassis. Custom bend for correct tension and shape, put shrink tubing or cable temple cover on same. Charge enough for your trouble.
Plastic frame: Do same band either heat with torch and embedd into frame or soldier a plate on music wire and drill holes, then screw into frame chassis (front for newbies) .
Chip
Most folks given a description and use of same could design and make one on thier own (the way I had to make my first one). This business is not rocket science.
Excellent point, Chip.
I wonder if any of the schools actually have the students fabricate and fit ptosis crutches these days. Does this ABO exam cover the subject? If you don’t teach it and you don’t test it, it dies. It won’t be long before patients with third nerve palsy or myasthenia gravis just have to tough it out. All of the real opticians will have retire or gone on to their eternal reward.
Oh . . . . the humanity!
The FDA lists following manufacturer for the ones that can not make their own:Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacqui
Device Listing Database
Proprietary Device Name:PTOSIS SLING (PTOSE-UP)Common/Generic Device Name:PTOSIS CRUTCHClassification Name:CRUTCH, PTOSISDevice Class:1Product Code:HJZRegulation Number:886.5600Medical Specialty:OphthalmicOwner/Operator:IOLTECH, S.A.Owner/Operator Number:9065607Registered Establishment Name:FCI SUDEstablishment Registration Number:3004467263 Date of Listing:03/12/03Listing Status:Active Establishment Operations:Manufacturer
Sounds like this might be the topic of a good one-hour credit education course. I just wonder how many O's would show?
I really don’t think that a one hour CE “course” would turn out a capable fitter of ptosis crutches. You have to actually fabricate the things and actually attach them to various frame materials and adjust the things to real people. Maybe a day would give someone the rudimentary skills to perform this task.
I have also heard of a number of practitioners who will not fit a ptosis crutch or in any way alter an ophthalmic frame for liability reasons. If the patient can't find an optician willing and capable of fitting a ptosis crutch and surgical intervention is inappropriate the patient is screwed.
Of course there is always Scotch tape.
I haven't had a call for one in years. But, you can forget the music shop! I've always used the metal at the end of a temple. You can use shrink tubing or the plastic sleeve you use on cable temples.
Now that brings back the old days...though I use to use paper clips.......Quote:
Originally Posted by chip anderson
Thanks for your replies. I think I better look through my inventory and start playing with my soldering iron.
Wish me luck.
Use a butane torch or electric welder for frames, soldering irons don't get hot enough (except for plastic).
The last one I made - used the inside of a side with a duff sprung joint, and heatshrink. the one before that was a reall bad problem - Nickel allergy... had to use a stainless steel side, and mount into a plastic frame drilled a oversized hole in the frame, but not going all the way through the front, and infilled with epoxy resin
The kids nowadays leave school with no hand skills in general, so we are all doomed
Went to a course this weekend (Vegas) entiltled challanging fitting solutions, they showed crutches and many other fitting suggestions, for prosthetics (SP?) and people with out ears...some decent stuff.
who did the course? Like to know those few Opticians left.
Quote:
Originally Posted by optiboarder
Usually you just solder a cable temple to the bridge. It is kind of that easy unless you don't know how to solder. When I say solder I mean the arc solderer or using an electric soldering machine (same thing). Torch soldering in my opinion, a little messy, but if you can do it then great. Soldering is a great skill to have. I have heard of some opticians making money hand over fist for simply providing repairs. Don't know of anyone personally except myself, and I don't have access to a soldering machine. I am also not as proficient as I'd like to be. I will probably end up buying my own.
The fellow whom taught my class was Alex Yoho ABOM. Nice guy and full of information.Quote:
Originally Posted by chip anderson
Jacqui is correct, Hilco can do it....it takes about a week. Just send the frame you want done to their repair service. It takes about a week and its a very professional looking job. They make it look like it was manufactured that way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacqui
hj
The only problem with having some service center do it, they really need to be hand fitted, to patient's lid crease, and lid tension. Ideally, they will allow the lid to open an close but give enough tension to keep the lid open wide enough to allow vision.
I learned how to make a ptosis crutch in school. But since then I have never seen one person with crippled eyelids.
One could also look at the services of the local denture lab, or Maxio-facial Lab - those guys are very skilled at bending metal wires, spot welding and polishing and regulrlary deal with many metal and plastic combinations. A while ago, my office was next door to a maxio-facial lab, and thier work is inspiring, far beyond the skillset of our repairers
Another option would be the local jeweler. Once I had a one-off screw made for a antique restoration I was doing. I was gobsmacked... The inch long silver screw fit straight into a solid silver pair of sunglasses, first time, no adjustments at all, old fashioned thread and all that
Hello, I can make them, I've made a few in my career as an optician. It can usually be attached to any frame or lens. Takes about an hour to design and fabricate. Tam Cheah - Toronto - tamcheah@hotmail.com
According to local Ophthalmologist's the last qualified optician actively making these crutches died about 3 years ago and nobody has taken his place in a city like greater Montreal with a population of 3,824,221.
So it is refreshing to hear that at least in Toronto is somebody that has taken up the craft to help the ones in need of such a device and do a little more than just selling glasses.
You know they surgically treat that in this day and age, you can even get most insurance companies to pay for it if you can show loss of field. I had to make on once and it was for an OMD that was just trying to rattle me, he did the surgery after I made it and told the patient I never made it right in the first place. I used silver wire, flattened through successive rolling between a small set of rollers before soldering to the top rim.
(never knew where the boss picked up that roller but he probably had it passed down from the thousand year old guy who used it once too.)
USELESS SKILL PASS
That is correct ................................
I have had it done twice over the last 12 years on my right eye which is doing 75% of my binocular vision. Done by an ophthalmic plastic surgeon under local anaesthesia and 6 students watching.
First time he cut some skin out on the eyelid.
Second time, 4 years ago he said that time he would remove a strip of skin right above the eyebrow line so he could go back into the eyelid if ever it was needed again. However at that place he would have to cut through a nerve and would loose all feelings in my forehead. I agreed and it was done that way, I lost all feeling on the right side of my forehead right back to me right ear. However most of it has come back over the last 4 years.
I never needed to make my last ptosis crutch for myself and still have a ticket for a third shot to operate if it happens again.
We (our owner) made one from piano wire last year ... he's fourth generation optician and there was no way he was going to not try and be defeated!
Pt is very please and has only needed one or two adjustments since.
We have some very skilled people here in the greater Seattle Metro area.
CS
That is a nice an very positive post. How many of the younger generation have the same
attitude ?
Specially rhese days where everything is presented on silver platter where in the old days we had to do with available material and just do it.
However I can see that also opticians will have to go back to learn the basic manual servicing of optical frames and lenses as major manufacturers are forcing their way into the retail field.
Yup, we use to just solder a heavy duty paper clip to the frame....
Many Ophthalmology Clinics now have Plastic Surgeons on staff just to do lid lifts.
Strangely many new OD's don't even know what one is, and many ODs and Opticians have never seen one. Its been about 15 years since I have seen one.
We need some better marketing if we are going to bring back the ptosis crutch.
One of the reasons that I see so many of them here is that many of the local Fundamentalists don't believe in anything but absolutely necessary surgeries. Lid lifts are not high on the list of necessary surgeries.
Hi Joe
Its been so many years since I visited the Board I'm embarrased to say. But, I caught your comment surrounding ptosis crutch. You are 100% right about marketing. In fact, opticianry has suffered so badly because of it, I feel sad knowing there are opticians today who sold maneure 3 months ago! Technology has done its number on opticianry for sure, but opticianry has done a number on itself for not embracing technology, establishing a value proposition that distinguishes it and united to keep standards and education up. Thanks, Alan W
Thank you, Chris and all you guys who enriched my personal professional life.
And, foitha more (my new york answer!) all you youngins should know you're under the tutilege (sp!) of genuine pros like Chris, Skip, Harry and many more who have forgotten what I never learned. Listen close!
Chip...my apologies. You aint no Skip!
.............and here we are with another big loss on OptiBoard with the passing of Darryl Meister.
................... unless you are the person whose good vision is affected by an eyelid obscuring the vision by hanging partially over the pupil. In a period of about ten years I had a second fix on my right eyelid.
When your vision is affected you will need a crutch or the surgery, and I opted for second one..
B&S part # 0295 00 is a metal Ptosis crutch with mounting hardware. They call it an "eyelid lifter" in their catalog.