outlook?

[apaul]

Hi All!

Would anyone kindly tell me what they think about
the Outlook lens by vision ease as my local lab sell
these really cheap

thanks:cheers:

Alan:)

[Jacqui]

My customers love them, we sell a lot of them.

[OPTIDONN]

We have had great sucess.

[Snitgirl]

Have great success with their Polarized Progressive.

[apaul]

Thanks for the replies!
No negative comments?
Does this mean it is not a well used lens?
Please post if you have used it & had good or bad comments :shiner:

Thanks !

Alan:cheers:

[Jacqui]

It's a well used lens here, we just don't have any bad things to say. Our average for Outlooks is about 25% of our progressive sales. We have an average number of non-adapts, average number of incorrect fittings just like any other lens.

[finklstiltskin]

We also use the Outlook quite a bit. We have had awesome success with the lens, and have not had a single problem. I say go get 'em!

[bilcooper]

The Outlook by Vision-Ease is one of the highest quality polycarbonate lens products available. There's always been some uninformed talk about poly in general, but the truth of the matter is, precision in manufacturing makes polycarbonate the one material solution. No material incorporates all the benefits that define poly. It takes a sizable investment in equipment and process technology just to produce polycarbonate lenses. Curve control has always been the most important and the most difficult characteristic to control. Vision-Ease has made the investment in automated equipment capable of producing the highest quality polycarbonate in the industry. Most of the human variables responsible for inconsistencies in other poly products has been automated-out by Vision-Ease.

This bit of information is the primary reason for the excellent performance of Outlook. It is, in my opinion, the most precisely manufactured progressive in our industry I know of. Put this lens in the hands of any of the great laboratories and you'll have a very pleased patient.

There are many great lenses available today, but there aren't that many great manufacturers, so the performance of many of these fine products is far more inconsistent than you will experience with Outlook or any other Vision-Ease product.

[William Stacy O.D.]

[QUOTE=bilcooper]The Outlook by Vision-Ease is one of the highest quality polycarbonate lens products available. There's always been some uninformed talk about poly in general, but the truth of the matter is, precision in manufacturing makes polycarbonate the one material solution.

Except for one little problem. ABBE. Couple the chromatic dispersion in peripheral parts of the lens with the fact that progressive wearers generally USE peripheral parts of their lenses for viewing both far and near, it's a problem for anything but low power lenses.

[OPTIDONN]

[QUOTE=William Stacy O.D.]

The Outlook by Vision-Ease is one of the highest quality polycarbonate lens products available. There's always been some uninformed talk about poly in general, but the truth of the matter is, precision in manufacturing makes polycarbonate the one material solution.

Except for one little problem. ABBE. Couple the chromatic dispersion in peripheral parts of the lens with the fact that progressive wearers generally USE peripheral parts of their lenses for viewing both far and near, it's a problem for anything but low power lenses.

Chromatic Aberration can be troublesome but often does not degrade the wearers vision. Chromatic aberrations and blending zones are, at this point, just a fact of life in any high index or poly progressive. Outlook has been a terrific choice for us.

[bilcooper]

Dear Doctor, I defer to your superior schooling, but may I share with you my practical as well as schooled experience regarding poly and abbe? I've read my "diatribe" that follows, but I only mean to share my experience versus what I was believed was the lesson being taught to me in optics at Canada College. Sincerely, I would not presume to lecture an Optometrist, but I'm a wordy guy and it easily could be perceived as such.

I believe abbe has been used as a tool to discredit a good optical product, polycarbonate. Abbe defines a material property, it does not translate into a scale that defines a patient's sensitivity to chromatic aberration, but many of us use it that way. I have been shown statistical lens studies by a very large (+1000 locations) successful high end optical retailer in the US that made me reconsider my college learned bias (regarding abbe) against poly. The bottom line of those studies clearly demonstrated that an abbe of 30 did not generate any higher rejection rate by patients across the entire range of prescriptions powers than even std. hard Resin. The percentage of patients rejecting their lenses by power range were indistinguishable when sorted by lens material. The higher the prescriptions the greater the percentage of redos, regardless of material used. My first reaction to this information was "anything can be achieved with numbers when the bottom line is most important" but I continued to ask myself why a company primarily focused on increasing profitability would jeopardize their long term success just to placate a lens manufacturer? This study I speak of dates back a good 3 years and I have yet to come up with an answer, while poly usage has continued to soar. I've only been in this industry for about 25 years, and I say only, as I am in my 60's and there are many younger than I with far greater experience to call upon. But, these statistical studies combined with the fact that independent optical segment of our industry is shrinking faster than chain retail is growing, indicates a need for some serious re-evaluation of some of our opinions on lens materials, especially polycarbonate and the true relevance of abbe.

The US market for spectacles is asserted to be in the neighborhood of 98 to 100 million prescriptions annually, and approximately 60 percent of those prescriptions are being filled by mass retailers. Poly usage in private practice was to the best of my knowledge approaching 35% in 2003, while poly usage at chain retail was over 65%. These figures fly in the face of my schooled perception about abbe's true relevance. This is completely anecdotal, but I remember some of the problems I contributed to (in my dispensing days) by warning a patient they might not adapt as quickly to their new prescription, when fitting a poly lens. Just the suggestion of a problem was often enough to make it a reality. When good optics, patient's safety & comfort and practice profitability are defined in economic terms, I believe no material contributes as much to each sector as polycarbonate.

Seldom does the ECP consider abbe when fitting a high index lens with an abbe of 34 to 36, often costing the patient an increase in lens cost in excess of 200% over CR or 125% over the cost of poly. It's only my opinion, but I believe poly represents the greatest value to virtually all patients and professionals.

[Gary Falk]

I believe bilcooper is correct. Abbe has been blamed as a reason for patient problems, when I doubt if it really is. Before poly, it was Base curve issues.
Poly is an excellent material. The low Abbe value is only a factor in less than 2% of the wearers. The wearers appreciate the lighter weight, the thinner appearence and the peace of mind they get from the impact resistance, all at a reasonable cost.
Light transmission I feel is more of a factor than Abbe, and is easily fixed with a quality AR coating.
Vision-Ease claims a 99% success rate with Outlook. Dr.Sheedy's study also rated Outlook very high. Just because a lens does not have a high price, does not make it a poor design.
My advise, try it, you will like it!