Stupid Mistakes

**Don Lee** · 12-07-2001, 11:36 PM

Originally posted by harry a saake

.....I worked with another optom, one time who got on a prism kick and everyone who came in rcvd there rx with .25 prism base in ,ou...

Optoms would/will have prism added to the lenses and not write it on the RX as a means to secure a patient base. If the patient would go to another place to get their RX filled they'd have a problem. When they go back to the optom he'll give them some story about how he's the only one who can make their glasses correctly. My wife, before she married me, went to an optom that put 1/2 up and out on her OD +.75 -.25 RX. I corrected it and it took her about 2 months to get over it.

I know of one optom that will not write the cylinder and axis on the RX. He'll say he forgot. Yeah, right. And would you like to buy some ocean front property in South Dakota?

Don Lee

**Johns** · 12-08-2001, 11:01 PM

Not that this is an O.D., M.D., or refractionist bashing thread, but some "unique" Rx "masking" techniques that I've seen include:

-Writing the Rx in cross cylinder

-Writing the Rx in unlikely powers: (-2.635 -1.089 X 80)

-Writing the Rx out in a foreign language:

%&^#$ = 2.00 #&^*&() = -.75 *&@)!% = 90 (We had a local asian M.D. that had a dispensary that would do this regularly.)

On the flip side, there was a local MD, that if he changed the Rx, he would request a copy of the invoice, so that he could reimburse the optician for any amount not covered in the lab's remake policy. Of course, we never took him up on it, but I know of other opticians that did, and he cheerfully sent them refunds, and still sent them customers. He was a class act.

**Spexvet** · 01-10-2005, 06:36 PM

Nothing like slipping with the screw driver and putting a 1/2 inch gash in your thumb. Especially when the patient then tells you "don't bleed on my glasses". And this was pre-AIDS.:angry:

I hate breaking a patient's frame right in front of them. I've done it more than once, though.
:o
An optician who worked for me once dotted for PALs, but only realized there was no demo lens in one eyewire when he dotted the patient's cornea!:hammer:

**For-Life** · 01-10-2005, 07:22 PM

customer orders a pair of 1.67 Ellipse's for her new frame and a pair of 1.67 Ellipse's for her old frame. Edged both right lenses into the new frame. Good thing I caught it, but boy did I feel like an idiot. Reading in - remember, reading in!!!

**aaron** · 01-10-2005, 10:12 PM

My best mistake ever (from a very short list of course) was ordering a temple to replace one that had broke. The patient had to keep wearing their frame because it was all they had. When they came in to replace it I took off the old temple and then proceeded to put it right back on and give it to the patient. They said it was broken and for some reason I thought I had just broken it right then. I told them I would order another one and I called them the next day when I realized the brain fart I had.

As a sales rep I actually sent a huge order to the wrong account once and almost got someone fired. I explained to the doctor but he just thought the optician and I were somehow in cahoots! Doesn't anyone trust each other anymore?:bbg:

**eromitlab** · 01-10-2005, 10:50 PM

some of my dumb mistakes that I'm sure many of you folks have also made...

-accidentally cut HBEV instead of flat.
-ran calibration for Kappa's groover w/o plugging in the fixture (don't ask how it did it... but it still ran the routine).
-finish blocking a right for left
-entered +2.50 for cyl when it should've been -.25
-finish blocking one lens up and the other down.
-forgetting to turn off the water for the poly cycle on the edger (if you're unlucky enough to have an edger that can't turn off it's water spray and the old man that usually does the finishing won't let you fix it).
-forgetting to put the drain hose from the cylinder machine's rinse bucket into the polish bucket (man that was a d@mn mess...).
-forgetting that the Align-A-Lens lays out and blocks left lenses to the right and vice versa.
-putting lenses in the tint... only realising two hours later that the tint unit was never turned on.

... and countless others.

**Blake** · 01-10-2005, 11:01 PM

I was edging an Rx that called for 1BU OD and 1BD OS. I cut both lenses BU. But what was really bad was that my coworker faxed in the breakage to the AR lab stating that "OS prism was ground up, was supposed to be down." Which is fine, except that it was a single vision lens!

**ikon44** · 01-11-2005, 11:13 AM

I had a patient order a pair of readers to use on top of contact lenses, only trouble was i ordered the full reading rx, you should have seen her face when she tried on her +8.00 readers instead of +2.50.... sigh

**Eddie G's** · 01-11-2005, 11:45 AM

I NEVER make mistakes, what's wrong with you people?

:D

**CME4SPECS** · 01-11-2005, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by eromitlab

some of my dumb mistakes that I'm sure many of you folks have also made...

-accidentally cut HBEV instead of flat.
-ran calibration for Kappa's groover w/o plugging in the fixture (don't ask how it did it... but it still ran the routine).
-finish blocking a right for left
-entered +2.50 for cyl when it should've been -.25
-finish blocking one lens up and the other down.
-forgetting to turn off the water for the poly cycle on the edger (if you're unlucky enough to have an edger that can't turn off it's water spray and the old man that usually does the finishing won't let you fix it).
-forgetting to put the drain hose from the cylinder machine's rinse bucket into the polish bucket (man that was a d@mn mess...).
-forgetting that the Align-A-Lens lays out and blocks left lenses to the right and vice versa.
-putting lenses in the tint... only realising two hours later that the tint unit was never turned on.

... and countless others.

That sounds like one of my days!

**Specs** · 01-11-2005, 07:58 PM

How about putting a pr. of CR-39 polarized lenses into the tint unit for 5 minutes, that accidentally turns into 3 hrs., and ruins the polarizing laminate, shrinking it from the edge 2-3 mm. It's really bad when its a pr. of polarized progressives at $150.00 wholesale. Looks like a ring around the lens 2-3 mm in from the edges for those that haven't done this yet.

**Don Lee** · 01-11-2005, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Specs

How about putting a pr. of CR-39 polarized lenses into the tint unit for 5 minutes, that accidentally turns into 3 hrs., and ruins the polarizing laminate, shrinking it from the edge 2-3 mm. Looks like a ring around the lens 2-3 mm in from the edges for those that haven't done this yet.

That should get you some kind of award.

When I was a kid, 6th grade maybe, I left a zyl front in the salt pan for a long time. I don't remember how long it was but I listened to a song on the radio and got a grapette before realizing what I'd done. It was a glob of goo.

The optician working for Dad saved me from death by digging it out and not saying anything. I think the front was an AO Stadium.

There were many other things I've done and I'm sure they'll come to mind later.

Don

**For-Life** · 01-11-2005, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by Don Lee

That should get you some kind of award.

When I was a kid, 6th grade maybe, I left a zyl front in the salt pan for a long time. I don't remember how long it was but I listened to a song on the radio and got a grapette before realizing what I'd done. It was a glob of goo.

The optician working for Dad saved me from death by digging it out and not saying anything. I think the front was an AO Stadium.

There were many other things I've done and I'm sure they'll come to mind later.

Don

Haha, when I was a child my mother was working as a teller at the bank. I think I was four or five. I was in kindergarton, so I did not go the full day to school. While we were behind the wicket and my father and her were talking and I saw this button. I pushed the button, but it did not pop out, so I didn't say anything. So when we got home my father received a phone call from my mother.

If you haven't guessed I triggered the silent alarm.

**Fezz** · 01-12-2005, 02:02 PM

Biggest stupid mistake===getting into this *amn business (after the many hours of pleading and heartache filled talks that my father, also an optician, tried to warn me and begged that I set my sights a little higher!) ;^)

Fezz
:cheers:

**IIII** · 01-12-2005, 02:46 PM

The best one that I ever saw.
The rx was ou, -2.00 distance with a +2.00 add and the optician ordered a pair of reading glasses. The lab caught it.

**Karlen McLean** · 01-12-2005, 04:04 PM

How about doing a cold bend on temples and having one snap not just in two, but right off?! It looked like a new frame, and it was. You're right, it was made of Optyl material and there was no eyewear running through it. No one told this young optician about Optyl. Of course, I'm not young any more (and those of you who get this post will know about when that incident occured).

**Shutterbug** · 01-12-2005, 06:20 PM

I used to manage a lab where we did glass in an hour. This one particular job was late and I was "willing" it along through the Kirk Oven (yes, that thing again). The lens pops out of the oven and before the quenching puffs can even begin I GRAB it! (Anyone familiar with the heat generated when heat temping lenses can guess what happened next! ;) ) I had a bandaged hand as a reminder of my stupidity for a week!

Pete - it's only 1250F degrees, you big wuss! LOL

Here's a funny story that happened to me when I was managing a wholesale lab. We had an old ceramic wheel that used a sponge for distributing water to the wheel. We had found the perfect size, and when we needed a replacement I gave a sample to our ditsy delivery girl (yes, she was blonde too) and said "get me five sponges just like this one". She was gone 1 1/2 hours, and came back empty handed. She excused herself by saying "I couldn't find any blue ones."

shutterbug

**jediron1** · 01-12-2005, 07:31 PM

Spexvet said:Nothing like slipping with the screw driver and putting a 1/2 inch gash in your thumb. Especially when the patient then tells you "don't bleed on my glasses". And this was pre-AIDS

I have had that same thing happen to me too times to count. But one I really remember was a co-worker who was putting in a screw and it slipped. He embedded the screw driver so far that it actually stood straight up. He just stood there to stunned to do anything for about 30 seconds he finally gathered himself and pulled out after letting out a scream.

**jediron1** · 01-12-2005, 07:36 PM

I was watching one of the older Opticians (now Im the older Optician) work on this what I thought was a plastic frame. He was heating the bridge over a cone heater to narrow the bridge. All of sudden he drops the frame as it had burst into flames. Needless to say I can't repeat what he said but we ended up replacing the whole frame for the guy.

**jediron1** · 01-12-2005, 07:42 PM

This has nothing to do with optical except that it happened in the store I was working in. A lady came in with her mother and asked if they could use the bathroom because her mother really had to go. So I said ok. She left and all of sudden I smelled this unbelievable stench. I went back to the ladies room and found the problem. She did not make it to the toilet. It was all over the floor and I mean Number 2 if you get my drift. It took me an hour to clean that mess. The lady never apologized or anything just walked out like nothing happened.

**Blake** · 01-12-2005, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by jediron1

This has nothing to do with optical except that it happened in the store I was working in. A lady came in with her mother and asked if they could use the bathroom because her mother really had to go. So I said ok. She left and all of sudden I smelled this unbelievable stench. I went back to the ladies room and found the problem. She did not make it to the toilet. It was all over the floor and I mean Number 2 if you get my drift. It took me an hour to clean that mess. The lady never apologized or anything just walked out like nothing happened.

Yeah, but when they manage to get it on the WALLS - that's when it's time to declare the restrooms off limits to the public! (Yes, this has happened to me before)

**jediron1** · 01-13-2005, 08:40 PM

Blake I said all over walls too!

**Don Lee** · 01-14-2005, 12:28 AM

Originally Posted by jediron1

This has nothing to do with optical except....

....I once made a spectacle of myself.

Did I just hear a 1,000 groans? You don't suppose that everybody on the Optiboard has heard it before?

I couldn't help myself.

Don

**jediron1** · 01-14-2005, 08:52 AM

Don good one!

**jediron1** · 01-14-2005, 08:58 AM

Another one we had once was, we ordered progressives. We get the lenses in from the lab and I could not get the right rx read correctly. Too my surprise I turned the lens upside down and it read correctly. The lab had edged the lens up side down. I could not believe it, but there it was upside down.

I did an edit just for the Spexvet man! I mean we all know he makes no makes! Ya RIGHT