Over the past 10 years I have not yet seen this. I had a young lady come in this morning with a really bad rash from wearing a Rayban 5150 (plastic) frame. The rash is only along her nose where the frame touches, and on top of and behind her ears where the temples touch....nothing along side of her head as the frame does not touch there. So, does this happen with plastic frames?
Hrm, I saw the same thing happen with a Marc Jacobs sunglass a few months ago. It was pretty wierd. Did the frame looks corroded and rough where it touched her skin?
The wierdest I've had to date was a guy who was allergic to a Silhouette, the TMA Must. I've never seen that and I had to try to convince the guy that Silhouette doesn't use nickel in their frames.
"Strictly speaking, there are no enlightened beings; only enlightened activity." -Shunryu Suzuki
Is that a Chinese injection frame now?
DragonlensmanWV N.A.O.L.
"There is nothing patriotic about hating your government or pretending you can hate your government but love your country."
Brand new Rayban ophthalmic, no corrosion. Metal wire visible in temples as it is a black/crystal frame. Thanks for your feedback.Originally Posted by NCspecs
I am assuming the answer is yes, it is a zyl frame with China on it. Does that mean something?
Depending upon where there getting the plastics now a days it could happen. But in the day with quality plastic I never saw this. I did see a couple times that a couple of women had problems with silcone nose pads, switched end of problem. Maybe you could cote them with clear nail polish, used to help in days gone bye.
I seen a case of this at Mayo a few months ago. The Md's there said it was a reaction between the frame and her meds.
I was just wondering if Lux had farmed that frame out to a Chinese toy manufacturer, if so the frame could be covered in lead or cadmium.:bbg:
DragonlensmanWV N.A.O.L.
"There is nothing patriotic about hating your government or pretending you can hate your government but love your country."
HHHaaaaa haaaaaaa! Yeah! That's funny. But seriously, the skin condition behind this girl's ears was seriously in bad shape. I would think that acetate is acetate.....but you're right, you never know what they may be using in these products now. It's just that I have NEVER seen this one before.
Zyl is actually cellulose acetate...which begins as naturally derived plant products plus..... Therefore, if a person could have a sensitivity/hypersensitivity/allergy to the plant, they could have it to the acetate. On the list of materials that frames can be made from, acetate is one that can cause an allergic reaction.
Diane
Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
How old are the frames?
Thanks for that Diane. Have you seen any allergic reactions during your dispensing career with these frames? Is it rare? And this is a brand new Rayban frame. She is bringing in her old frames for me to look at, she says there is one plastic and two metal. We're going to exchange the frame, but I want to make sure we don't choose another frame that will set off the allergic reaction.
Tell her to go to her doctor and get a scratch allergy test. Where they hold the grid on your back and get you with 20 different allergens. Maybe a blood test for other allergens.
If it's from the frame then it has to be from a plant, either in the plastic or the polishing oil.
Much of the "zyl" out there now is not the same animal it used to be.
DragonlensmanWV N.A.O.L.
"There is nothing patriotic about hating your government or pretending you can hate your government but love your country."
There are always ant-allergenic treatments and coatings available that can be applied to plastic or metal surfaces, to prevent any skin reactions.
You could try contacting the manufacturer of the frame and request a raw material data sheet, or inquire as to the oil(plant) that the frame is derived from. It would be interesting to know which plant(source/material) is causing the reaction.
I did have one person react in this way, but the cause of the contact dermatitis was not the frame, but a chemical that saturated into the frame, sourced from cosmetics applied/used facially. If you smell the frame after ultrasound cleaning them....you might have a clue as to whether this person is experiencing the same phenomena.
I would imagine it is the quality of the acetate causing the reaction although I have never seen this happen in my ten year career as an optician. I noticed that most higher to moderate end frame companies making frames in China are still using acetate from Italy.
I am not stating this to be fact but a conjecture.
I have always (40 years) had difficulty with RB plastics in trying to adjust frame or insert lenses in RB frames. Seems you have to get them much hotter to do anything and if you get them just a little hotter than required, they get awfull mushy and difficult to get back into shape. Or not roll when inserting lenses.
This is not a recent thing, seems to have been that way since the '60s (don't know about before).
Would also mention that it doesn't seem consistant from one RB to another on the amount of heat required.
Chip
The only way to know for sure is to fit her in another frame from a different manufacturer. If her skin problem is resolved then its the plastic formula Ray-Ban uses, if its not, she is allergic to acetates. Her skin may be just hyper-senstive. Is she red headed?
Recommend flat metal in Titanium.
I have had one patient who was allergic/sensitive to some zyls, but not others. Never nailed it down though.
I've noticed this in the sun frames but not the ophthalmics...
I'm guessing whatever they used to process the cellulose is causing the reaction, as I recall they use acetone in the reaction and some other harsh chemicals who knows what other Chinese contaminants there are
Last edited by NJEyeGuy; 10-12-2011 at 02:19 PM.
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