PGX progressive lenses 1.5 v 1.6 colour rendition.

[iiiiisoptom]

We have long term patient that we have had wearing Sola Graduate 1.5 PGX progressive lenses, which have been chemically hardened.

We have recently put him into Varilux Comfort 1.6 PGX lenses, the Sola Graduate 1.5 PGX lenses being no longer available.

The patient has complained about the colour.

The Sola lenses give a blue-grey colour at maximum activation, whereas the Varilux lenses give a grey-brown colour.

The patient thinks we have given him PBX lenses, and might like his money back if we cannot give him the colour he wants!

We then tried some Rodenstock lenses (Pure Life), which give essentially the same colour rendition as the Varilux lenses.

Are the different colour renditions of these lenses due to the different indices (1.5 v 1.6), and does the age of the lenses (Sola Grads @5years old) and the chemical hardening also have some influence on this?

What other possible options do we have?

[EyeCare Rich]

What about another Sola product? Sola VIP is still around in a 1.53, at least here in the US. I'm not familiar with the Graduate, similar to our XL??

Good luck.

[IaninIOM]

Hi, I'll take a bet that it is the chemical hardening that has caused the differing colour response. I could be wrong but have never used chemical tempering, was never very popular in the UK we much prefered heat treatment. To check if it is age one trick I learnt to reset a glass photochromic was to place the lens(s) in a pan of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 20minutes. Whether you can do this with chemically treated lenses I have no idea.

For Rich's information the Sola Graduate was their first (IIRC) varifocal and was introduced when Sola was owned by Chance-Pilkington and the glass was produced at St Asaph in North Wales. I suppose it is always possible that as the Graduate is now discontinued (at least in the UK) you got a pair of Pilkington Rapides as someone was clearing out old stock at one point. The Sola XL was an uprated version of the Graduate.