Private-label individualized optics

[sharpstick777]

There are some decent private label designs out there, and some mediorce ones. Wear-lite, IOT, POF Global, and Innovations Digital all will provide off the shelf designs or you can customize one to your liking. They can perform wearer testing to your hearts content as well.

Fewer of the big players like Shamir are selling their designs, as they are trying to differentiate their products a rebranded competitor just causes market dillution. They don't need to recover as much in R&D expense as they used to because the software and development costs have dropped dramatically, there is less need to generate a secondary revenue stream. Its not that expensive to develop a Free-form lens if you modify an off-the-shelf design.

You can by the software to create your own progressive lenses for about the same price as a mid-level LMS, so we will see some big companies go in-house for their own designs, puch a few bottons, test a few lenses and crunch out some point files. Voila, I have my own progressive lens! With no licencing fees.

The problem is that even though most these designs are decent, there is very little difference between them. They are all mostly just T-shapes with varing degrees of hardness.

[bigeyejim]

I've heard people describe their private-label lens as the Shamir Autograph 2 (wink, wink), but of course that's always off the record. Read the descriptions of these lenses, look at the fitting height recommendations, and ask if there are POW measurements (if there are none, it couldn't be the Auto 2).

I would agree with this. Of course they won't come out and actually tell us what the design is, but it is pretty much based on older designs of the AutoII. I use a lab that is PRIVATE and can do all the biggies in house, and theirs is "close" to the AutoII, again, "wink wink." Pricing is very similar, and that is where you have to make the decision based on brand or private.

Haven't found anything yet that comes close to the Individual, however.

[drk]

I think labs will tell you "wink, wink" just about anything. That's not convincing.

[Craig]

Who cares what it is based on? Who would know if the original is any good? I have done mega thousands of free form lenses and trust me when I tell you I had more problems with Shamir than everyone else combined. They have thickness issues with prism thinning and the compensation has changed numerous times over the years, yet they never will tell you why?

I use 100% no-name free form and it is the best thing that ever happened to my customers.

[Fezz]

I agree 100% with Craig about Shamir.

The second that I hear someone tell me that their lens is similar to the Shamir Auto II {wink, wink}, I tell them to BEAT IT! {wink wink}!

[bigeyejim]

Maybe my "winking" wasn't convincing enough. What I truly meant is that they are using older, discontinued versions of the Autograph, not Auto II. I was never a Shamir house, (except for the glass Piccolo), so I have no basis for comparison.

I know there are different software companies out there producing the files, but since the cost of the private label lenses are not dramatically cheaper than the Zeiss lenses I use, I stick with the tried and true. And cheaper isn't always better.

Now if I could only get a glass freeform lens, whoa baby!! "wink wink"

[Robert Martellaro]

I have done mega thousands of free form lenses and trust me when I tell you I had more problems with Shamir than everyone else combined.

I use their products quite a bit (I'm wearing an Auto 2), and find that they're a somewhat finicky design- positioning must be more precise than most, and the more aggressive power change in the corridor makes it more suited for advanced presbyopic, moderate to high myopic wearers.

They have thickness issues with prism thinning

No problems here for the last two years or so, but that may be due to Soderberg's long standing relationship with Shamir.

and the compensation has changed numerous times over the years, yet they never will tell you why?

Well, who understands optical differential geometry anyways?!

I use 100% no-name free form and it is the best thing that ever happened to my customers.

Sometimes the more general purpose designs are safe bets for most folks, but when your searching for solutions, your neck tends to get exposed.

[sharpstick777]

I think labs will tell you "wink, wink" just about anything. That's not convincing.

Absolutely.

[Barry Santini]

"....and the compensation has changed numerous times over the years, yet they never will tell you why?.

Hey, the same could be said for the change in disparity angle quotients for 3D viewing. So what?

B

[bob_f_aboc]

ECCA's MyFocal private label is an Essilor design from about '05 which is similar to the Liberty I hear.
Luxottica's new private label lens is also an Essilor design but a bit newer from around '07.

I had a patient in for an exam here. I worked with her and explained FF technology and manufacturing and then she told me we were too expensive. She went to an ECCA store and bought lenses that she was told were made by Shamir. I called the store to verify and the manager read right off the lab invoice "MyFocal progressive lenses by Shamir". She did say that only the Trivex MyFocal is Shamir and the poly is Essilor.

Does anyone know which lens this is comparable to? I have sent an inquiry to my Shamir rep as well.

[Tallboy]

I use the SV from my main (only?) lab constantly... Have had great results but haven't pushed further than 2.5 in the cyl yet. Edged a pair of their top level PALs for an old school optician (varilux comfort/physio lover) with 3.5 cyl and around +3 in the sphere and the distance was incredible clear, however the intermediate and near seemed to fall into a very tightly designed triangle. Very little distortion but very little usable area as well, I knew she'd hate them as soon as I saw the blanks. She uses them for driving only now.

Love the SV though, makes those high end frames sparkle, with nearly any RX. (I will continue to push the limits of their lens little bit by little bit, but when in doubt I use the Auto II or Physio Enh for those super tough RXs.) The Auto II has tackled even the most difficult RXs and patient personalities for me lately. Probably gonna try the next gen Zeiss also, but its tough to try everything all the time!