RESEARCH REVEALS: TRIVEX MATERIAL OFFERS MORE THAN TRIPLE BENEFIT
PPG Industries Releases New White Paper Highlighting Results of Research on Lab and Eyecare Professional Experiences with Trivex Lens Material

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 16, 2002 — Laboratories and eyecare professionals value Trivex tri-performance lens material for more than its triple benefit, according to the results of two new research studies conducted by PPG Industries.

High patient satisfaction and excellent durability for three-piece mountings were among the added benefits of the material identified by the research and detailed in a new white paper, “Real-world Experience by Laboratories and Eyecare Professionals Reveals Trivex Offers More Than a Triple Benefit,” available for download at www.ppgtrivex.com.

“With this research, for the first time, we were able to see which product attributes were important to eyecare professionals and laboratories based on their real-world experiences,” said Gerard F. Dooley, commercial development manager of optical products for PPG Industries. “While we expected high satisfaction with the unique collective properties offered exclusively by Trivex lens material – excellent optics, impact resistance and light and thin qualities – what we found was that certain attributes of the material were also valued individually by eyecare professionals and labs.”

The research, conducted one year after the introduction of the first lenses made from Trivex material, included a mail survey of top independent optical laboratories and two focus groups of 17 eyecare professionals conducted jointly with Benedict Optical, Inc. of Lewisville, Texas.

Insights Into Patient Satisfaction
Eyecare professionals in the focus groups reported high patient satisfaction with their lenses made from Trivex material and explained that the optical quality and light weight of the material was so evident that patients themselves noticed a difference from their previous eyewear, said Dooley.

“My patients are thrilled with their lenses,” said optician Walt Garrison, a focus group participant who had been dispensing Hoya Vision Care’s Phoenix lenses made from Trivex material for the past 10 months. “They have been so pleased with the light weight that I’ve begun using it as a selling point, explaining that lenses made with Trivex material may be slightly thicker than higher-index lenses, but, at the same time, they can be lighter. In almost all cases, my patients prefer the lighter lenses.”

Garrison said his patients also commented on the optical quality of the lenses. He explained, “When returning for fitting check-ups, patients often say to me, ‘These lenses are so clear.’ ”

The Growing Trivex Category
Eyecare professionals in the focus groups were also asked what lens materials were being replaced by Trivex material in their practices (See Figure 1).



“Although the findings show that Trivex material most often displaces polycarbonate, followed by mid-index, CR-39 and high-index, no one material was replaced significantly more than another,” said Dooley. “This demonstrates that Trivex material, after about a year on the market, is finding its own place among existing materials, instead of replacing one exclusively.”

This conclusion is supported by the results of a recent PPG-sponsored survey of top independent optical laboratories, which indicates that labs perceive Trivex material as an alternative to other materials in a similar distribution (See Figure 2).



“The eyecare professionals we work with appreciate Phoenix’s unique and growing place within the lens material market,” said Sam Odom, senior vice president, Benedict Optical. “Phoenix lenses offer high-value, help eyecare professionals differentiate themselves from competitors, and generate high patient satisfaction in return.”

“By showing that labs, eyecare professionals and patients value Trivex material for its unique triple-benefit – and more – the research helps demonstrate the material’s great versatility and potential for continued growth in the lens material market,” said Dooley. “As a preferred choice for drill-mounts and a material recognized for its light weight and optical quality, Trivex is becoming a ‘go-to’ material to meet multiple patient needs.”
More information on Trivex lens material is available at www.ppgtrivex.com or by contacting Dooley at (412) 434-3661 or via e-mail, at gdooley@ppg.com.


The light weight of lenses made from Trivex lens material from PPG Industries is one of the features patients value most, according to eyecare professionals in two focus groups conducted jointly by PPG and Benedict Optical, Inc. in May. The three-piece-mount frame (pictured above) with Hoyalux GP Wide progressive lenses from Hoya Vision Care weighs only 13.5 grams. These lenses benefit from Trivex material’s low specific gravity (1.11), which enables it to be 30 percent lighter than some high-index lens materials.


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Benedict Optical Laboratories, Lewisville, Texas, was founded by Bill Benedict and his daughter, Donna, in 1990. The company is a member of the Optical Laboratories Association, the Polycarbonate Lens Council, the AR Council and the International Academy of Sports Vision.

PPG Industries is the world’s leading maker of optical resins and introduced the first hard resin lens material, CR-39 monomer, in 1947. It is the majority owner of Transitions Optical, which is the leading supplier of photochromics to optical manufacturers worldwide. In addition to optical coatings and monomers, PPG is a leading global supplier of specialty and industrial chemicals, coatings, flat and fabricated glass, and fiber glass. With 120 manufacturing locations and equity affiliates in 24 countries, sales in 2001 were US$8.2 billion.