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Thread: photochromatics yellowing.. advice please!

  1. #1
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    photochromatics yellowing.. advice please!

    Hey there,

    I have been getting some lenses coming back from patients that are photochromatic (unknown brand to me as my lab supplier surfaces them and I get them in a sleeve to finish) and they are starting to maintain a yellow tint. Some are over a year old and some are not.

    I think it is the quality of the lens and want a different product but they mentioned something about them oxidizing over time. Ideas? Suggestions? Have any of you dealt with this before?

    Help! Thanks in advance. :)

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    Master OptiBoarder rbaker's Avatar
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    Any lens may take on a "patina" after a time; like a fine wine will improve with age. Good salesmanship will convince the customer of this and everyone will be happy.

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    Usually how long does that take? These are more like a light yellow solid tint and people are not happy. I also work with a population that CANNOT have tint (in a prison) so this is causing more issues that just dislike.

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    are they poly? What brand are you using?

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    I believe they are lifeRX and they are poly

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    I figured as much, I see that all the time with those, as well as delaminating. And they are flat tops.

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    OptiBoard Professional OptiBoard Silver Supporter eryn's Avatar
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    Life Rx was notorious for this quite a few years ago, but I havent had any problems like this since maybe 3 or 4 yrs ago. It could be the way they are being edged causing a separation between the layers. That would be my best guess. There are some great lab owners/reps on here that should be able to give more info.
    ~ Erin
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    Erin,

    We are making a lot of these into semi rimless. We just received two more back today and these lenses range anywhere from 4 months to over a year.

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    OptiBoard Professional OptiBoard Silver Supporter eryn's Avatar
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    Shamefully stolen information from optiboard member Mike Aureilus circa 2012 thread. Maybe this will help.

    1) lens is too thin (center or edge). Regardless of the substrate, when you get close to the lamination surface, any amount of "give" in the lens is going to cause stress at this location. Flexing in the frame, moving from hot to cold (sitting on dashboard on sunny day to getting blasted in the face with cold air from the car airconditioner). Back in the day, our recommendation was to surface the lenses with at least a 1.5 mm center thickness beyond the lamination thickness. As an example: if the supplier says the thickness of coverplate & cement layer(s) is 1.6 mm, my recommendation would be to finish no thinner than 3.1 mm.

    2) edging issues. These fall into a couple of areas: apex of the bevel directly on the lamination line or apex of bevel only on the coverplate section of the lens, or lens edge is too thin. When the apex of the bevel is on the lamination line, you are applying equal pressure on both sides, however, if you have a thin center lens, you are actually putting a lot of stress on the coverplate. This is the same issue as putting the bevel entirely on the coverplate. My recommendation is to try to force the bevel back onto the carrier. With thin edge lenses, you are almost always going to have issues with delamination due to the flexing of the thin edge. I always used to recommend a 3.2 edge minimum on all laminated lenses. On metal or plastic frames, we always would recommend matching the c-size exact to slightly small, and to heat the plastic frame or disassemble the metal frame and never try to "snap" the lenses into a cold or assembled frame.

    No laminated lens (IMO) should ever be made as a semi- or full- rimless lens. There is just too much risk for delamination.
    ~ Erin
    ABOC

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    Two pair is the best answer. Customers never complain about polarized lenses.

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    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Jubilee's Avatar
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    The yellowing issue does not sound like delamination. All the issues I saw with the delamination involved places where the lens was physically separating. More like you had white spots when they changed, or places where the lens looked chipped/cracked.

    I have had issues with cheaper photochromics having more of a residual tint when compared to Transitions or Photofusion. I never did think Sunsensors or some of the Shore branded photos looked as nice or lasted as long.

    While I have seen some residual tint remaining in the LifeRX product, I never seen it on a lens that was less than 18 months old.
    "Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland

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    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Gold Supporter Judy Canty's Avatar
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    Did your lab supplier bid on a contract to supply lenses? If so, perhaps what you're getting is what can be supplied as the "lowest bid" price.

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    If it's within a year lab should cover under defective lens warranty, if over 1yr time for a new pair.
    We always advise patients about the 1yr warranty especially when they've gone to the economart and had this happen to their lenses.

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    Our supplier did bid on a contract so I am sure we are getting the lowest price. I can almost understand the year but that is not good for my population that cannot have tint so then they get their glasses confiscated. But many of these are under a year. We just had one that was only 4 years old. Do you think it is possible that the blanks they are using to turn into my uncuts could be old?

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    There are some suppliers who offer finished poly photochromatic in extended ranges (high cylinder powers etc). We used some in an effort to reduce running these powers in surface. As you experienced they were returned due to yellowing in a short time(just a few months) Hence we are supplying Transitions Signature lenses only.

  16. #16
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    Over the last 2 years more and more non traditional photochromic lens suppliers are getting into the US and Canada. All of what I saw had terrible lifetime properties, as the photochromic dyes brake down, they discolor badly.

    With free form designs, it is no secret all a supplier needs to offer is spherical semi-finished sv blank in a configuration that a lab can process. With cheap dyes and a decent blank a supplier can enter the premium market....

    Stay with a lens supplier that you can trust and has proven technology
    Jim Schafer
    Retired From PPG Industries/
    Transitions Optical, Inc.

    When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say even less.
    Paul Brown

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