watermark conundrum

**chaoticneutral** · 12-08-2014, 10:14 AM

Hey there optiboard goers,

Allow me to preface this post by apologizing in advance. I will attempt to put my thoughts into some semblance of order and present this to you in a linear, logical fashion. Good luck everyone!

Recently we have been receiving comfort enhance lenses with no line under the water mark to denote the enhanced option for the lens. This is also true for the S onthe Definity short. The lab paperwork clearly states Comfort Enhanced and Definity Short. After calling the lab and speaking to the lab manager he assures me that the lens can be nothing other then what the paper work said it is. That’s fine says I thank you.

I decided to do a little research of my own. I measured the add in the Definity short with no water mark to determine the Short, and a Definity of equal power to determine where the add is the clearest. I noted on both that the add is clearest 18 mm below the seg. That’s fine says I, let me give Essilor a call and get it from the horses mouth. I spoke with a very friendly tech that told me this was an unfair test. She also indicated that the laser producing the watermark may not have pulsed correctly making a shallow watermark. If a coating like AR goes over the shallow water mark then it will fill in the engraving and will not show up. A fair statement I think.

She went on to explain that 85% of the add will be present 10mm from the seg on the Definity Short and 13mm from the seg on the Definity. Ok, lets take a look then. +2.50 add at 85% = +2.12 (and change). I set my lensometer and did some exploring. I marked both the Short and the Definity where I found +2.12 was the clearest and lo! It was at 13 mm on both. I explained this to the kindly tech and in reply sh said I’m sorry sir but that’s just not possible. I attempted to argue my point (and by argue I don’t mean heated debate I mean explain my point of view) but she kept talking about the 4mm drop and how every lens is set up the same. She further pointed out that on either lens you need a minimum of 19 to take advantage of the dual add. I said even on the Short corridor? Yes said she. I thanked her and came here for help.

So, that’s my story. On top of the add getting butchered if we order a short and it’s not, my greatest concern moving forward is the ability to recognize the enhanced feature for the comfort, or short corridor without the symbols to denote what the lens is. If the patient goes to another optical (insert gasp here) they won’t get the same kind of lens because the lens says it’s something different.

Thanks for listening.

Kindest regards,

Eric

**Boldt** · 12-08-2014, 11:31 AM

That's a hard one, I'd almost say use a scratch warranty on it if you can to make sure you got the right lens. The other thing is that if they do go to another store they might tell them they don't have the enhanced version and could look bad on you. Go with your gut on this one.
That said I have had progressives come in with laser marks so light I had to call an old coworker to use their auto-lensometer.

**sharpstick777** · 12-08-2014, 03:47 PM

The Definity will vary depending on whether its the 2 or 3 version. The enhanced however is another matter. Is this an essilor owned lab?

**chaoticneutral** · 12-08-2014, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by Boldt

The other thing is that if they do go to another store they might tell them they don't have the enhanced version and could look bad on you.

Great insight, I put some heat on the manager to get this fixed and quick. It makes us look unscrupulous if this is brought to light. There will be same very angry phone calls.

Originally Posted by sharpstick777

The Definity will vary depending on whether its the 2 or 3 version. The enhanced however is another matter. Is this an essilor owned lab?

Its a VSP lab, but I think they farm all the digital stuff to a sister lab that has the equipment. Were having trouble with the Definity (not the three) watermarks

**sharpstick777** · 12-08-2014, 05:42 PM

All Free-form lenses have to be validated by the manufacturer, and part of the validation verifies that the marks are being done correctly. There is nothing the "lab" can do to mess this up, since the laser file is attached automatically to the lens file it generally can't be over ridden. If your not getting the correct marks, your probably not getting the correct lens. Changing what appears on the invoice is easy... not getting the correct laser markings in next to impossible. you can vote where you want on which is true...