"European" photo gray

[becc971]

Okay ... so let me start this by saying my new lab doesn't like me much because i have standards, i have had to send back 2-3 jobs a week because of cosmetics, poor tints, defects in polarization, not coming transitions, not coming AR, most of the jobs i send back end up having to be done at least 2 more times. As long as we get uncuts, the problems aren't there, which is weird but true.

So i have a glass job (mike aurelius please feel free to jump in on this as i feel like you're the resident glass expert) Ordered Comfort Photogray XTra

Remake # 1: came in photo brown
~Gave to pt to use in the meantime, lab says "no problem we will send them edged to you" ... i know i should have known better but i gave them the benefit of the doubt

Remake # 2: Came in a beautiful PGX, but too big for the frame
~order a sizer, send it back to them and they say they can edge it down.

It came in again the other day photo brown again ... so the lab manager starts giving me all this crap about european photo gray being different than american, and how the comfort is a european lens and that is why, so it won't be a traditional gray.

NOW, mind you this is the second pair we have gotten of the SAME THING from the same lab, the first pair was fine 3 years ago, so what happened between now and then?????

[MikeAurelius]

BULLSHIRT!!!

That lab manager doesn't know his poop from shinola.

There is only one PhotoGray and only one PhotoBrown. They are made by Corning in either France or Brazil. The exact same product is sold all around the world under the exact same name.

Now, while there may be some issues about the design of the progressive (which I have little knowledge about), the glass itself is completely different.

I see two scenarios:

1) PBX was packaged as PGX at the progressive facility. Possibly likely.
2) Lab personnel either didn't have the correct add power in PGX and pulled PBX instead, or, more likely, someone thought they were the same lens, just misspelled. Highly likely

Becc, I think you are going to have to go higher up the line, as it appears the lab manager isn't interested in solving the obvious internal problem -- maybe they don't want to do glass any longer?

[vcom]

I'd say just put them in Poly LifeRx *snicker* I never have any problems with that *struggling to keep a serious face*

[WFruit]

Ok, here's the interesting parts of all this:

1) The Comfort 2 doesn't come in Glass, it's still the original Comfort design.

2) The Glass Comfort doesn't come in Photobrown. It's only available in 1.60 Glass Clear, and 1.60 Glass PGX... The only Varilux product that was available in anything remotely resembling Brown was the Varilux Panamic in Photobronze.

So.... find a new lab?

[Judy Canty]

Yup, find a new lab.

[NCspecs]

Good grief, find a new lab. Luzerne has never given me any crap with my glass jobs.

[mdeimler]

Yup, find a new lab.

Yea, get rid of this Davis-esque lab you're using ASAP...

[LENNY]

As mentioned before! VX comfort II does not come in ANY photochromic glass! So finding a new lab (Judy) would not help!
Old Comfort is ONLY available in Glass 1.60 clear or 1.60 PhotoGrey! So finding a new lab (Judy) would not help!

Unless I am wrong and Luzerne can produce anything! :)

So What you have is PGX IF its an Essilor VX lens!

[becc971]

I typed the II out of habit, sorry!!! just the comfort haha

[becc971]

Becc, I think you are going to have to go higher up the line, as it appears the lab manager isn't interested in solving the obvious internal problem -- maybe they don't want to do glass any longer?

what kills me is this IS the lab manager telling me this ... i'm just glad to get confirmation that i'm not nuts haha ...

unfortunately the practice manager seems to have a pretty personal relationship with this rep and the owner or whatever. so a change isn't in our forseeable future. the rep told me that there is always a "learning curve" when new employees start, and they have to learn about eachother. to which i said "there is no learning curve if you wouldn't put it on your own face and i wouldn't put it on my face you shouldn't be letting it pass inspection end of story" haha ... making new friends every day!

[Judy Canty]

As mentioned before! VX comfort II does not come in ANY photochromic glass! So finding a new lab (Judy) would not help!
Old Comfort is ONLY available in Glass 1.60 clear or 1.60 PhotoGrey! So finding a new lab (Judy) would not help!

Unless I am wrong and Luzerne can produce anything! :)

So What you have is PGX IF its an Essilor VX lens!

Find a new lab that actually knows what is available and what is not and one who is not going to just make **** up as an excuse for willful ignorance.

BTW, I wasn't the only one who recommended finding a new lab (Lenny).

[LENNY]

BTW, I wasn't the only one who recommended finding a new lab (Lenny).

Do you really think WFruit was suggesting to find a new lab?!?!

[Judy Canty]

So.... find a new lab?

Yes, I do.

[Judy Canty]

Yea, get rid of this Davis-esque lab you're using ASAP...

mdeimler did as well.

[Judy Canty]

Good grief, find a new lab. Luzerne has never given me any crap with my glass jobs.

As did NCspecs.

[AngeHamm]

As do I. Customer service is priceless.

[WFruit]

Not that it's relevant to the question at hand, but yes, I was serious about finding a new lab.

Provided that they are actual Varilux Comfort's, if they're photochromic and glass, then they're grey. I know this is probably a stupid question, but have you darkened the lenses (taken them outside, put them under a UV light, etc.) to see what they look like?

[MikeAurelius]

Not that it's relevant to the question at hand, but yes, I was serious about finding a new lab.

Provided that they are actual Varilux Comfort's, if they're photochromic and glass, then they're grey. I know this is probably a stupid question, but have you darkened the lenses (taken them outside, put them under a UV light, etc.) to see what they look like?

Something just struck me...they might have been air hardened instead of chem tempered, which would affect the color appearance, not to appear brown, but it would be different from a chem'ed lens.

Back in the day, there was also a difference between the single vision and multifocal glass lens chemistry. The multifocal chemistry was activated during the bifocal fusing process. I'm going to assume that the progressive slumping process is very close to the fusing process, so there might be a larger problem here in that perhaps who ever the company that made the progressive used the single vision glass instead of the multifocal glass, and because of the chemistry differences, this is causing a color shift from what you would normally expect.

Becc, can you take any pictures of the lenses that show apparent color?

[glassman]

Agree with the posters above. There is no availability of PBX Comfort (only PGX). If you need any information on glass products I recommend contacting Vision Dynamics Lab, a glass specialty lab in Louisville (www.visdynlab.com).

[LENNY]

Ok. I am sorry!

PS European made in China Photochromic grey IS more brownish then the one that is imported here!
Something like VE coper tone grey!

[becc971]

Not that it's relevant to the question at hand, but yes, I was serious about finding a new lab.

Provided that they are actual Varilux Comfort's, if they're photochromic and glass, then they're grey. I know this is probably a stupid question, but have you darkened the lenses (taken them outside, put them under a UV light, etc.) to see what they look like?

i left them under the UV light for over an hour and they turned a very nice brown color ... we haven't had sunlight to speak of up here so i can't really test them outside. Maybe they weren't a comfort?? it never occured to me to check the stamp ... i will have to when the lab manager sends them back to me

[mdeimler]

New lab...