When should you roll and polish lenses

[BAM829]

Hi,

I was just curious as to when you should have lenses rolled and polished? Normally of course you would do this to CR-39 lenses, especially if someone with a high RX didn't want to go with the cost of high index lenses. But should you do it on all polycarbonate or trivex lenses as well? And do you need to do this on anti-reflective coated lenses too? Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Jeff Trail]

Re: When should you roll and polish lenses

BAM829 said:
Hi,

I was just curious as to when you should have lenses rolled and polished? Normally of course you would do this to CR-39 lenses, especially if someone with a high RX didn't want to go with the cost of high index lenses. But should you do it on all polycarbonate or trivex lenses as well? And do you need to do this on anti-reflective coated lenses too? Any help is greatly appreciated.

I hardly ever consider giving a roll and polish UNLESS it is requested by the person or if the lens is getting an AR coat..and you should NEVER roll and polish an AR coated lens after it has been coated..that defeats the purpose, as well as shatters the adhesion over time..
Cosmetically it might look good, optically arrgg.. you just made a nice built in "prism" to scatter light and make nice little reflections to drive people crazy :)
R&P is strictly cosmetic, unless you happen to have to need to roll it down to get the temples to shut correctly (crazy myopia) I always have and always will strongly recommend an AR if you roll and polish or at least an edge tint to try to help with the lens "flare"
Than again this is just my opinion, I'm sure if we get 3 opticians in this thread we end up with 42 different answers.. we are an opinionated bunch aren't we :)

Jeff "maybe a lab rat but I DO I have my ABO&NCLE..really,I do" Trail

[chip anderson]

I used to roll polish everything if the edge was visible beyond the frame, free. Thought I was being a super concientious optician. Had too many come back and want it removed, including one of my favorite referring ophthalmologist. Now I do same only on request.

Sometimes it's the things you do for free that come back to haunt you with the loudest outcry.

Chip

[spazz]

I find that most people (myself included) get too much glare and reflection from a polished edge. A very light buff on the edges, however, helps cosmetics without causing reflections or glare.

[Jackie L]

poly challenge

I agree that to roll and polish every lens in not warranted, but if your patient wears poly and wants a shiny edge finish, most edgers don't really do a spanky job polishing. Of course that means crafting by hand. I find that brush on liquids for poly do a better job than using a buffing wheel or pad.

Just my two cents worth.

[Chris Ryser]

Re: poly challenge

Jackie L said:
I agree that to roll and polish every lens in not warranted, but if your patient wears poly and wants a shiny edge finish, most edgers don't really do a spanky job polishing. Of course that means crafting by hand. I find that brush on liquids for poly do a better job than using a buffing wheel or pad.

Just my two cents worth.

You are right. Polycarbonate Edhe Polish takes a few seconds to do. Wiping on and does a super job.

[Dave Metzger]

Edge polish poly

If you edge poly dry, edge 1/4 mm over the finished size and do the final pass wet at he finished size,it will leave the edge semi polished, better than having to run it on a buffing wheel.

[DrKLP]

Re: Re: poly challenge

[QUOTE]Chris Ryser said:
Polycarbonate Edge Polish


Hi Chris,

I'm not familiar with this compound. Do you know the name and where it may be purchased? TIA.

Ken

[Chris Ryser]

Re: Re: Re: poly challenge

[QUOTE]DrKLP said:

Chris Ryser said:
Polycarbonate Edge Polish


Hi Chris,

I'm not familiar with this compound. Do you know the name and where it may be purchased? TIA.

Ken

Hi Ken,

You can get it from OMS Optochemicals at Tel 800-461-6637, you can look it up on the website at :

http://optochemicals.com

[Robert Martellaro]

I never roll and polish. Sure, it looks thinner when you look at the glasses from the persons side, but how does it look from the front? You can see the white glare from across the street, that's how it looks. There were a couple people being interviewed on the MacNeill/Lehrer News Hour the other day and it took me about half a second to spot the guy with the minus seven and the rolled edge. The glasses were just screaming at me. Polished edges on a beveled lens in a plastic frame looks almost as bad. Why would anyone pay extra to have their glasses look like the bottom of a coke bottle beats me.

I always polish the three piece mounts... nice flat edge... looks good from the front and "finished" from the side. Partial rimless with a flat edge is a flip of the coin, depending on frame color and how much of the side of the lens is exposed. Usually looks best with a standard edge (off the wheel) with an AR coat.

Robert

[Jeff Trail]

Robert,

There is a "cheat" that can be done to keep from rolling those high myopic RX's.. I used to run the bevels back a little further from the front and polish from the bevel frontwards.. you don't get that cast shadow like you do when it's a back polish :)
The people who used to come in with the high minus and a previous R&P I would talk them into trying it and probably 95% of the time they liked it better .. by the time you got rid of that coked out look they never even mentioned the repositioning of the bevel and since the back still stuck out the same amount as the old R&P combo they never seemed to mind a little more out the front which was hidden with a polish.. and at times an edge tint so it blended into the frame..cosmetically it made a better looking job, optically it was better (no flashing and scatter from the back R&P, oh BTW if you give it a try and move it say 3 or so mm remeber to check for vertex power change..I usually added a 12th^ to the RX on the higher "-" I also use to take a black magic marker and coat the bevel in real thin wire frames and that cut down on the "appearence" of gaps, same applies to the polarized where you can not track the front surface so it looks like a gap because the bevel gets behind the sheet location .. got to get a water restiant marker though and usually takes a couple of times to get it dark..letting it dry between swipes..
Now a days being a "slave" to the accounts I can't do my "tricks" anymore and have to (arrgg) give the account what they want..like R&P a -13 CR39 in a (yikes) 58/18 eye with a 55 PD ..like I had to do this afternoon..I thought it looked like CR^P.. but that is what was on the invoice..what are ya gonna do

Jeff "full of something (prefer it to be tricks)"Trail