opticians today vs opticians in the past

[gmc]

I remember when I was young and new everything.

[SeaU2020]

Agreed. Especially for lab technicians. It is a lost art. Thye advances with digital lens grinding is phenomenal. I am glad to be in the business long enough to appreciate the art and the technological advances.

[MakeOptics]

Someone ought to tell phi trace that in Europe and Japan, 30 years ago, the 85% of the spectacle wearing public was wearing AR lenses.They were as you describe. No one from the 2 largest lens producing areas in the world could figure out why. Actually, they're still trying to figure out why even though our usage has increased. I watched George Stefanopolis this AM and was surprised to see George Will and whomever his counterpart was on the show NOT in AR lenses. All you could see was the reflection of the studio lighting. Very distracting! We haven't learned much in 30 years....except some of us older opticians had that knowledge 30 years ago. I wouldn't be as fast as phi trace or opticianjw to put something down they know so little about.I qualify that statement with the following: I started running errands in my dad's shop at age 13 in 1953. My apprenticeship date was August 1959 . Licensure followed in Dec of 1964, Like my Friend Chip, and Uncut, I've been around a while.

PS I am finally retired....except for family and friends.(Kicking and screaming however, a man needs a place to GO on Monday mornings!

PPS Did someone mention Krypie's? That ought to send the whippersnappers back to the Optician's Job Coach! (whatever the heck that was) I vaguely recall it but my memory is about shot!

The job coach reads more like an archie comic, the number of illustrations highlights the lack of education in the profession then as it does now, I own the original and the 45 revamp as seen in the image above.

Anti-Reflective Coatings were not as popular in the US for two reasons is my belief (your comparison was to Europe and Japan):

1. 30 years ago glass was still a large segment of those markets where the US was entrenched in plastics, the adherence of the AR stack to glass is a much more predictable than was 30 years ago to plastic. I remember peeling and flaking. I believe the assumption was made that I was a young buck, but I practiced in the 90's so I'm maybe a tweener.
2. The disparity of knowledge between US and European opticians, there is no comparison. I use as an example a problem given in a course by Mo Jalie a popular European professor, author, and inventor in the ophthalmic optics field:

Professors Puzzle #1 (Mo Jalie in Spring of 200)

An equi-convex lens with zero edge thickness is made in glass of refractive index 1.60 and the diameter of the lens is equal to the radius of curvature of either surface. The distance between the two centers of curvature is the square root of 30,000mm. What is the back vertex power of the lens?

Here's a hint the radius of curvature is almost staring at you, the square root of 3.

"Old Timer" is not a title to be worn as a badge on the chest, given the lack of progression in this profession, It's more of a phrase to be chiseled onto the tombstone of optical past. After all, time in is more suited to talking about jail sentences than professionals careers.

[MakeOptics]

Other examples of today vs yesteryear:

1. Marker, scissors, and plastic disc vs independent right and left tracings with over 800 radials points per lens to the hundreths of a mm according to OMA protocal.
2. Hnd operated lathe (two axis's with elliptical error) vs digital generators that produce lenses on a poitn by point basis across the entire lens surface (sometimes even both lens surfaces).
3. Hand polishing vs chemical and machine controlled.
4. Drilling with a dremel and mask vs the on screen placement of drill points with drill holes being tangent to the lens surface curvature.
5. Glass and CR-39 vs Glass, CR-39, Trivex, 1.55, Poly, 1.60, 1.67, 1.71, 1.74
6. AR (single layer stack) and Mirror vs AR (multi band), Hydrophobic Coating, Oleophobic Coatings, Anti-Static layers, Mirrors, Gradient Mirrors, Double Gradient Mirrors, Colored Mirrors.
7. Clip-Ons with posts that scratched lenses vs clip-ons with magnetically embeded mounting systems.
8. Drilled Rimless mounted with screws vs drilled rimless mounted with plastic pegs flush mount for easier cleaning.

That's just an example from what I remember selling last week. I could go on . . .



Here is an example I hear a lot about prism segments. Everyone remembers when they did one back in the day. This is what we provided just in the last two weeks to one of our patients. You keep reminising about what was back then I will provide these patients what exists now, which includes all those things you talk about a whole lot more.

I have a pair of lenses coming in now for family that works within a nursery that will allow them to glance in their nursery and visually see the health of their plants before the plants show signs of disease, lack of nutrients, etc. It's based on the photosynthesis in plants and their optimal absorbency of certain wavelengths of light, or what I like to call 4/5/6 lenses. If you old timers don't hold your customers tight I will take them.

[MakeOptics]

What a sad comment or better said comments, a whole load of them......................................
What an excuse for not having the knowdlege needed do be able to do just anout everything. The statements above I hope is are not a general consensus.

It reflexes the opinions that you only sell the expensive items that have been made in somebody else's lab where you purchase it made and finished by some body else and then resell it at your usual margin, as if it was your product, which has triggered the birth of on line opticals and their ever mounting advance.

The sale of AR made on Rs's is in the 30-40% range these days. In the old days we used to see better fitting glasses tha we do today, because opticians had to have proof of education and some expirience before they were allowed to serve consumers. Your fanciest equipment for measuring or finishing is just as good as the knowdledge of being able to do without them.

In earlier days these products used to be made by people with expirence that knew their trade inside out and were justified to charge a good selling price for their know how................not any more so.

I sell very expensive products more expensive than the average optical shop and you will never hear an apology for that. The consumer of online optics does not have the palate for care that I would apreciate in my shop. I have started handing the PD out to them and inviting them back to compare the quality whenever they like. I fear onlien optics about as much as I fear the sky falling down. Your assumption that I pass off what I sell as my own is completely false. I let them know who designed their eyeglasses, ME. I put together a set of options form a number of different vendors that will provide the best solutions they could possibly need and I go to the best first.

Solder a frame, NEVER. Was there a time I did yes, but I was young and naive then. I would rather sell my clients a new frame at cost and edge down their lenses a solution I can provide in the sae amount of time and at the same costs. So while they walk out of your place with a blob of metal on a tmeple and an old pair of frames that you told them might not be as sturdy where you soldered them. My client walks out in psuedo new eyewear, often tiems with an order for a new pair in my stacks. (Barry +1 for your edge down comment it really did fuel my posts).

I have been talking with a fellow co-worker and we like to refere to our service as concierge optics. If I have to open an account with a new vendor to get you the best available I do. You want a new frame instead of the one from the boards, absolutely ma'am I don't like wearing others peoples face sweat either. You want it in a ridiculous time frame I'll order it from two of my best and fastest labs to make sure it comes on time if you're paying right. I laugh everytime I hear people arguing with their patients how common it is to use what's on the board. I'll order them in all the colors if you pay for that service. I don't care what the patient want's, whether I think it's reasonable or not, if they pay for the service I will provide it. I'm their optical *****.

My clients will get everything they want from me "absolutely no exceptions", and they will pay me what I want "absolutely no exceptions". It's a great barter system called capitalism.

[hcjilson]

"Old Timer" is not a title to be worn as a badge on the chest, given the lack of progression in this profession, It's more of a phrase to be chiseled onto the tombstone of optical past. After all, time in is more suited to talking about jail sentences than professionals careers.

It is a shame to see such a cogent reply wrap up with such an ignorant comment. I put in the information to give you some background of my history, not to have it called a badge to be worn on the chest by a pompous *ss. The lack of progression of this profession has nothing to do with me who has spent the better part of a 53 year carreer trying to improve it, and a lot to do with you and your ilk who do nothing but complain ad infinitum. Can you hear me NOW??

Should you decide to reply to this, please feel free to share what you have done personally to improve this profession. If you have nothing to share, don't bother to reply it will be falling on deaf ears.

[RIMLESS]

Everyone Inhale.............exhale

[hcjilson]

You are correct again.....I forgot the 90% rule which applies to my reply, or the 100% rule which applies to the post which caused it. I should follow my wife's sage advice when she says I don't have to attend every argument to which I am invited. Thanks for the reminder RIMLESS!

[Johns]

I should follow my wife's sage advice when she says I don't have to attend every argument to which I am invited. Thanks for the reminder RIMLESS!

Just another reminder of how lucky we are to have the wives we do! (She sounds a lot like my wife)

[Chris Ryser]

Do you have a good stock on new chairs ????????????..........

I fear onlien optics about as much as I fear the sky falling down. Your assumption that I pass off what I sell as my own is completely false. I let them know who designed their eyeglasses, ME. I put together a set of options form a number of different vendors that will provide the best solutions they could possibly need and I go to the best first.

Solder a frame, NEVER. Was there a time I did yes, but I was young and naive then.

You want a new frame instead of the one from the boards, absolutely ma'am I don't like wearing others peoples face sweat either.

I'm their optical *****.

My clients will get everything they want from me "absolutely no exceptions", and they will pay me what I want "absolutely no exceptions". It's a great barter system called capitalism.

5 am.....................and I am speechless..................

Just one question: Do you have a good stock on new chairs ????????????..........so your customers do not have to sit on one somebody else's A$$$$ has sat on ?????????????????????? Yack

[Wes]

5 am.....................and I am speechless..................

Just one question: Do you have a good stock on new chairs ?????.......so your customers do not have to sit on one somebody else's A$$$$ has sat on ?????????????????????? Yack

Makes sense, if everyone in the waiting room is nude.

[Fezz]

Makes sense, if everyone in the waiting room is nude.

Brilliant!

I envision a whole network of FezzJohns Nudicool Spectacool locations!

I got the legal team on it = GO!

[uncut]

I remember when I was young and new everything.

Post of the week nominee!

[hcjilson]

Post of the week nominee!

I'll second that! hcj

[optilady1]

Pride goes before the fall.