ptosis crutch

[TamCheah]

Hello, I can make them, I've made a few in my career as an optician. It can usually be attached to any frame or lens. Takes about an hour to design and fabricate. Tam Cheah - Toronto - tamcheah@hotmail.com

[Chris Ryser]

According to local Ophthalmologist's the last qualified optician actively making these crutches died about 3 years ago and nobody has taken his place in a city like greater Montreal with a population of 3,824,221.

So it is refreshing to hear that at least in Toronto is somebody that has taken up the craft to help the ones in need of such a device and do a little more than just selling glasses.

[Jacqui]

So it is refreshing to hear that at least in Toronto is somebody that has taken up the craft to help the ones in need of such a device and do a little more than just selling glasses.[/FONT][/COLOR]

Some of us in the U.S. still make them too Maybe you should have some of the patients cross the border

[MakeOptics]

You know they surgically treat that in this day and age, you can even get most insurance companies to pay for it if you can show loss of field. I had to make on once and it was for an OMD that was just trying to rattle me, he did the surgery after I made it and told the patient I never made it right in the first place. I used silver wire, flattened through successive rolling between a small set of rollers before soldering to the top rim.

(never knew where the boss picked up that roller but he probably had it passed down from the thousand year old guy who used it once too.)

USELESS SKILL PASS

[Chris Ryser]

You know they surgically treat that in this day and age, you can even get most insurance companies to pay for it .......................

That is correct ................................

I have had it done twice over the last 12 years on my right eye which is doing 75% of my binocular vision. Done by an ophthalmic plastic surgeon under local anaesthesia and 6 students watching.

First time he cut some skin out on the eyelid.

Second time, 4 years ago he said that time he would remove a strip of skin right above the eyebrow line so he could go back into the eyelid if ever it was needed again. However at that place he would have to cut through a nerve and would loose all feelings in my forehead. I agreed and it was done that way, I lost all feeling on the right side of my forehead right back to me right ear. However most of it has come back over the last 4 years.

I never needed to make my last ptosis crutch for myself and still have a ticket for a third shot to operate if it happens again.

[Jacqui]

USELESS SKILL PASS

Not really useless, I make one or two every month. There are patients that for one reason or another cannot have surgery. There are those where the surgery has gone wrong, they also need them.

[Sphinxsmith]

We (our owner) made one from piano wire last year ... he's fourth generation optician and there was no way he was going to not try and be defeated!
Pt is very please and has only needed one or two adjustments since.
We have some very skilled people here in the greater Seattle Metro area.

CS

[Chris Ryser]

We (our owner) made one from piano wire last year ... he's fourth generation optician and there was no way he was going to not try and be defeated!
Pt is very please and has only needed one or two adjustments since.
We have some very skilled people here in the greater Seattle Metro area.

That is a nice an very positive post. How many of the younger generation have the same
attitude ?

Specially rhese days where everything is presented on silver platter where in the old days we had to do with available material and just do it.

However I can see that also opticians will have to go back to learn the basic manual servicing of optical frames and lenses as major manufacturers are forcing their way into the retail field.

[standarduck]

You know they surgically treat that in this day and age, you can even get most insurance companies to pay for it if you can show loss of field. I had to make on once and it was for an OMD that was just trying to rattle me, he did the surgery after I made it and told the patient I never made it right in the first place. I used silver wire, flattened through successive rolling between a small set of rollers before soldering to the top rim.

(never knew where the boss picked up that roller but he probably had it passed down from the thousand year old guy who used it once too.)

USELESS SKILL PASS

Not sure surgery is always the best option - there are risks with any kind of surgery, which many people would like to avoid if they can.

Seems to me that something like a crutch would be a nice first option for quite a few people. So, no, not useless.

[EyeManFla]

Yup, we use to just solder a heavy duty paper clip to the frame....

[sharpstick777]

Many Ophthalmology Clinics now have Plastic Surgeons on staff just to do lid lifts.

Strangely many new OD's don't even know what one is, and many ODs and Opticians have never seen one. Its been about 15 years since I have seen one.

[Joe Zewe]

We need some better marketing if we are going to bring back the ptosis crutch.

[Jacqui]

Many Ophthalmology Clinics now have Plastic Surgeons on staff just to do lid lifts.

Strangely many new OD's don't even know what one is, and many ODs and Opticians have never seen one.

They need to get edumacated

Its been about 15 years since I have seen one.

You must lead a very sheltered life

[Jacqui]

We need some better marketing if we are going to bring back the ptosis crutch.

Yes !!! Maybe if we raise the prices from $XX.95 to $XXX.95 it will help to show more value. Or maybe if we edumacate the D---D young Od's we will see more of them.

[Jacqui]

One of the reasons that I see so many of them here is that many of the local Fundamentalists don't believe in anything but absolutely necessary surgeries. Lid lifts are not high on the list of necessary surgeries.

[Alan W]

We need some better marketing if we are going to bring back the ptosis crutch.

Hi Joe
Its been so many years since I visited the Board I'm embarrased to say. But, I caught your comment surrounding ptosis crutch. You are 100% right about marketing. In fact, opticianry has suffered so badly because of it, I feel sad knowing there are opticians today who sold maneure 3 months ago! Technology has done its number on opticianry for sure, but opticianry has done a number on itself for not embracing technology, establishing a value proposition that distinguishes it and united to keep standards and education up. Thanks, Alan W

[Chris Ryser]

In fact, opticianry has suffered so badly because of it, I feel sad knowing there are opticians today who sold manure 3 months ago! Technology has done its number on opticianry for sure, but opticianry has done a number on itself for not embracing technology, establishing a value proposition that distinguishes it and united to keep standards and education up.

Wow ..............what a statement

[Alan W]

Thank you, Chris and all you guys who enriched my personal professional life.
And, foitha more (my new york answer!) all you youngins should know you're under the tutilege (sp!) of genuine pros like Chris, Skip, Harry and many more who have forgotten what I never learned. Listen close!

[Alan W]

Chip...my apologies. You aint no Skip!

[Chris Ryser]

.............and here we are with another big loss on OptiBoard with the passing of Darryl Meister.

[Chris Ryser]

One of the reasons that I see so many of them here is that many of the local Fundamentalists don't believe in anything but absolutely necessary surgeries. Lid lifts are not high on the list of necessary surgeries.

................... unless you are the person whose good vision is affected by an eyelid obscuring the vision by hanging partially over the pupil. In a period of about ten years I had a second fix on my right eyelid.

When your vision is affected you will need a crutch or the surgery, and I opted for second one..

[AngryFish]

B&S part # 0295 00 is a metal Ptosis crutch with mounting hardware. They call it an "eyelid lifter" in their catalog.

[Gizzo]

Excellent point, Chip.

I wonder if any of the schools actually have the students fabricate and fit ptosis crutches these days. Does this ABO exam cover the subject? If you don’t teach it and you don’t test it, it dies. It won’t be long before patients with third nerve palsy or myasthenia gravis just have to tough it out. All of the real opticians will have retire or gone on to their eternal reward.

Oh . . . . the humanity!

Oh, the lack of Opticianry...

[Gizzo]

Hi Joe
Its been so many years since I visited the Board I'm embarrased to say. But, I caught your comment surrounding ptosis crutch. You are 100% right about marketing. In fact, opticianry has suffered so badly because of it, I feel sad knowing there are opticians today who sold maneure 3 months ago! Technology has done its number on opticianry for sure, but opticianry has done a number on itself for not embracing technology, establishing a value proposition that distinguishes it and united to keep standards and education up. Thanks, Alan W

God bless you. I don't work with anyone that could even IDENTIFY a ptosis crutch...

[finefocus]

Yup, we use to just solder a heavy duty paper clip to the frame....

Kind of a dead thread, but I'd like to mention that if a patient has a sensitivity to metal, it likely will be a nickel allergy; silver or gold fill are safer.