Delivery of PALs - With Or Without Markings

[Agnitio]

When you deliver your patients new PALs do you do it

1. With the markings still on or
2. Without the markings

When the glasses arrive back from the lab and all measurments have been verified, ie PD, Heights and the Rx has been neutralised in the vertometer I clean off all the lens markings so that when the patient tries on his new glasses the lenses are crystal clear.

Also, I think it is important that the lenses are cleaned to ensure that there are no scratches or problems with multi-coats, which does happen resulting in a remake.

My opinion is that if the patient has difficulties using the new PAL it is a simple task to mark them up again to verify the heights and PD were taken correctly. Quite often it is that the Rx needs adjustment and not the measurments. Additionally, I think that the presentation to the patient of a clean lens is far better service than delivering and then having to go clean it.

A new dispenser that has just started after working for a Luxottica company for 10 years thinks they should be left on the lens until the delivery is complete.

All opinions appreciated. Especially bad ones of former luxottica staff you have found yourself having to work with.

[Chris Ryser]

When you deliver your patients new PALs do you do it

1. With the markings still on or
2. Without the markings

Of course it is including the markings. They are a necessity to make a proper adjustment of the frame. Your patient will appreciate getting the nadjustment first before looking around with the new glasses and find that something feels weird.

You just explain that maximum vision is attained only after adjustment. The you take the best and fastest marking remover and clean them up in front of customer while giving handling instructions.

You will have a happy customer that has just learned that the expenisve job does need some extra handling.

[optical24/7]

Chris, do you leave lensometer marks on ft's and single visions too? I adjust frames before taking measurements, they should be lined up when the patient trys them back on after fabrication. A lot of patients get distracted by logo's on demo lenses even. I don't want their initial reaction when 1st trying on their new glasses to have a negative distraction. I'll re-dot if a patient is having a problem, but that is extremely seldom.

[Fezz]

I see a lot of progs come in from other offices that still have some of the original markings still on! The previous places do not fully remove the ink marks!

[Barry Santini]

*any* CRIZAL ALIZE (& just about any progressive) jobs from ELOA labs have markings that should be removed *BEFORE* edging is done. Their *stampings* are often off as much as 0.75mm, and 2 degress off axis.

Laying out and verifying jobs with "factory" markings is akin to the same mistake made with the original Hubble Telescope's mirror (mis) figuring.

USE THE DOTS...THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE AFTER THE JOB IS DISPENSED ANYWAY!

My two cents, what's yours?

Barry

[Chris Ryser]

Chris, do you leave lensometer marks on ft's and single visions too? I adjust frames before taking measurements, they should be lined up when the patient trys them back on after fabrication.

24/7...............you are very right, the frame should fit better than a shoe when taking measurements. However you forget that the lab very often will take that frame at point of final check and straighten out again what you deformed while making the perfect measurments. Your frame now can be out of alignement on the face of patient.

Ir is very smart to leave the markings on instead of serving the glasses like a glass of bubbly champagne.

[Chris Ryser]

Their *stampings* are often off as much as 0.75mm, and 2 degress off axis. [/B]

After finishing the job the lab is supposed to stamp the markings at the exact place for proper measurments and adjsutments.

If a lab is so careless........their other qualities of work can not be the best and I would go elsewhere.

[Barry Santini]

If a lab is so careless........their other qualities of work can not be the best and I would go elsewhere.

It's really no problem for me, Chris. My primary Lab's quality is really very good. Unfortunately, what they are bad at...they simply cannot seem to improve upon.

So I *deal* with it!

Barry

[Johns]

Ok, so you leave them on, they try it on, and vision is awesome!

Oh, but wait... the markings aren't lined up to the eye!

"Yes ma'am you can see fine, but the marking are telling me I need to move it around a little so it looks good to ME !"

-or-

Chris: "Ok ma'am how is your vision with your new glasses ?"
Pt: "What kind of dumba$$ are you? Can't you see there's marking all over them?"

[Chris Ryser]

Chris: " Here ma'am are your new glasses, and in order to check the adjustment of the lenses or do some more we have left the markings on. In a minute or two when everything fits as it is supposed to be, I will clean off the markings."

Put glasses on customers nose and see that center are 1mm to low Take pliers and adjust nose pads to raise the centers.Now everything looks good.
Take my markings remover from the drawer in fitting table, wet a tissue paper and remove markings in 10 seconds each lens.
Then put glasses back on customers nose and........................

Chris: "Now you should see just perfect !"

Ma"am: "This is fantastic .......I can see so clear.....let me see if I can read............wow I never had new glasses that fit so well,
and no other optician ever checked my glasses so well before."

[Johns]

Chris: " Here ma'am are your new glasses, and in order to check the adjustment of the lenses or do some more we have left the markings on. In a minute or two when everything fits as it is supposed to be, I will clean off the markings."

Put glasses on customers nose and see that center are 1mm to low Take pliers and adjust nose pads to raise the centers.Now everything looks good.
Take my markings remover from the drawer in fitting table, wet a tissue paper and remove markings in 10 seconds each lens.
Then put glasses back on customers nose and........................

Chris: "Now you should see just perfect !"

Ma"am: "This is fantastic .......I can see so clear.....let me see if I can read............wow I never had new glasses that fit so well,
and no other optician ever checked my glasses so well before."

...Patient walks out of the dispensary scratching head..."That was like keeping the training wheels on your bike after you know how to ride it. Or maybe he doesn't know how to..."

[urbane]

dump the markings. the customer is always right - or at least they are the customer. they just don't get that tech stuff - like getting it right. 90% want out as fast as possible anyways, so just speed it up. plus, with the new wave - individual progs, their vision will be so good that they won't even notice a little out of kilter lens stuff. really. :hammer:

[Chris Ryser]

dump the markings.

they won't even notice a little out of kilter lens stuff. really.

The new attitude of modern times.

[Agnitio]

dump the markings. the customer is always right - or at least they are the customer. they just don't get that tech stuff - like getting it right. 90% want out as fast as possible anyways, so just speed it up. plus, with the new wave - individual progs, their vision will be so good that they won't even notice a little out of kilter lens stuff. really. :hammer:

Your opinion is noted but your customer service is not agreed upon.

Sure some patients may lack the patience for a proper delivery but a good dispenser will ensure that every customer recieves their purchased product in optimal conditions (ie fit and heights) and not in a rush making them return later for adjustments that could have been completed at the time of fitting or delivery.

And as to the "serving them like a glass of champagne"...why not. When you purchase a suit and have been measured and tailored do you expect to see the chalk markings on it when you collect it? Do you try on the suit and then let the tailor take it too the back to clean off all his measurments?

NO! You dont. No one does because tailors have a reputation which is what us dispensers/opticicians are trying to build.

We deliver a final product confident in its ability to meet the patients needs.

If it requires markings for final delivery then there is a step being missed out during the dispense or your staff are incompetent.

I'm confident in my work and have had 0 remakes this calender year and 0 the previous year due to measurments. Rxs on the other hand are another question.

Clean the marks. Deliver a pristine product with confidence. Correct errors when necessary instead of err on the side of caution.

Confidence in your employees = increased productivity

[Chris Ryser]

If it requires markings for final delivery then there is a step being missed out during the dispense or your staff are incompetent.

If you are that confident and good in your optical dispensing clean the marks before the customer arrives. If you have fully 100% competent staff you can even do more so. Your the boss.

However after 5 steady years on the Optiboard I have the impression that there are plenty of non regulated states within the USA with plenty of underpaid, as they say, opticians that have at the most an ABO certification that is fairly easy to get.

I learned to fit the first progressives in the late 1950's when there was no warranties for redoes and you had to hit it right on the first shot and checking the job in all phases was the rule and it should still be now.

I rest my case.