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  1. #1
    Bad address email on file L.A.B.'s Avatar
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    Wink Digital Lensometers

    Looking for feedback from anyone out there who uses a Digital Lensometer.

    Thanks
    Last edited by L.A.B.; 06-11-2008 at 03:17 PM.

  2. #2
    Underemployed Genius Jacqui's Avatar
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    I don't believe in them, they are not accurate enough for me. Buy a B&L Model 70 and learn how to use it.

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    They all work, but some are easier to use!

    Quote Originally Posted by L.A.B. View Post
    Looking for feedback from anyone out there who uses a Digital Lensomer.

    Thanks
    We use 4 different brands, Zeiss, Tomey, ? and the Marco (Nidek). We also have an old manual B&L; the staff hates it. Sorry lab grandma.
    We all agree the Marco is the overall best product. They all can give you an rx from a flat lens; but try getting a curved frame with a polarized lens to readout of some of the less expensive machines. You cannot get the lens properly placed to check the RX on some machines.

    We would only buy another Marco!
    Craig

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    Bad address email on file L.A.B.'s Avatar
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    Thanks Craig,
    I ,too, have an old "manual" that I love and have used for many years but our doctor thought it might be easier for the optometric tech, who is less skilled/less accurate. Do the digitals give you accurate vertical imbalance on multifocal lenses?

    Thanks,

  5. #5
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Gold Supporter DragonLensmanWV's Avatar
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    I don't think there is, or at least I haven't seen any fully digital lensometer that can handle say, a progressive with thinning prism.
    I use an old Topcom LM-P5, it's an "assisted" type of lensometer, i.e. it focuses the same as a Marco, has the same target, but does use a LED display for axis, and you can get it to read out the Rx in plus or minus cyl.
    It has all the automation I want, but still functions basically like a Marco turned around backwards.
    I like it so much that after the transformer blew and there are no parts, I got another used one.
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  6. #6
    OptiWizard
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    I hate, hate, hate, digital lensometers. Why can't everyone just learn to be a real optician.

    Now having said that, Ill get down off my high horse and tell my digital lensometer story.

    At the last place I worked, I went in on my first day and the only lensometer was a state of the art Topcon. I asked around and found out that the "real" lensometer was in a back closet because the Topcon was "just as good" and easier. I promptly went and got the real lensometer because I'm a real optician and that's what I use.

    I did have about 50 SV jobs to be spotted up and edged, so I thought what the heck, The wimpy Topcon might be faster (it was) and should be good enough to spot an axis (boy was it ever). The more I used the topcon the more I liked it. At some point the "real" lensometer got unpluged and was pushed to a corner for about 6 months.

    One day one of the doctors walked in and asked me to read a pair of glasses. He said the auto in the pretest area was reading 6D of cyl and he was only refracting about 2. So I put the glass on the Topcon and it reads 6 as well. AH HA, I must be vindicated. I pluged in the "real" lensometer to get the real RX. It was exactally what the topcon read. It really work great for progressives as well. And for laying out .25 it was better than the real lensometer.

    I have no association with Topcon, but their auto lensometer is AMAZING. Although who am I to ask, I like the ALE5000 edger, and I seem to be the only one here that does.

    Thomas
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    Vision Equipment OptiBoard Corporate Sponsor Leo Hadley Jr's Avatar
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    I like to actually SEE my abberations......Not have a bunch of digital numbers jumping around.

    But thats just me!!!

    I sell a lot of autolensometers and people love them.
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    Digital Lens Meters are great

    IF you know Optics and how to use them.

    1) Digital there is no guessing, you have exactly what you read
    2) You have to realize you are reading an average area- is it where you want to measure?
    3) If you understand lens design, Optics, "tolerances", these guys are fast
    Bottom line: No one should be left to measure work on any lens meter unless they know what they are doing! Digial units require more knowledge than and other model.
    B&L Model 70 is always my favorite for training newbies, and for the semi skilled to go on there own.
    Denny

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    Redhot Jumper

    We Have One In Our Office But It Is Never Correct! It Reads Bifocals Incorrectly, And It States That Every Pair Of Glasses It Reads Has Prism In It! I Refuse To Use It!

  10. #10
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Barry Santini's Avatar
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    In my humble optinion...

    Today, one *cannot* effectively tolerance any pair of eyewear without a digital lensmeter than has a multiple Abbe value toggle.

    Opinions?

    Barry

    PS - we also use a standard lensmeter on every job as well, but not just the standard model.

  11. #11
    Master OptiBoarder snowmonster's Avatar
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    Our Reichert (AL-200, if I remember right. we've had it for 2.5 years now) is actually pretty accurate, even with most PAL's and prism. I used the older Reichert LensCheck (same thing almost) before this one and it usually correlated very well with the manual lensmeters we had at the previous place I did time at. The Marco autolensmeter there was atrocious.

    The Reicherts are also SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive than the other autolensmeters.

    We only use it for pretesting purposes, but it would probably be good enough to check in jobs. We currently have two Topcon manual lensmeters for lab stuff.
    -Steve

  12. #12
    Master OptiBoarder
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    We have a Humphrey 350. I don't like any other digital that I have used including the Topcon. It sits right next to my manual. It also seems to me that every wholesale lab that I have used that uses a digital, uses the Humphrey 350.

    There was a good thread on this digital vs manual a while back.

    Here is my take. We have one lab that verifies using model 70 Vertometers. They swear by them. The others use 350s. The lab that uses the manual had to be told by me that they were sending out overplussed lenses. Almost every lens. It happened slowly and the quality control people looking through the manual lensometers had been adjusting the mires to "compensate". Probably even doing it inadvertantly because they see what they expect to see.
    The digital is generally more accurate because it removes two variables: the human error and the Abbe value.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Santini View Post
    Today, one *cannot* effectively tolerance any pair of eyewear without a digital lensmeter than has a multiple Abbe value toggle.

    Opinions?

    Barry

    PS - we also use a standard lensmeter on every job as well, but not just the standard model.
    I think you hit the nail on the head Barry. You can't check a job properly without adjusting for the abbe value in complex scripts. Of course if we had brains that operated like Darryl Meister or even David Wilson we could do the calculations in our head!

    I think the perfect solution is having a digital and a standard model focimeter.
    Perfect

  14. #14
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Barry Santini's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MarySue View Post
    I think the perfect solution is having a digital and a standard model focimeter.
    Perfect
    this why i also have both!

    Barry

  15. #15
    ATO Member HarryChiling's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Santini View Post
    Today, one *cannot* effectively tolerance any pair of eyewear without a digital lensmeter than has a multiple Abbe value toggle.

    Opinions?

    Barry

    PS - we also use a standard lensmeter on every job as well, but not just the standard model.
    That's where the problem comes from of the many offices I have been in and probably many on this board are wondering:
    1. Why you would need this Abbe thingy.
    2. Where it's located.
    3. How come they have never heard or used it before.
    You don't eliminate the human error, you just place it some where else. The proper use of any equipment is key.
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    Bad address email on file stephanie's Avatar
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    They don't work....get a good manual one and never look back!!!!!

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