verifying progressives ...oh my!

**pseudonym** · 06-04-2009, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by OCP

Comfort is nothing than a old lens design with absolutly no optical characteristics,

Poor Essilor sitting there with their Varilux Comforts, their zillions of dollars, and all that absurd customer loyalty to a product that is antiquated. The success of the Comforts is a real problem for them. Sort of like BB King having to play "The Thrill is Gone" one more time in concert when he has newer and better stuff.

**OCP** · 06-04-2009, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by pseudonym

Poor Essilor sitting there with their Varilux Comforts, their zillions of dollars, and all that absurd customer loyalty to a product that is antiquated. The success of the Comforts is a real problem for them. Sort of like BB King having to play "The Thrill is Gone" one more time in concert when he has newer and better stuff.

Essilor own the business and what they say is always the only truth available. If they cant discontinue the lens, they just tell you it´s the best lens out there, and everyone applaud it.
Nice and easy to have lots of money. :)
:cheers:

**hipoptical** · 06-04-2009, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by pseudonym

The success of the Comforts is a real problem for them.

Their success is a REAL problem us. Sheeple just keep following in line, heads down, taking orders. Meanwhile, better products, providing better vision, less eye strain, and more natural sight are out there, waiting for someone to care. GM never imagined bankruptcy. The economy isn't to blame. People eventually began to see that those "no-name" cars from overseas weren't so bad. I hope the same thing happens to Essilor. I hope that "opticians" will eventually take this industry seriously and begin to think for once. Maybe decide that name brand does not mean best.
(On a side note: my last three "American" cars were made in Mexico and Canada. One "foreign" car I have now was made in the good ole USA. I'm just sayin'...)

**hcjilson** · 06-04-2009, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by OCP

I´m 100% agree in this.
Actually it´s one of the industries worst issues, to get the optician to order new and better products, and Varilux Comfort is the worst.
Why is it so difficult for Essilor to learn the opticians about better products.? Comfort is nothing than a old lens design with absolutly no optical characteristics, and the 360 is the same just stuff, just on the back surface. By introducing the Comfort on the back surface, Essilor will never get out of this vicious circle. Actually they admid they have done a bad information job here. They are shooting them self in their feet.

Your statement above is incorrect. All lens manufacturers are trying to get the practitioner to try and to order new products. They all have CE courses, no further away than your search engine. Essilor has 6 that I can name right away. Of course the Comfort has optical characteristics.........What kind of lab tech doesn't know this.....I would consider the source before giving any creditability to the above post.

**HarryChiling** · 06-04-2009, 06:01 PM

The comfort is OK as a lens, but I have fit better. Now if you ask me what i fit as my go to progressive, the Comfort. :hammer:

Seems rather silly right, well I noticed that while I was selling other products in the past independent opticians, independent OD's and OMD's just took one look at the markings on the lens and wrote off anything that wasn't a comfort as being wrong. My poor name was being slandered, as soon as I switched to the comfort the problems stoped, now I knwo what your thinking, but many of the patients in the other PAL's were happy until their independent practitioner told them that they did not get a Varilux so it's a second rate lens. So in their effort to spite the chains many of the independents have chosen to slander anything that doesn't have a football with a crooked e in it, this has also backed them into a corner when it comes to new products.

My latest independent competitor likes to tell patients that we can't get Hoya lenses. It seems to be that no one wants to stand on their own two feet anymore, it's slander all around. The manufacturers take advantage of this by offering two tiers of products one for us, one for them. You get the Physio and I get the Accolade. Your under the impression that I can't get the Physio so you do your best to talk it up like it's the next best thing since wonder bread.

**Uncle Fester** · 06-04-2009, 06:02 PM

As I've said before a small segment of your patients will refuse to be switched. When this happens it's more often than not a Comfort wearer. (Not to say most can't be changed!)

I think to myself when this patient is complaining --You're seeing better- you just don't know it!

Or to paraphrase an old Indian saying- "Spend a few hours at my dispensing table before you judge".:)

**pseudonym** · 06-04-2009, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by Uncle Fester

As I've said before a small segment of your patients will refuse to be switched. When this happens it's more often than not a Comfort wearer. (Not to say most can't be changed!)

Speaking for myself, there is an incredible gratitude that takes over when one's vision is rejuvenated by a progressive. This feeling is directed to the lens company and it takes the form of name recognition and customer loyalty. If I hadn't done any reading on this, I probably would be in the percentage that would never switch.

I'm thinking the optician often plays it safe with this kind of brand loyalty. Why suggest a change when the customer is tickled pink with a certain lens type? The optician will have to do some talking to convince the customer to switch, and he is raising that person's expectations by doing so. If the customer doesn't have a life changing experience over the new lenses, they are going to return them.

**OCP** · 06-05-2009, 03:32 AM

Originally Posted by hcjilson

Your statement above is incorrect. All lens manufacturers are trying to get the practitioner to try and to order new products. They all have CE courses, no further away than your search engine. Essilor has 6 that I can name right away. Of course the Comfort has optical characteristics.........What kind of lab tech doesn't know this.....I would consider the source before giving any creditability to the above post.

Please feel free to tell me what feature optical characteristics you find in the Comfort lens. In my oppinion, Comfort is old rubbish that the optician keep on selling because they ask the client "are you happy with the lenses".! Cant you see that they dont know better, and therefore you cant ask this way. In my oppinion, Essilor did a bad job by not informing the optician well enough, that this is and very old lens design and Physio is much better. Simple as that. You are obvious pro Essilor, and pease with that.

**hcjilson** · 06-05-2009, 08:19 AM

I AM pro Essilor, pro Sola, pro, Zeiss, pro Shamir, pro Rodenstock,pro Younger, pro AO, pro B&L and pro every other lens company who works so hard to give me the best products on the market for the customers I serve.

OCP said: " You are obvious pro Essilor, and pease with that. "

Congratulations OCP .....you finally got something right!

**OCP** · 06-05-2009, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by hcjilson

I AM pro Essilor, pro Sola, pro, Zeiss, pro Shamir, pro Rodenstock,pro Younger, pro AO, pro B&L and pro every other lens company who works so hard to give me the best products on the market for the customers I serve.

OCP said: " You are obvious pro Essilor, and pease with that. "

Congratulations OCP .....you finally got something right!

I got something right???

If you can only speak positive about everything here, you will not have any dialog. Right now we have an dialog about Comfort. Not about Physio or other products. I understand that it´s good business for Essilor to keep on selling Comfort. Everyone would be happy to sell old products in that volume. It´s just wrong for the business, and for the clients.

**hipoptical** · 06-05-2009, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by OCP

Everyone would be happy to sell old products in that volume. It´s just wrong for the business, and for the clients.

:cheers:

**pseudonym** · 06-05-2009, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by hcjilson

Rather than foolishly trynig to one up a moderator (who ALWAYS can have the last word) would anyone care to return to the subject of THIS thread?

Nope. Now that I know the state boards doesn't consider reading the etching on a progressive ADD to be cheating. This thread has officially outlived its usefulness.

Note to OCP: You posted a PM?? Bad bad naughty karma. That's against all the rules of netiquette. Even in Denmark. In the US it's a hangable offense. Good luck with your new identity.