I have a patient who claims her transition does not work. I had her come in the office and placed her spx under a light and ahh haa the transition worked. I then let them clear and took them outside in the direct sun, and again it works! She left and not an hour later calls back saying they are not working. Gave her the spill regarding her car and asked it she took them off and looked at them, she says yes and they are clear??? What??? (keep in mind, this pt is my O.D.'s aunt)
The problem is that the change happens so gradually that most people don't notice. As to why she can't notice a difference outside that's is a weird one. If the problem is that she is in the shade, then she might not like the tint color and you may have to try a solid tint.
I would guess it is her expectations are for them to be grey 3 sunlenses which they will not ever be.Originally Posted by BALDWINEYES
I think some of the retail advertising maybe creating expectations by consumers that the product will not meet. When sold properly the patient understands that they get some sun protection and aid to seeing in brighter light. But it is not a grey 3 polarized lens.
Let her know that because our eyes adjust faster to light than the lenses it often appears they are not working, but if she looks in her purse mirror she will see that they are.
Hot summer weather also will keep them from turning as dark as possible.
Welcome to Optiboard!:cheers:
This is a comfort lens NOT A SUNLENS! and that's how it should be presented...and the hotter it gets (I am in Florida) the lighter they are! I believe that everyone should be given a sheet with the info printed on it (customers have a way of forgetting things you know) Most of us have all been through this and feel for you...be gentle and tell her whan moe time Gary:)
They also don't get as dark early in the day or late in the day. If you are looking down or away from the sun they won't get as dark. I have a pair and they are no where close to what my real sunglasses do.
Odd, transitions tells us that transitions is not a sunglass. But a fashion lens, or a comfort lens or some such nonsence. Yet the TV commercials shure portray it as the greatest sun lens and sun protection lens ever. Also show it as instant darkening and instant lightening to full clear and a turning a lot darker than mine ever get.
No commercial ever insinuates that they don't work in cars and are heat/cold sensitive.
We've all seen the photographer in the heat of the African desert with totally darkened lenses resemembing at least a G-15.
Does this mean all's fair in advertising but your optician can be trusted to reveal the truth?
Chip
I've noticed a drop-off in performance with my Trans. ver. 6 lenses when we got into the 90's. However we had a cold, for Florida, winter several days we didn't get out of the 40's and my trans. would go nuts, definitely a grey 3 in direct sunlight.
This is from the Sponsored Forum further down the home page on the reaction of transition-
http://www.optiboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14303
your patient complaint is it while she is driving? some car with premium tint will actually cut off most of the UV and hence the transition seem 'not work' while driving.
Yeap
I actually had this come up a few weeks ago. An elderly lady called to say her lenses were not darkening so I said "Bring them in". I could see her as she was walking up to the door and they were dark. Once inside she proceeds to tell me that they are not darkening at all. So, I take her outside with the glasses in hand, cover one lens and let the UV do it's thing. Then I uncover the other lens and show her. She still claims that they do not darken for her, only for me. Now, the bell goes off in my head. This is not a magic trick, the lens darkens for you exactly the same as it does for me. Turns out she was used to the old Transitions which stayed darker longer and so when she looked in her rearview mirror at herself she saw more residual tint and since she only took short little car trips the old ones stayed dark the whole way. I explained the new technology was developed because people did not like the fact that the lenses stayed darker longer. She of course could not imagine why anyone would want their lenses clearer faster. So, she grabbed the glasses, stomped off while yelling over her shoulder "I won't ever come back here!". Thank you?
I swear she was in the place I work today! Crazy...
I let them clear up, then go outside and hold my thumb over a big area on the lens. When I come back in they can see the clear spot where my thumb was and how dark the rest of the lens is. Of course, then they say, "Well that's the first time they ever did change!"
DragonlensmanWV N.A.O.L.
"There is nothing patriotic about hating your government or pretending you can hate your government but love your country."
I went round and round with a male patient once with this same issue. After showing him inside with a UV light and outside with sunlight, he remarks they never get that dark for him.
As we are standing outside, I handed him his glasses back, he puts them on and I figured it out. This guy wears a ball cap 100% of the time! The visor of the cap was keeping his lenses constantly shaded. Fortunatley he was smart enoungh to see it too. He purchased Rx sunglasses.
From that day forward I added a comment about wearing hats to my schpeel about Transitions, along with car windows, temperature, altitude, time of day, clouds, facing away from the sun.....
I try to sell 2nd pr sunglasses. I find them far less finicky than Transitions.
Properly medicated for your protection.
Almost seems like many feel you must be facing the sun and practically looking at it for Transitions to work properly. And then nothing really works adequately when looking at the sun.
Chip
Trans Techie Notes
http://en-us.transitions.com/profess...ttechnotes.htm
Great information here, thanks for the link. :)
In central Texas (where you can have months of bright, hot...100+ days), we actually never brought up the subject of Transitions to our patients because we had too many complaints.
We sell a surprising amount of Transition and I live in central Texas. I guess they are better then clear lenses outside but once you get used to sunglasses they can't compare.
I do get a lot of patients that like Transition lenses and order it again. I rarely get complaints. I am very careful to explain their limitations.
Oh, we would sell them if the patient wanted them, but very, very seldom brought the subject up. Even after a careful explanation of the differences between a Transitions lens and a sunglass lens, and what the expectations would be in the heat, in the car, in doors, etc. we still got a lot of dissatisfied returns.
One guy was practically coming over the counter at us because he couldn't see at work until we figured out that he worked at an army airfield in a hangar with open doors. The UV flooding into the hangar darkened the lens while he was trying to see small things in shadows.
Of course, that was 11 years ago, and maybe the public is more open to the idea of a "tweener" lens now. Maybe it was where we were. We also offered a special at the time that may have cut down on the interest as well. Buy one pair, get the second (usually tinted) half off.
I agree that once someone buys and accepts the Transitions lens they generally love it.
I ask everyone if they want a changeable lens. I guess that is why I sell them. If I waited for my patients to ask for everything I would probably be selling 95% CR-39 clear lenses with no AR. :)
Good approach. Presents the idea without raising expectations too high while classifying the lenses as something different. Probably would have worked for us if someone in-house had figured that out, but Doc decided to avoid the hassle back then. He never liked confrontation, and I got my fill in the army. That's probably why I try to stay in the lab and work with machines more than people. :)
I'm glad that those of you living in the warmer climates have found ways to explain the Transitions process but, I am surprised by the recent poor performance of my own 1 year old Transitions VI 1.6 index Nikon SeeCoat lenses with our latest warm weather. Worse yet a most valued customer just came in this morning with the complaint that his 4 month old 1.67 Nikon SeeCoat Transitions VI Brown lenses were not getting as dark as his friends lenses. Living on the west coast this has never been an issue before. No idea what his friend is wearing.
Is anyone aware of any other products that may change darker even if the residual colour is more pronounced.
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