Originally Posted by
Laurie
Hi Guys (and Gals),
Hope you are having a great holiday so far, if I forget to say it later, "Happy Happy New Year!"
Mike, Darryl, I think you are both closer to opinions/schools of thought rather than far apart.
Some ECP's think that position of wear/as-worn measurements don't matter, but we are approaching a new paradigm shift here, our patients/clients will have the last word. I think there are alot of visually-sensitive patients/clients out there who can tell the difference.
While my full time job is opticianry education (Go HCC!), I also do many CE seminars for opticians on behalf of Shamir. It has been my experience that the learning curve is actually quite larger than you would expect!
Case in point: The difference between providing an OC height or a fitting height for a SV back surface FF, and understanding about Martin's tilt, ect... or, using optical common-sense in regard to frame curvature and high Rx's, ect... Or, even closing one eye at a time while taking measurements to avoid cross-parallax error while the dominant eye takes over!
I'm not in a position to claim 'spokesperson status', however, I will be happy to share what I have learned, and points that need to disseminate to the ECP's, and ultimately, the patients/clients.
The Shamir Autograph II series can be optimized for As-Worn (panto, tilt, VD)...we can debate the theoretical / Vs. / practical applications of this, however, if it looks better in theory, it is likely better in practice. If these measurements are not provided, the visual software (eyepoint technology/prescriptor) will default to global norms, still yielding a better visual product.
Fully customized back surface, personalized PALs (and SV) incorporating position of wear are the wave of the future. Super computers allow us to do SO MUCH more than before! Instead of assuming (remember how to spell ***-u-me?) that opticians/ECP's can't handle the technical skills required to understand, measure for, explain, verify this new generation of lenses, lets get together and talk about the benefits:
*Optics closer to the eye (back surface design)
*Enhanced field of view (pin-hole effect)
*Better aberration/power control with additional as-worn measurements
*Real-time design...no more molds, where a range of Rx's are incorporated, if you are not in the middle of the mold bell-curve, your visual experience will not be as good as it will be with complete personalization
*Many more material options, starting with semi-finished blanks.
In addition to teaching/presenting seminars, I fill in/dispense for a friend w/a high-end optical boutique in Tampa...we fit ALOT of Auto II's... our patients/clients comment on the 'wow-factor' all the time.
And, in addition to eyepoint technology and the prescriptor calculations, the ECP can send the frame to the lab for tracing for further optical enhancements, 'free-frame technology', which considers the position of wear, and the placement of the pupils, near PD, along the convergence line to dynamically place the near-zone to full capacity, not simply calculating it on the frame 'B' dimension
Whats not to love about all of these options?
We have ALOT of work ahead of us educating ECP's and patients on these new technologies and opportunities.
: )
Laurie
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