Optical Jargon

**Wes** · 03-23-2015, 09:49 AM

Every industry has a ton of jargon in it that outsiders, newbies, and even seasoned pros may be unfamiliar with. Jargon is defined as: "the language, especially the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group" and it is helpful for all of us to know the language that everyone is speaking. With that in mind, I'm going to be working on an "Optical Jargon" webpage to serve as a free resource for the industry. I have no pretensions of knowing everything, so I'm seeking input from the industry itself. A thousand minds are far better than one.
I haven't decided how I want to organize it yet, and I'm open to ideas. I suppose it depends on the feedback. I'm thinking of categorizing it by:

Surfacing: modern and old school
Finishing: modern and old school
Machinery and Data Communications: modern and old school
General Dispensing: lenses, frames, fitting, insurance, and misc.
Refractions
Medical

So, please chime in with your favorite optical jargon along with reasonable explanations/definitions, and I'll work on getting a page up.

**Uncle Fester** · 03-23-2015, 11:31 AM

Is this what you're looking for?

Ringer- Old school When a glass lens blank was scored to the pattern shape a crimping pliers could snap the excess all off in one piece. Hence a "ring" of glass is produced.

**mervinek** · 03-23-2015, 12:56 PM

Face Cheese....Blehhhhh

**mervinek** · 03-23-2015, 12:57 PM

Swarf....the stuff stuck to the edges of lenses that you have to scrape off when cutting a poly lens

**newguyaroundhere** · 03-23-2015, 12:58 PM

I was going to suggest PITA, POS, and SOL but those types of terms can be used anywhere....

**newguyaroundhere** · 03-23-2015, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by mervinek

Face Cheese....Blehhhhh

During my time with Lux, we tried to have a competition amongst the region stores to see who can find the most disgusting set of nose pads on a patient's glasses....sadly, no one wanted to join the competition

**CME4SPECS** · 03-23-2015, 01:34 PM

Oc, bc, pd, fpd, pal, pof,lo, od,os, ou, bd, bu, bi, bo, bal, slab off

**Paul Smith LDO** · 03-23-2015, 01:51 PM

Patient Measurements (POW); new school PD; old school

**Jubilee** · 03-23-2015, 08:34 PM

free form vs Digital vs Molded
aspheric atoric myodisc lenticular
abbe

**Wes** · 04-11-2015, 05:39 PM

That's it? Man, you guys stink at this! Opticians on Facebook are totally kicking Optiboard's tail.

**Caroline** · 04-13-2015, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Wes

That's it? Man, you guys stink at this! Opticians on Facebook are totally kicking Optiboard's tail.

Got a link?

**braheem24** · 04-13-2015, 11:33 AM

Magic Drawer - Never used by me, I'm too embarrassed to insult someone's intelligence.

RT · 04-14-2015, 07:00 PM

Twelfth.

**BigGuy** · 04-15-2015, 01:03 PM

How about rimlon, pd stick, hide a bevel and free form.

**mshimp** · 04-15-2015, 06:56 PM

PVA : polyvinyl alcohol - used for polarization in ophthalmic lens.

**mshimp** · 04-15-2015, 07:00 PM

to skim it off: when unwanted prism was found in glass lens you could grind out or "skim off " the prism.

**Turd Ferguson** · 04-17-2015, 08:16 AM

Originally Posted by RT

Twelfth.

I might kill the next person that uses this.

One of our new "managers" came back and asked me if I could "tighten the arms" on a frame.

I also hope there's a place in hell for the ones who use "positive" and "negative" for plus and minus, or who read a script backwards, starting with the cylinder power.

**SharonB** · 04-17-2015, 08:35 AM

SAP
PAL (Not progressive bifocals)

**Tallboy** · 04-17-2015, 09:48 AM

What is wrong with saying tighten up the arms? I say that all the time.

"Bug Burners"

**leeopt** · 04-17-2015, 11:02 AM

Medicine

**mervinek** · 04-17-2015, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by Turd Ferguson

I also hope there's a place in hell for the ones who use "positive" and "negative" for plus and minus, or who read a script backwards, starting with the cylinder power.

My coworker says this ALL the time. Drives me freaking crazy!!!!!

RT · 04-17-2015, 05:50 PM

Half pair

**Paul Smith LDO** · 04-17-2015, 06:51 PM

Half pint, glass half empty may require refill.

**Barry Santini** · 04-18-2015, 05:58 AM

My Dad used to say that French, aviator shaped frames had "automatic decentration"
it took me a few years of school to understand what he meant.
The edging 'PD' of a datum (180) mechanically centered pattern is wider than the later 'boxed' method.
This, together with an aviator's nasal-oriented ED gave him 'more' decentration from a certain diameter lens blank than the boxed method.

i think this question should be on the Advanced exam.

B

**Turd Ferguson** · 04-19-2015, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by Tallboy

What is wrong with saying tighten up the arms? I say that all the time.

"Bug Burners"

It has gotten to be more accepted, or at least more common. But when I was coming up (you know, when a loaf of bread was a nickel), if you called them anything but temples you were excoriated.