Progressive lenses are by far one of the most complex lenses on the market. This often leaves the patient begging to know what the difference is between brands and designs. What all progressive lenses have in common is a distance section towards the top of the lens, a reading section towards the bottom nasal area…

Transposing a Rx prescription is simply converting the prescription from minus cylinder notation to plus cylinder notation. The optical properties of the prescription remain the same. Procedure: 1) Add the cylinder power to the sphere power to arrive at the new sphere power. 2) Change the sign of the cylinder power. 3) Add or subtract…

There is high demand for sunwear in wrap form; it is estimated that as many as 25% of the prescription market is dispensed in highly curved lenses. Besides looking cool, wrap sunwear also provides better wind, dust, and sun protection than other lenses since they fit close and reduce light leak. However, the lens position…

Picture this: A young, female patient/customer is sitting at a dispensing table, awaiting delivery of her eyeglasses. The dispenser brings the glasses to the table, hands them to the customer, who places them on her head. The “optician” seems to ask a question of the customer, who smiles, shakes her head yes, stands up and…

Amblyopia (pronounced am-blee-oh’-pee-ah) – also called lazy eye – is reduced visual acuity in one eye due to an interruption of the normal development of eyesight in that eye early in childhood. It can be mild (e.g. 20/40) to severe (20/200 or worse). Amblyopia is usually not correctable with lenses alone. But if it is…

This article was taken from a study by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. It is reproduced in full. Permission is granted for its posting, as stated in the report. Allentown Optical Corp. is adding the report to our web site in response to questions about night time driving, specifically glare problems. The article is in…

How many frames do I need? If you stock too many frames, you’ll tie up cash in inventory when it might be put to better use elsewhere. Too few frames? You’ll lose business due to poor selection. Although some practitioners recommend a formula based on the size of your optical – one frame per square…

EDUCATING THE OPTICIAN Apprenticeship versus Formal Education Originally Opticians in this country and across the world were trained via apprenticeship, as were most professions. Medicine, Law (Abraham Lincoln was an example) and many others were trained via a structured apprenticeship program, in which the apprentice was almost an indentured servant to the master. This type…

Lens Materials High Index Lenses Don’t Let Your Glasses Weigh You Down — Choose High Index Lenses High index lenses are chosen for their lightweight comfort and attractiveness. High index lens materials are lighter in weight and thinner than their regular glass or plastic counterparts. The benefit is that if you have a strong prescription,…

ASPHERIC LENSES Ever since aspheric lenses were introduced for conventional prescriptions in 1989, Eyecare Business has been covering this rapidly growing category. For 40 years prior to that time, aspheric lenses had represented the most complex lens design for eyeglasses a design that was limited to the post-cataract field. The cosmetic and visual advantages for…