Cashoptical.com is happy to announce the collaboration with Opal Group France, the Ponts d’Or gold winner in the POS Material category and silver winner in the Children category. This new association allows Cashoptical.com to offer a wider range and meet the needs of the company’s clients. 

Five new collections are introduced: Pola, Lapö, Owlet, Owlet Plus and Proximo, as well as new Rx lab edging and mounting services for frames, lenses and treatments.

Cashoptical.com’s coolaboration with Opal Group France has allowed them to offer online purchasing exclusive for eyecare professionals who register on the site. Professionals may order per unit or in quantity.

Blanchard Laboratories introduces Onefit Series lenses as the new standard for GP and soft lens wearers. This line of mini scleral lenses is designed to completely vault the irregular or ectatic cornea, as well as normal prolate cornea with astigmatism. Onefit lenses boast the crisp visual acuity and high DK of a GP lens, and the comfort previously only available in a soft lens.

“Our goal was a large-diameter RGP lens that is easy to fit and as comfortable as a soft lens. It had to be better than my own soft lenses before we would introduce it,” says Jean Blanchard, president of Blanchard Laboratories. “I wear these lenses comfortably during all of my waking hours.”

The Onefit Cone is designed to accommodate highly irregular corneas such as keratoconus (Oval, Nipple) and ectasias. Available in diameters ranging from 13.7 mm to 14.6 mm, the lens always centers well on the eye and provides the patient with visual clarity and stability never before possible with smaller GP lenses.

The Onefit P+A is designed to vault over corneas with normal prolate profile or astigmatism. Available in diameters of 13.8 mm up to 14.9 mm, the lens rivals the comfort of a soft lens and is ideal for those who cannot adapt to, or have developed an intolerance to smaller GP lenses or soft toric lenses.

A simple three-step, inside-out fitting approach, combined with a 14-lens trial set, makes Onefit the easiest mini scleral lens to fit and trouble shoot.

Joe Voros with Concept Eyewear

Concept Eyewear has appointed Joe Voros as an independent optical sales representative for V. Design and V. Design Kids eyewear brands in theOntarioterritory. He has been in the optical industry for many years and is looking forward to working with his existing, as well as new, accounts to introduce this exclusive eyewear line.

The V. Design’s assertive, upscale ophthalmic frames are unique, colourful and extravagant, corresponding to the wearer’s individuality and personality.

Inauguration of a Chair in Coatings and Surface Engineering

As of Oct. 1 Polytechnique Montréal, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and seven industry partners have inaugurated the NSERC Multisectorial Industrial Research Chair in Coatings and Surface Engineering (MIC-CSE).

As the country’s second-largest industrial research chair awarded by the NSERC, all fields combined, the MIC-CSE will have a budget of $5.35 million over five years: $2.6 million from NSERC and a total of $2.75 million from its seven partners: Essilor, Hydro-Québec, Guardian Industries Corp., Pratt & WhitneyCanada, Velan, JDS Uniphase and the Canadian Space Agency.

Research will focus on developing a new generation of non-polluting manufacturing technologies for nanostructured coating materials. These processes make it possible to add successive layers of nanometre-thick films and thicker coating architectures, using various materials (metals, ceramics, polymers, nanoparticles, or others) on flat surfaces as well as on three-dimensional objects. These “molecular millefeuilles” aim to confer a wide range of functional characteristics to the surfaces: anti-glare, anti-erosion and anti-fog as well as self-controlled (or “smart”) optical reflectivity or emissivity, luminescence, sterility and more.

“The possible functionalities are limited only by our imagination,” said Ludvik Martinu, MIC-CSE Chairholder and Professor in the Department of Engineering Physics at Polytechnique Montréal.

The scope of collaborations within the MIC-CSE Chair reflects the immense range of industry fields in which multi-layer coating technologies can be applied. The research carried out at Polytechnique will improve the sustainability and effectiveness of materials in sectors as varied as aerospace, energy and manufacturing, as well as optics, photonics and space exploration.

Nikon Presents Two New Products

Nikon Optical Canada launches the Nikon Lite DAS, the first lens of its kind inCanada. This digital double aspheric single vision lens delivers an ultra-thin design and improved optical performance, using Nikon Digital Surfacing™ technology.

The Nikon Lite DAS is the thinnest lens available, with thickness reduced by up to 14% compared to a conventional lens. Furthermore, the double aspheric design controls the aberrations generated towards the periphery of the lens, achieving a natural and clear vision.

The ultimate in thin sophistication, Nikon Lite DAS is available in indices 1.60, 1.67 and 1.74, stock and surfaced from total sphere +10.00D to -12.00D, cylinder -4.00D. The lens is available in Nikon coating SeeCoat Plus and, for surfaced lenses only, in SeeCoat Blue, ICE and HCC coatings.

Nikon has also developed a new generation of their Online lenses, the Online Wide. The latest design for extended near distance with superior optical quality for up-close materials and digital device-related tasks.

As compared to the conventional Online design, Nikon Online Wide now offers an improved visual experience by utilizing state-of-the-art Nikon Digital Surfacing technology, offering a new degression option of 2.5D and is available in index 1.74. Online Wide greatly reduces peripheral distortion by 40%, and at the same time increases the clear near vision zone by 35%, for a sharper and wider vision for up-close materials such as a newspaper or a large computer screen.

Online Wide is ideal for anyone who works at arm’s length (i.e. electricians, plumbers, etc.), often reads up-close materials, works with computers for long hours, uses large computer screens, experiences eye fatigue from desk work, needs a more comfortable posture at the computer, wants unrestricted reading vision, an upgrade from reading glasses or an additional pair to complement their progressive lenses.

Online Wide is available with all degressions in indices 1.50, 1.60, 1.67 and 1.74, from total sphere +7.00D to -8.00D, cylinder -6.00D. The lens is available with Nikon coatings SeeCoat Blue, SeeCoat Plus, ICE and HCC.

25 Years of Handmade Danish-designed Eyewear

The dream of creating high quality eyewear at a reasonable price has been at the core of the creation of the Inface company for its founder, Hans Laursen, and today, after 25 years as a design business, Inface is an important eyewear supplier and partner for optical stores across the whole ofEurope,Canada and other countries.

“We are marking our Jubilee with various events throughout the coming year. In October at Silmo inPariswe’ve launched two special Jubilee design series, and will present another series at theMunichexhibition in January 2013,” explains Thomas Laursen. “We have events planned for every month this year to celebrate our birthday together with our customers.”

Hans Laursen opened his first store in the centre of Vejle, Danemark, in the 1970s. His retail concept grew steadily and quickly developed into 13 smart and popular stores around the country. After 23 years in retail, Hans Laursen sold his business so he could start a new one.

Established in 1987, today Inface is a family-owned business, consisting of Hans Laursen, his daughter Mette Laursen and his son Thomas Laursen; three enthusiasts with a passion for design and functionality. The entire design process at Inface is developed in close cooperation with Hans Laursen and Mette Laursen, who both have a special love of design and colour schemes.

Skaga Signs a « Colourful Atmosphere » Autumn Collection

Scandinavian Eyewear has launched its new Skaga collection, featuring unique colours for the new season. Made with special acetate, the line presents 16 autumn styles. Skaga’s material consists of four layers of acetate, three of which are in selected colours and the fourth of which is transparent. This has resulted in colour compositions that are totally unique to Skaga and can’t be found on any other frames in the world.

Within the “Colour Atmosphere” theme, Skaga, which was founded in 1948, has also been reliving the 1980s with retro coloured nylon wires holding the lenses in place, a style first launched in the early 80s. This gives a special tone-on-tone effect when, for example, blue frames are combined with another shade of blue in the wires. As well as blue, there are green, red, pink and black models to choose from.

Martin Seebacher Joins Viva

Viva International Group has appointedMartin Seebacheras director of sales andmarketingfor Viva’s Canadian market. In his newly appointed role, Seebacher will be responsible for overseeing all sales andmarketinginitiatives within the Canadian market and will be reporting to Jan Cory, senior vice president of North American sales at Viva.

“We are excited to have Martin join the Viva North American team,” said Cory. “Martin’s keen understanding of the market will help us better serve our Canadian customers in the future.”

Seebacher joins Viva from OakleyCanada, where he most recently served as sales manager for the company’s optical channel. In his ten years at Oakley, he has held previous roles in the sales and product divisions, where he consistently grew sales and developed successfulmarketingstrategies. Seebacher brings with him extensive experience with managing strong brands, as well as the Canadian retail landscape from his previous involvement with Oakley, adidas, Salomon and TaylorMade.

Brian McBride with DirectLab Network

DirectLab Network announces the appointment of Brian McBride as director of sales, LensNet Club and general manager of the network’sOntariohub inSt. Catharines. This move is part of a dynamic growth plan to position LensNet Club and DirectLab Network as a premier internet (B to B) supplier of quality ophthalmic lenses only to eyecare professionals.

In joining DirectLab Network, Brian furthers a 25 year career that includes both retail and wholesale optical experience. His retail career included various management positions within LensCraftersCanada, culminating as lens buyer. In 1995 he joined EssilorCanadawhere he was responsible for the development of Internet sales through Rx Club and Stock Club.

“Brian’s track record in the Internet based lens industry is second-to-none. His depth of experience in building and managing relationships with clients will be invaluable, especially his ability to assist offices in development of best practices as it relates to retail sales,” says DirectLab Network’s Vice President of Sales, Ted Hahn.