Archives de l’auteur : Envision Magazine

Caroline MacIsaac Nominated as One of the Most Influential Women

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Caroline MacIsaac Nominated as One of the Most Influential Women

Former registrar and CEO of the Collegeof Opticiansof Ontario, Caroline MacIsaac has been selected as one of the 200 “Most influential women in optical” at the Vision Monday 9th annual call for nominations. Caroline MacIsaac has been chosen by her peers, colleagues and staff in the vision care community because… “She is one of those rare leaders that can inspire individuals to believe in themselves and achieve what they once thought was impossible. She has had greater impact on educational and professional standards for opticians inNorth America than any one person in recent history.”

Until few weeks, MacIsaac was the registrar and CEO of theCollegeofOpticiansofOntario. Her responsibilities included strategic planning, regulation, collaborative and cross-jurisdictional project management.

As reported in Vision Monday, MacIsaac has a brilliant career. She is the current past president of the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR), after serving in the executive office for two previous years as president-elect and president. An active participant in national opticianry issues, MacIsaac works closely with the Opticians Council of Canada (OCC) in the development of national best practices, the building and fostering of partnerships with key stakeholder groups, a national branding and public awareness campaign and the identification of emerging trends in vision care globally.

CooperVision Expands Biofinity Line

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CooperVision Expands Biofinity Line

CooperVision has launched Biofinity®, the latest addition to the Biofinity family of monthly replacement contact lenses. The product combines the Biofinity Asphere and toric lens material with proven Balanced Progressive™ Technology.

In addition to the new product, CooperVision also introduced a new streamlined fitting approach. Working closely with eyecare practitioners, the company developed the new process to make it easier for ECPs to fit their patients and offer lens wearers an ideal combination of ease, comfort and eye health.

In clinical testing, Biofinity Multifocal lenses outperformed other brands in a range of measurements, including end-of-the-day comfort, vision quality and intent to continue with a lens.

CooperVision further validated the new fitting protocol through clinical testing with eyecare practitioners, including Mile Brujic, OD of Premier Vision Group in Bowling Green, Ohio.

“It is a remarkably comfortable lens and this is important for our contact lens-wearing presbyopes,” Brujic said. “The sophisticated multifocal lens design makes it a versatile, uniquely-designed lens for even your most demanding presbyopic patients.”

“I had much greater success with Balanced Progressive Technology than ever before when I followed the new fitting steps to the letter,” said Jason Lake, OD, of Eyecare Specialties in Warrensburg, Missouri. “The patient satisfaction was the highest I have encountered in any brand of multifocal contact lens and the visits were held to a minimum because the results were very predictable.”

Biofinity Multifocal is currently available in sphere powers of +6.00 D to -8.00 D and in four ADD powers (+1.00, +1.50, +2.00, +2.50). A “D” (dominant eye) and “N” (non-dominant eye) lens are available for each ADD power.

A Multi-Dimensional Challenge: 3D Eyewear for Television

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By Paddy Kamen

specialreportWhile 3D eyewear offers an incremental opportunity for ECPs, there are challenges in understanding what consumers want and need for home entertainment.

Joe Williams got an unpleasant surprise when he settled down to watched the 3D DVD version of the film Avatar at the home of his friend Dave. TheSudbury,Ontarioman, who was wearing the 3D glasses that came with his own new 3D TV set, couldn’t see the movie properly. It turns out that Dave’s 3D TV came from a different manufacturer than Joe’s and the glasses didn’t work with Dave’s set.

Joe Williams’s frustration with the 3D TV experience isn’t uncommon.  So what’s a consumer to do? And how can niche retailers like eyecare professionals (ECPs) best position themselves to catch the 3D wave and profit from it?

Consumer awareness of the 3D options in home entertainment is growing. The NPD Group’s 3D 360° Monitor reported last February that in just six months, from September 2010 to February 2011, consumer awareness of 3D LCD televisions jumped from 28 to 36 per cent, while awareness of 3D plasma TVs rose from 21 to 32 per cent. However, they also pointed out that the price of 3D televisions and the need to wear special glasses were inhibiting wider adoption of the technology.

These consumer pain points are reflected in lackluster 3D TV sales, “with only 1.8 million or about two per cent of all U.S. homes that have a TV owning a 3D set by the end of 2011,” according to a recent report from American media research firm SNL Kagan. They predict that sales growth is expected to increase in 2012 and beyond, as 3D TV penetration grows from about five per cent in 2012 to 21 per cent in 2015.

3D Eyewear Basics 

Viewers need special 3D eyewear to correctly view 3D TV and movie productions because the filmmaking system captures two images that simulate the different perspectives of the left and right eyes. The eyewear separates the images so that just one of them appears to each eye, allowing the visual cortex to process the image as a whole, with greater depth and distance. 3D creates the appearance of objects coming out of the screen toward the viewer or drawing the viewer in.

There are two types of 3D eyewear competing for market supremacy: active and passive.

Active eyewear is battery-operated and contains liquid crystal (LC) shutters in each lens that turn on and off at a high rate of speed in response to a signal from the TV set. Passive 3D eyewear utilizes polarized lenses to decode 3D content by separating images for the right and left eyes using polarized filters. Within the passive category, there are different technologies, including linear polarization, which is used in IMAX® theatres, and the commonly used circular polarization used in RealD theatres. Televisions designed for passive eyewear have a thin film layer on the screen that displays two pictures that match the polarity of the glasses.

There are many points of comparison between the active and passive options. Active 3D eyewear may provide a brighter viewing image but the frames are heavy. The resolution per eye is somewhat greater with active 3D eyewear, although both types provide very good image quality. A PC World test of active and passive 3D eyewear on three different TV sets (one active and two passive), cast the winning vote for passive eyewear on an LG model passive 3D

TV.

Passive eyewear weighs less, needs no batteries and there is no compatibility problem between different passive TV sets when viewing 3D television. Active 3D eyewear that comes with specific televisions tends to present problems with TVs from other manufacturers. That said, there are ‘universal’ active 3D glasses available from the technology company Monster, although with the proviso that the “performance may vary depending on the 3D TV display used.”

Four industry giants have joined forces to standardized active 3D eyewear. Panasonic Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sony Corporation and X6D Limited (XPAND 3D) are working together to bring a new technology standard to active 3D glasses under the name “Full HD 3D Glasses Initiative”. These universal glasses with infrared radio frequency technology are expected to be available in 2012.

Optical Retailer Challenges

Where does all this leave the optical retailer?

While a high percentage of 3D eyewear purchases will be made at electronics stores and cinemas (in addition to those bundled with TV purchases), there are excellent opportunities for eyecare professionals to participate in this market by selling high optical quality, durable 3D glasses – both plano and Rx. And manufacturers are responding to the opportunity in 3D eyewear with glasses that reflect current trends. Polaroid, for example, offers passive 3D fashion frames in retro stylings and the season’s latest colours. Ardent film buffs can find frames featuring the famous ‘Hollywood’ sign logo or stills from classic films. The company will be opening optical channels, where fit-over models can accommodate almost any optical frame.

Oakley claims to set the standard for optical performance in 3D with “the first optically correct 3D lenses.” Says CEO Colin Baden: “Oakley is developing a premium product segment with a range of 3D eyewear offerings and our R&D has achieved unparalleled visual clarity while extending the wearer’s peripheral viewing angle and providing truer alignment of 3D images. This is in addition to the quality, comfort, durability and precise fit of Oakley frame technology, along with styling that sets the high mark for today’s eyewear designs. »

Oakley offers the 3D Gascan and the limited edition Transformers Gascan with a Transformers logo on the temple.

Marchon is one of the undisputed leaders in the passive 3D field, with several patents awarded and outstanding. The company has created a subsidiary – Marchon3D – solely for the purpose of developing and marketing 3D eyewear to the consumer market. And in a technological coup, Marchon has created lenses  that function as passive 3D glasses while doing double duty as photochromic sunwear with full UVA and UVB protection.

Available in a house brand collection known as Marchon3D with 11 styles for men, women and tweens, and under the designer labels ck Calvin Klein and Nautica, Marchon3D offers a wide range of 3D eyewear.

Prescription wearers can have their needs met by Marchon as well. The firm will collaborate with Younger Optics to manufacture semi-finished Rx circular polarized 3D lens blanks for both single vision and progressive lens wearers, starting in 2012. Ultraclips clip-on sun protection lenses are also available to match many Rx styles across a number of brands.

Marchon3D President David Johnson acknowledges that the adoption rate of 3D TVs is somewhat below expectations. But he is firm in his belief that 3D is the technology of the future. “The use of 3D in education has proven that children retain information at a greater rate because of the immersion and engagement that 3D enables. Sports leagues, the medical community and governments all see the value in 3D and are using it,” Johnson notes. “It will continue to grow as 3D content providers ramp up their offerings and the television format stabilizes.”

Born to Design, Arielle de Pinto Creates Frames for Centennial Optical

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By Paddy Kamen

PortraitAn exciting future for frame design is assured. Young and multi-talented, Arielle de Pinto makes a strong impression with her eponymous collection from Centennial Optical.

There’s a lot to be said for coming to eyewear design from a diverse artistic background. Arielle de Pinto has enjoyed making art for as long as she can remember. “I was always into art as a kid, had a private art teacher while in high school and studied fine arts at university.”

While still working on her art degree at Concordia University in Montreal, de Pinto stumbled upon a specialty that has led to acclaim and a successful business that has nothing to do with eyewear. “I took a course in textile arts and was learning to knit and crochet. We were asked to create something structured and so I went off to the fabric store to look around. The only thing that caught my eye was costume chain.”

After trying several ways to work with the chain, de Pinto hit upon crocheting it into a necklace. “People responded very well and began asking for them. I became good at it but didn’t know if I could make any money with the jewelry. I tried the craft fair route but soon realized that it is not a way to earn a living. Then, gradually, my jewelry was accepted into shops.”

Her big break came when a New York City shop, ‘No.6 Store’, agreed to carry her line. “Very soon after that, I got a mention in the New York Times. Then it started to sell like crazy,” says de Pinto, who is based in Montreal. Another opportunity soon opened up when de Pinto was invited to participate in the Gen Art exhibition for Fashion Week in NYC, in September 2007. Magazine mentions became more frequent, she hired a publicist in Europe, and before long her elegant chain mail silver and vermeil work was appearing in Vogue and Elle.

De Pinto also fashioned exotic, eerie masks and sexy vests from the costume chain. The masks were featured in a film collaboration between de Pinto and the LA-based boutique and magazine THVM Atelier. The film was part of an exhibition in May 2011 at Italy’s VicenzaOro, the world’s leading exhibition of fine gold and silver jewelry. Indifferent to borders between art and fashion, de Pinto develops her art practice alongside commercial ventures.

While jewelry was, and is, her first love, de Pinto was well placed to try her hand at designing eyeglass frames. Her father, Steve de Pinto, heads Toronto-based Centennial Optical, which was founded by her grandfather, Roger de Pinto.

“I always enjoyed looking through sample drawers and learned to appreciate beautiful frames,” says Arielle. “Having been around the business all my life has definitely been an advantage when it comes to design.”

Steve de Pinto is understandably proud of Arielle’s success in the jewelry market. He’s also happy to have her on board, designing for Centennial. “It quickly became apparent that there was the possibility of transferring some of Arielle’s jewelry skill and talent into eyeglass frames,” says Steve. “We started out by having her help in the summer with temple designs. She consults with us on various collections and we launched the Arielle de Pinto collection in 2008. Every three months, we release new designs and the collection is doing very well.”

Linda Mulford-Hum, director of frames at Centennial, notes that, “Arielle brings a fresh, hands-on, artisanal approach to eyewear. Her knowledge and experience working with metals is a bonus for producing workable, cutting-edge design.”

The temple designs in metal are indeed interesting. “She has a gift for textures and interesting colour combinations,” notes Steve. “The collection is perfect for trendy, younger women. It is exclusive and while not inexpensive, it is affordable.”

One of the current knockout frames features a beaded fringe on the temples. Another has fascinating cut-outs of almost-abstract human figures. Colours include copper, champagne, taupe and red.

One gets the sense that Arielle would, perhaps, like to be even more cutting edge in her designs, while her father and Mulford-Hum might be more conscious about what the market will accept. Says Arielle: “I want to be creative and cutting-edge. This is the first round.” For his part, Steve notes, “You can come up with a brilliant idea that doesn’t sell, and the market is not forgiving.”

Clearly, Arielle is grateful for the opportunity to design frames and to work with her father. “I like being involved in what Dad does. And I also appreciate using him as a sounding board for my jewelry business.”

Don’t be surprised if you see the Arielle de Pinto name on other designer goods in the future. While she can’t reveal anything about her expansion plans at present, given her young age and overflowing creative powers, it’s highly likely that she won’t be stopping at jewelry and eyewear. However deep and broad her work extends in the years ahead, it’s a good sign for Canadian design that Arielle de Pinto is on the scene and making an impact.

Dispensing Spectacle Lenses in the Advertising Age

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By Brian P. Dunleavy

lensfocus
Jason Pearce, OD, enjoys playing golf and watching professional tournaments on television. Until recently, that passion had nothing to do with his optometry practice in Calgary. However, that all changed when he noticed ads for Transitions lenses on TV during Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour events.

Transitions is actually one of several spectacle lens manufacturers marketing their products directly to consumers. Essilor, for example, has also been airing commercials on Canadian television for its Crizal anti-reflective coated lenses and Varilux progressives. And lens maker Nikon has advertised its lenses in the past.

So, what do these advertising efforts mean for optical dispensaries? Well, the short answer is, it depends.

According to Bruce Tobin, optician and owner of Optical Excellence inOttawa, not a single patient has come into his optical shop asking about a lens they saw advertised on television, although he has seen the commercials himself. That’s pretty amazing when you consider the broad-reaching nature of the Transitions and Essilor campaigns. For example, Transitions, which has been advertising its lenses to Canadian consumers since the early 2000s, has so far this year purchased advertising time on Canal Vie, Discovery, Global TV, HGTV, History, RDS, TSN, W Network and The Weather Network. They sponsored the Gala Artis Awards on TVA in May and the Toronto International Film Festival, which ended in September, in addition to airing spots during PGA Tour events. Meanwhile, Essilor’s 2011 campaign for Crizal, which ends in October, has included commercials on History, HGTV, National Geographic, CBC News Network, W Network, Bravo, Science Channel, Mystery, BBC Canada, Discovery, Slice, and The Weather Network.

“To me, it’s like advertising Celebrex,” notes Tobin. “A person can see one of those commercials and go in and ask their doctor about it. But, if the doctor doesn’t think the person should be taking Celebrex, he’ll say so, and maybe suggest another treatment. A person could come in mentioning a lens they saw advertised on TV, but if we don’t like that lens, if we don’t think it’s best for them, we wouldn’t sell it to them.”

Still, there may be an opportunity for Canadian opticians and optometrists here. Like advertisements for pharmaceutical products, most spectacle lens advertising advises consumers to “talk to [their] eyecare practitioner.” Whether ECPs know it or not, the commercials may indeed be driving traffic to their dispensaries.

“I think there is some benefit to brand awareness,” says Dr. Pearce. “The lens manufacturers are building awareness of their brands, but they are also building awareness of the eyeglass industry and helping to educate patients about the options available. When they come in, it helps start the conversation in the optical department.”

Tobin agrees, at least partly. “I’m not sure if advertising helps, but if it starts a conversation between me and my patients about lenses, then I guess that’s all right,” he says. “I run a high-end business. My patients trust me to recommend what’s best for them. If advertising causes them to go and do more research on lenses then so be it, but it won’t necessarily change what they wear.”

Both Dr. Pearce and Tobin agree that eyecare professionals should at least be prepared to answer questions from patients about television advertisements they’ve seen so that, as Dr. Pearce says, they appear “current” on new products and technology. Dr. Pearce also advises opticians and optometrists to prominently display any marketing or patient education materials for lens products advertised to consumers – that is, if they believe in the product themselves.

“I’m not going to fit my patients with a lens I don’t think is the best product for them, but I also want to be a good businessman. If it’s a good product and patients recognize the brand, then that’s a good thing for my practice,” notes Dr. Pearce. “I don’t think optometrists or opticians as professionals give patients enough credit. We should allow them to be part of the decision-making process. Lens fitting is a process that happens with the patient and the professional working together. The more educated a patient is, the more they will understand and appreciate the lens they end up wearing. If advertising helps that process in any way, that’s a good thing.”

Seeing and Selling Your Way to WOW: New Lens Technologies Make it Happen

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By Paddy Kamen

featureAfter years of the same old, same old, optical lenses have recently enjoyed a paradigm shift, making it easier than ever to wow your customers.

Anyone who has worked in an optical dispensary knows that people wearing really dirty glasses are usually completely oblivious to the murky view before their eyes. Something as simple as a squirt of cleaning solution and a quick rub with a high-quality cloth can make a huge difference. Educating the consumer about what a difference new lens technology can make is akin to the cleaning ritual. True, it can be a challenge to convince people to buy something they cannot fully appreciate until they have actually spent the money. But here’s where stories about others who have enjoyed the benefits come in handy.

Every salesperson knows the routine: “My best friend just bought it and she can’t stop talking about how wonderful it is,” or, “my parents never thought it would make a difference but now they send all their friends in for free-form lenses.”

Demonstration tools help, too, notes Maria Petruccelli, marketing and professional services manager for HOYA Vision CareCanada. “Some dispensers are really comfortable with the topic of free-form lenses but others require guidance. Education empowers the dispenser, giving her the confidence to embrace the technology and correctly inform the customer. But if the office isn’t comfortable with it, they won’t sell it and the patient won’t benefit.”

Price no longer needs to be a barrier to experiencing the benefits of new lens technology. While cost is often associated with quality, even the least expensive free-form lens is superior to conventional products, according to Paul Faibish, president of Plastic Plus. And premium high-tech lenses are coming down in price, too, as equipment costs decline.

Let’s take a look at some of the new lenses, coatings and equipment that will make your life easier as you create the wow factor for your customers.

HOYA is one company that has gone above and beyond to make it easy for eyecare professionals (ECPs) to excel at selling the latest lenses. For example, the MyStyle Identifier is an easy-to-use online patient consultation and ordering system designed for the new HOYALUX iD MyStyle progressive lens.

“The beauty of the MyStyle Identifier is that it takes more factors into consideration than previously possible,” notes Petruccelli. “We often hear that ECPs don’t want to take a patient out of a design the person is familiar with. One of the influencers in the MyStyle Identifier algorithm is previous wearing history. We have mapped our previous Hoya and competitor designs, helping us create a superior lens design that is compatible with the patient’s current PAL. It also customizes for lifestyle activities, taking into account what the patient will be doing when wearing this particular lens.”

HOYA has two new high index polarized lenses, 1.67 NuPolar single vision and polycarbonate IMAGE polarized progressive. Both are available in AR packages. The company also added 1.50 polarized brown as a colour option for its Hoyalux iQ Summit ecp and Summit ecp PALs.

C & C Optical Laboratories recently released the latest in their Vista Plus house brand series: theVista PLUS 3G Digital Progressive Lens. “This digital lens is the optimum in vision correction,” says President Tony Civello. “It is produced on our top-of-the-line equipment specifically for the individual patient’s frame and prescription. We can customize to every frame, from 14 to 30 mm. We’re getting terrific feedback on customer satisfaction and can barely keep up with orders.”

C & C has two additional fully integrated digital lenses ready for release, pending final testing results from ECPs.

Civello adds that all lens products — conventional lenses and digital — and all lens treatments are available from C & C. As an optician, he prides himself on amazing service and the fact that he lends his personal technical support to ECPs who call with questions. With over 35 successful years in the lens business, Civello has the personal touch along with great pricing, warranties, and fast delivery.

The INNOVA lens edging division offers new features in the award-winning Nidek ME-1200 multifunctional edger. Smaller than its predecessor, this machine measures lens thickness to ensure correct placement of the bevel or groove, as well as the diameter of the existing lens to determine where and how much pressure to exert for optimal results. With features too numerous to mention, this Silmo d’Or award-winning system is truly impressive: “Powerful but silent,” according to Business Development Manager Wayne Metelsky.

Another innovation from INNOVA is their environmentally friendly LFU-220 lens dust filtration unit. Metelsky says that total water usage is reduced to less than 10 per cent of that used in a standard pump and tank system, and over 500 per cent less than direct water connections to an edger for each lens processed. “It’s an incredible water savings and eliminates residues going down the drain into the water system.”

April 2011 saw the introduction of the latest digital progressive lens from Nikon Optical — the SEEMAX Power AP, within the SeeSeries category. Marketing and Communications Supervisor Lora Discenza notes that, “Not all digitally manufactured lenses are the same. Nikon manufactures back-sided and double-sided progressive lenses. Double-sided technology is used for Nikon’s premium lenses. By offering back-sided and double-sided lenses to patients, we offer dispensers the possibility of deciding which lens is most suitable according to the patient’s profile and requirements. So there are good, better, and best options for consumers.”

SEEMAX Power AP is a personalized, double-sided digital progressive lens using the advanced Nikon calculation system. Each patient’s data is sent to Japan for personalized design (using parameters such as wrap angle, pantascopic tilt, and vertex distance) and then transferred back to Canada where it is manufactured.

Nikon strongly believes that eyecare professionals must be involved in the fitting and ordering of lens products. Discenza emphasizes that Nikon has made a conscious decision not to offer their products to optical web retailers.

Over 75 years ago Carl Zeiss Vision invented AR coatings. Now they are defining the category once again with PureCoat™. Available on finished lenses from Carl Zeiss Vision and Centennial Optical, the ultra-tough hard coat provides up to 50 per cent more scratch resistance than other leading AR coatings, based on tests conducted by COLTS Laboratories.

PureCoat 1.74 super high index lenses have also been recently added to the PureCoat offering, while the 1.50 index, polycarbonate, 1.60 index and 1.67 index lenses were introduced at the beginning of 2011. The 1.74 is a double-side aspheric that corrects power errors and marginal astigmatism in peripheral areas. With a 1.0 mm center thickness, the lens offers a 32 Abbe and 100 per cent UVA/UVB protection.

Centennial and Carl Zeiss Vision are also proud to be the distributors of NXT technology sun lenses. Using Trivex® lens material, NXT® options include fixed tint, photochromic and polarized lenses. With a 45 Abbe value for clarity and great chemical resistance for long lasting quality, these lenses are perfect for golfing, biking, driving or skiing.

Younger Optics has won numerous awards for its lenses from the Optical Laboratories Association. In 2002, Trilogy was named  ‘Best in Lens Materials’   and in 2003, Trilogy in Transitions was named  ‘Best in Lens Treatments.’  In 2010, Younger’s NuPolar® Trilogy – Visual Armor® was named  ‘Best in Lens Materials.’

Building on their innovative track record, Younger has improved its Trilogy® semi-finished lens blank, making it thicker in the lower base curves (0.50 to 4.25, only) in order to ease processing for both digital and conventional surfacing methods. Made with Trivex® material for excellent optics and impact resistance, Trilogy has superior resistance to small fractures at the drill points. “Trilogy lenses continue to receive great interest in the marketplace as the rimless frame category grows through all channels of the industry,” says David Rips, CEO of Younger Optics. “Laboratories can offer eyecare professionals a product with premium features with the assurance of a lifetime warranty against lens cracking.”

Coburn Technologies makes in-house lens processing easy, whether your practice is large or small. Just released this year is the Coburn CTL85 DP, a compact, dry-cut lens generator that uses no water or water management system. Designed to work with the CTL85 DP, Coburn’s LaunchPad™ is another innovative, patent-pending disposable free-form processing technology that allows for easier and more cost-effective polishing of free-form lenses. The proprietary material configuration of LaunchPad, combined with Coburn’s patented disposable foam lap allows for free-form polishing on a traditional cylinder machine (such as the Coburn CMX50 and/or Acuity Plus), thus eliminating the need for larger, more costly free-form polishers. Together, the Coburn CTL85 DP and LaunchPad eliminate the need for an industrial polisher. Free-form lenses can be polished on an as-needed basis, using smaller polishing machines that most small labs already have on hand.

Optical practices with limited lab space can bring their free-form lens production in-house, thanks to Coburn.

Plastic Plus, the first independent lab to process free-form lenses is, “At the point where over 98 per cent of all our progressive lenses are back-side free form,” says President Paul Faibish. “Now that we have a combination of branded and non-branded designs we are actively challenging our accounts to go 100 per cent digital. With a range of price options it’s a no-brainer.”

Faibish claims that within 36 months conventional lens technology will be a thing of the past. The one area where he finds ECPs slow to pick up on the benefits of free-form is in single vision lenses. As he points out, “There’s a huge market here. Patients love them as much as they do the free-form progressives, and the added cost for a second pair is minimal.” Plastic Plus is offering a sweet deal of only $10 extra per pair for single vision back-side free-form lenses.

An advanced digital lens optimized for wrap frames is now available from Essilor. Even presbyopes can enjoy wide fields of vision without sacrificing optical quality. The Essilor Wrap DS lenses fit most wrap-around frames. Available in six and eight base curves, they are adapted to each wearer’s needs via Essilor’s patented calculation process that takes vertex distance, pantoscopic tilt and wrap angle all into account to optimally refine the lens. And starting this October, the new Varilux Computer DS will replace the previous version of the product. This lens effectively addresses the needs of eight out of 10 eyeglass wearers who suffer from visual fatigue when using a computer, according to an Essilor news release. Designed to reduce visual discomfort, the Computer DS provides a wide intermediate zone for a natural head position when working at the computer. PhysioBrown 15 has been added, which filters out harmful blue light and improves contrast while maintaining colour perception.

Rodenstock has released several lenses this year including an improved version of their highly successful Colormatic photochromic treatment, which is available in 1.6 and 1.67 plastic lenses. “This is the fastest lightening photochromic plastic lens on the market,” says National Sales and Marketing Manager Martin Bell.

He is also excited about the new MyView Aveo, a free-form single vision lens in 1.6 and 1.67. “Its main feature is the accommodation assistance in the lower half of the lens, which gives the wearer +0.50D help in accommodating for near vision. We all lead busy lifestyles with visual demands for reading across different screen sizes and working distances,”Bellpoints out. “This lens will help wearers tremendously.”

Rodenstock has an app for the iPad that allows the dispenser to show the customer the difference between conventional progressive lenses and high-tech digital free-form lenses in a very graphic way. They also have a promotion that allows dispensers to earn an iPad with their lens purchases.

Lensnetclub is a buying club for independent ECPs who want rock bottom prices and don’t care about paying extra for a warranty. President Daniel Beaulieu is striving to bring Canadian ECPs better-quality lenses at lower prices. They offer two customized free-form house brands: Cleari and Innovative. His other company, Direct-Lens.com, is a full-service business with the house brands Precision and MyWorld. All products represent the best quality-to-price ratios in the industry, according to Beaulieu. “It’s so easy now to provide every patient with what they need. We offer up to 18 materials in all the major brand names and indexes in any fitting height. We can do any major brand name in a customized lens for a better price.”

Beaulieu’s companies are served by labs across the country. “It’s a new way to purchase lenses for the independent ECP,” notes Beaulieu. “We make it easy to order, manage and trace orders, all while enjoying significant savings.”

Vision-Ease Lens recently introduced a new VELA Poly FSV AR lens to their FSV line. The new lens offers outstanding clarity, low reflectivity and high abrasion resistance with an excellent Bayer rating for superior scratch resistance. Those seeking a healthy profit margin would do well to look at this offering, according to Senior Product Manager John Bator. Vision-Ease has also released LifeRx FSV lenses in grey. The new LifeRx FSV lenses and their SFSV counterparts are 100 per cent interchangeable due to matching front curves on both lines. Interestingly, LifeRx lenses are manufactured with 100 per cent renewable energy. They also deliver superior photochromic abilities with rapid darkening, industry-leading fade-back speed and excellent indoor clarity. LifeRx lenses are available in a power range of +2.00 to -6.00, to a -2.00 cylinder.

Signet Armorlite is well-positioned with both its Digital Design Technology™ and public confidence in the KODAK Lens brand. Digital Design Technology creates a complex, precise, three-dimensional back surface, which improves the optical performance of the front-surface progressive designs for the KODAK Precise® Digital Lenses, along with the KODAK Precise Short and KODAK Concise® Digital Lenses, both of which are designed specifically for small frames. This technology also allows flatter base curves, giving lenses a more appealing cosmetic appearance without sacrificing optical performance. According to Signet Armorlite, this technology provides more consistent optical performance, based on typical wearing conditions, over the range of prescription powers. With the reduction in wavefront errors, wearers can expect sharper vision in the principal viewing areas of the lens as well.

Signet Armorlite has another propriety lens design technology. Vision First Design™ directly controls the surface power at virtually every point on the lens.  The result is a smooth power increase across the entire lens, top to bottom.  Vision First Design is used to create KODAK Precise PB and Precise Short PB Progressives, which are digitally created full backside progressives with a wide field of view.

Transitions® XTRActive™ lenses are the ideal choice for those who spend a lot of time outdoors in bright, sunny conditions, and who value an everyday, adaptive lens that offers superior outdoor darkness in all temperatures. As with Transitions® lenses, Transitions XTRActive lenses are known for visual comfort both indoors and out, while offering automatic UV and glare protection. Where they differ is in the fact that they were developed with photochromic dyes that activate in the lower spectrum of visible light, in addition to UV light. Because of this, Transitions XTRActive lenses also provide moderate activation behind the car windshield and are designed to have a light tint indoors. The latest Transitions XTRActive lenses include 1.50 index and FT-28 bifocal designs. Sports enthusiasts can benefit from Transitions XTRActive lenses as can those who are in and outdoors in all kinds of weather, such as delivery and home service providers.

As we move toward 2012 there’s a fabulous array of exciting lens products to help ECPs make a great impression. “Wow” is a word you should be hearing from your clients more often than not, especially with today’s digital free form lenses.

We See with the Brain: the Visual Cortex takes Centre Stage in Research

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By Paddy Kamen

eyeonhealthIt seems like only yesterday that neuroscientists thought the brain was a fixed, machine-like entity, unable to change or learn much after childhood – that is, until the cell death and decline associated with aging.

Neuroplasticity – the ability of the brain to change in response to experience – was brought to the fore by American Paul Bach-y-Rita in the mid-1960s. It was many years, however, before this idea gained wide acceptance.

Bach-y-Rita determined that we see with our brain, not our eyes1. He was one of the first scientists to question localization (the idea that areas of the brain are hardwired for specific functions, and for those only). According to The Brain That Changes Itself, (a must-read book by Canadian Norman Doidge), Bach-y-Rita was working with a team, “that was studying how vision worked by measuring with electrodes the electrical discharge from the visual processing area of a cat’s brain. The team fully expected that when they showed the cat an image, the electrode in its visual processing area would set off an electric spike, showing it was processing that image. And it did. But when the cat’s paw was accidentally stroked, the visual area also fired, indicating that it was processing touch as well. And they found that the visual area was also active when the cat heard sounds.”2

The fact that the visual, auditory and sensory cortices all have similar processing structures was discovered by American neuroscientist Vernon Mountcastle 3, of Johns Hopkins University, and taken up by Bach-y-Rita, who published hundreds of articles and wrote several books on the subject.

In hindsight, the brain’s ability to use the real estate in one region (say the auditory cortex) when another region needs more than usual power seems like a ‘no brainer’. Surely it is not just 20th-century people who noted that those with visual impairment tended to develop keener senses of touch, hearing and smell, or that those without hearing tended to have keener vision. Indeed, in the 1820s French physician and anatomist Marie-Jean-Pierre Flourens showed that the brain could reorganize itself. Such is the nature of human learning – one step forward and two steps back. And yet the advent of modern neuro-imaging technologies have made such knowledge incontrovertible for we can now see, in real time, where and how specific areas of the brain respond to stimuli.

Efforts to understand the precise nature of the plasticity of the brain in general and the visual cortex in particular continue today. A recent publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is a case in point. Researchers from theUniversity ofMontreal’s Saint-Justine Hospital Research Centre, led by Dr. Olivier Collignon, recently published a study that compared the brain activity of people who can see with that of others who were born blind. The research was undertaken in collaboration with Dr. Franco Lepore of the Neuropsychology and Cognition Research Center (CERNEC) at theUniversity ofMontreal.

Collignon told Envision: seeing beyond magazine that the main objective of the research was to see if the organizational structure for visual processing evident in sighted people would be maintained in those who had never used these structures for vision. “We know that the occipital region is highly organized and processes different kinds of visual information in different areas,” explains Collignon. “There is one area for movement, another for face recognition and another for spatial orientation. Would we find such organization in the occipital cortex of the congenitally blind?”

The researchers worked with 11 individuals who were born blind and 11 who were sighted. Their brain activity was analyzed via MRI scanning while they listened to a series of tones. « The results demonstrate the brain’s amazing plasticity, » Collignon said. “We learned that when a blind person processes spatial sounds, they use the exact same region that sighted people use to make spatial distinctions with their eyes. So the region maintains the ability to process spatially but shifts to another sense modality if (it has been) deprived of vision since birth.”

Whereas in Collignon’s experiment the visual cortex was used to process sounds, another experiment on ferrets showed that the auditory cortex can rewire itself to process visual information. According to Doidge: “All reasonable doubt that the senses can be rewired was recently put to rest in one of the most amazing plasticity experiments of our time… Mriganka Sur, a neuroscientist, surgically rewired the brain of a very young ferret. Normally the optic nerves run from the eyes to the visual cortex, but Sur surgically redirected the optic nerves from the ferret’s visual cortex to its auditory cortex and discovered that the ferret learned to see. Using electrodes inserted into the ferret’s brain, Sur proved that when the ferret was seeing, the neurons in its auditory cortex were firing and doing (sic) the visual process. The auditory cortex… had rewired itself so that it had the structure of the visual cortex. Though the ferrets that had this surgery did not have 20/20 vision, they had about a third of that, or 20/60 – no worse than some people who wear eyeglasses.” 4 

Other interesting research on the visual cortex has shown that restoring or instigating a person’s vision isn’t necessarily accompanied by the brain’s ability to process the information received by the eyes. British scientists Professor Richard Gregory and J.G. Wallace published a fascinating paper in 1963 on a patient known as S.B., who had been blind since shortly after birth and had his vision restored at age 52. According to a paper published on Professor Gregory’s website, S.B. found much of what he saw confusing and overwhelming. He changed from being an assertive and adventurous blind person into a sighted person with a profound lack of confidence, deriving almost no pleasure from his new sense of vision.5

Similarly, auditory cortices may have a limited ability to process new sound information when deaf people receive cochlear implants. Other research out of the University of Montreal by Dr. Lepore and his colleagues states:

“All studies agree that congenitally deaf children implanted early in age when plasticity is greatest, perform better in open-speech perception tests than those who are implanted later. Furthermore, adults who have been profoundly deaf since birth are usually incapable of understanding speech from CI (cochlear implant) stimulation. (Busby et al., 1993; Zwolan et al., 1996). 6”

In conclusion, the brain most definitely rewires itself in response to experience, (and it is well known that even into their senior years people can make new neuronal connections). Nevertheless, it appears to be the case that once cross-modal accommodation has been made, the brain may not be able to re-wire itself repeatedly, and that the earlier the rewiring is done, the more highly functioning it is apt to be.

Blindness Spurs Teacher on to Bigger and Better Things

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By Evra Taylor

Anyone who starts a discussion with, “It’s an honour to be interviewed,” has a degree of humility seldom seen in pioneers and visionaries. But then, Melanie Cooper is an exception to the rule in many respects.

In 1995, at age 21, Cooper, a Mississauga native, was diagnosed with optic nerve atrophy which caused her to lose the sight in her left eye. She had optic nerve pressure on her right eye, as well. Cooper underwent optic nerve fenestration to relieve pressure on the optic nerve of her left eye and three days later, she suffered a stroke. She was in a coma for two weeks and when she emerged from it, she was blind and paralyzed. Said Cooper: “I didn’t fit the profile for a stroke and no one wanted to say the ‘s’ – stroke – word to me.”

Cooper had to relearn everything from scratch, including the everyday activities most of us take for granted. After extensive rehabilitation and a life skills program at CNIB’s Intensive Rehabilitation Training Centre (IRTC), she took part in an orientation and mobility program that taught her to use a white cane and to enhance her hearing skills in order to compensate for her lack of sight. Cooper now has 20/200 vision in her right eye and 20/400 in her left one. She is able to see light and dark, as well as shapes, and she can read size 14 font in her right eye if she holds the paper close to her face.

During her rehabilitation period, Cooper’s social worker was concerned because, unlike most other people in her situation, she didn’t experience depression and didn’t cry. She recalls that instead, she kept saying, “I have to get back to normal,” insisting that she would return to university in a few months. “Those good thoughts kept me going. Although I had to move back home, I had only one day of pity. I think my sisters would have kicked my butt if I’d fallen into a depression.”

Cooper’s unfailing optimism stood her in good stead as she moved on with her life, pursuing a career in teaching – her lifelong passion. She enthusiastically attended teachers college through York University, asserting that, “Just because I’m vision impaired, I don’t think I should stop living my dream.” Her bold achievement was unprecedented. Armed with a BA in education, Cooper became the first legally blind student to graduate as a teacher in Ontario in 1998. In fact, she placed at the top of her class. But despite her high standing, prospective employers would not hire Cooper because they viewed her blindness as a liability.

Undaunted by the rejection and not one to have barriers imposed on her, Cooper forged ahead to realize the true vision for her life, one which extended far beyond the classroom: she wanted to open her own school for the vision-impaired because at the time there were no such academic programs available at the post-secondary level for adults with disabilities in Peel Region. Cooper knew she could fill the gap and give back to the blind community in a meaningful way as someone who had been there herself.

On June 25, 2010, Cooper launched the Connect Learning Centre in Mississauga, ON. The centre offers life skills programs encompassing such subjects as money management, job skills, social skills and classes on ways in which the disabled can advocate for themselves. Cooper’s clients include a wide range of individuals, including those with vision loss, intellectual disabilities and cerebral palsy, along with stroke survivors. Cooper stated, “The benefits of these programs are tremendous. They impart confidence to the participants.” Currently, she has a staff of four teachers and sees roughly 18 clients each week. “All of the staff have had some involvement with disability. To work here, the criterion is that you have to be as passionate as I am about helping these people.”

Cooper points out that independence means different things to different people. For some, tying their shoes is a goal while others need to improve their computer skills so they can get a job.

Acknowledging that it takes her longer to accomplish certain tasks than a sighted person, Cooper admits to having what she calls “frustration days” caused by her lack of independence because she cannot drive. She strongly dislikes the idea of having to depend on others.

The support of family and friends has been central to Cooper’s ability to thrive. “Everyone needs to be surrounded by positivity and love. I have several vision-impaired friends and a friend with the same condition as mine understands what I’m going through. In order to fully understand a disability, you’ve got to have it and live it.”

Cooper believes that the need for the type of assistance she provides “is huge” and she has had requests for expansion to other areas of activity. Her ambition is to make the learning centre as successful and sustainable as possible and to help as many people as she can. “I want to create a ready-made ‘program in a box’ that can be used in other communities,” she says, adding: “I said to my mom that things happen for a reason and that my loss of sight is the best thing that has ever happened to me because it changed my attitude and made me truly appreciate my life”.

For more information, visit www.connectlearningcentre.com.

Levelling the Playing Field with Accessible Technology

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By Evra Taylor

legalangleCell phones and high-definition television are forms of communication and entertainment that have become integral parts of our lives. But what happens when the disabled among us can’t access the technology that most of us take for granted?

A close look at accessible technology for the visually impaired and blind reveals that we’re not all on a level playing field. As John Rae, first vice-president of Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, stated, “Technology was supposed to become our great equalizer, but in fact, it’s become a double-edged sword.” In other words, what good is developing a service if some individuals are excluded from its use?

When it comes to the Internet, for example, the issue of making content available to all has created more of a “web entanglement” than an enhancement of what existed before. While an increasing amount of information is available via the Internet, a large part of it isn’t accessible to visually impaired individuals. A lot of the information posted on the Internet remains available in PDF format only. An additional challenge is that one alternative format – Braille – is being used less and less by the blind community.

Two other types of technology that are high on the priority list of accessibility rights advocates are described video (DV) and the “user-friendliness” – or lack thereof – of cell phones. In described video, which applies to television as well as to movies, a separate audio track fills in a description of certain scenes in which either there is no dialogue or the dialogue doesn’t convey what is taking place on screen. The company providing the description decides how much of the visual content should be described and creates the text. They also assume the cost.

The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is an independent public organization that regulates and supervises Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications systems; as such, DV and cell phone usage fall under its aegis. The CRTC has mandated a minimum of four hours of DV per week for television, an allotment deemed far too little to satisfy rights for the disabled activists. TheAlliancefor Equality of Blind Canadians has met with CRTC officials on several occasions and has participated in a number of hearings in an effort to expand DV services. However, a ruling in August confirmed the Commission’s unwillingness to do so for the moment. Said Rae: “While we’re seeking this for the visually impaired and blind, a lot of sighted people find that they derive more from a movie with described video because sometimes those extra descriptions point out things viewers might miss. Our objective is equal access to enjoyment of television and movies.”

Martine Vallee, director of social and consumer policy for the CRTC, stated that in 2001, the CRTC began imposing DV requirements on conventional English television stations, extending this in 2004 to English pay and specialty services whose content was comprised of 50 per cent or more of drama, documentary or children’s programming. In such cases, the four-hour per week requirement becomes what is known as a “condition of license” at the time of first issue or renewal.

The CRTC has held hearings in the past few years to review the issue of described video. The organization maintains that the current requirements are sufficient, citing, in part, financial considerations. In December 2011, the Commission will be holding a hearing on DV for French television and Vallee reports that a mandate will be established for that sector, as well.

While the CRTC holds a tight reign on DV services, Vallee emphasizes that it has been active in other areas of accessibility. In 2009, the Commission asked the television industry to develop a working group comprised of broadcasters and representatives of organizations for the blind to examine ways in which to facilitate access. “As cable and satellite to home companies’ licenses come up for renewal, they will be required to provide clear labelling of the described video service on remote control devices.” The CRTC is also trying to find ways to increase the amount of information available to the public about DV and to inform viewers about which programs are going to be described. Stated Vallee: “We will be developing a series of recommendations and solutions, and publishing a report at the end of this year.”

For his part, Rae feels that creating greater access requires greater regulation. “The current government position is to impose less regulation in favour of having the marketplace solve its own problems, a stance that does not favour the needs of the disabled segment of Canadian society. We are extremely disappointed that the CRTC has not increased the described video requirement”. TheAlliancefor the Equality of Blind Canadians is seeking incremental increases in the amount of described programming, with the goal of reaching 100 per cent coverage within 10 years.

Marc Workman, director without portfolio of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, is equally concerned about the accessibility of cell phones. Hardware and platform accessibility covers such items as touch screens that are too small or grouped too closely together, and improving access to cell phone applications through designs that take into account the needs of the visually impaired and blind. Workman praised Apple for doing just that with an iphone featuring a screenreader voiceover that tells the user which key they’ve just touched. By contrast, he stated that Android phones provide some accessibility, but that their functions for the blind don’t run as smoothly.

Other issues Workman cited are the need for improved Bell Canada customer service training, and greater web access through online screenreader services that would enable users to access their bills online and compare phone plans.

A 2006 Statistics Canada survey reported that 836,000 Canadians identified themselves as having a « seeing disability ». With a growing number of Canadians experiencing some type of vision loss, caused in part by an aging baby boomer population, the National Coalition for Vision Health states that the total number of visually impaired and blind Canadians is projected to double over the next 25 years. In light of this, greater accessibility to various types of technology is a major social concern that merits the attention of all Canadians.

The Art of Transformation

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By James W. Ahola, B.A.Sc.

sparkA good friend of mine recently decided to get a tattoo. He had been contemplating it for several years and did extensive research beforehand, not only about what he wanted permanently etched into his skin but also about the artist who would create it.

The Japanese dragon my friend proudly showed me on his right arm was a very impressive sight. It took months to create and involved many long hours of sitting under the needle. This wonderful piece of art, which has great meaning for my friend, is the work of a very talented artist, renowned province-wide, not only for his ability to create great works of art but to also recreate former works of art. People who have botched or fading tattoos or those that have lost their meaning, such as « John and Sally forever » in honour of a long-dead relationship, seek out this man’s unique talent. This gifted artisan can transform these tattoos into something relevant and beautiful. He does not so much overwrite or obliterate the undesirable, as he incorporates it into a new tapestry, transforming the ugly into the beautiful, the meaningless into something meaningful. Seeing his ability to restore pride and meaning to these tattoos, I can understand why he is booked up months in advance.

Just like old or unwanted tattoos, all of us can be afflicted with problems. Some we overcome easily. Others require our full attention as we struggle to resolve them. Then there are challenges that impact our lives unlike any other. They hit us like a freight train, rock our world, and with the permanency of a branding iron they mark us for life. For these problems, there is no quick fix. We are left stunned and marked indelibly. Reeling from pain, shock, and suffering we wonder, « why me? » To which there really is no answer.

Life happens. It can be beautiful, wonderful and joyous, but at times it delivers blows that bring us to our knees. The haunting question, « why? » will never be answered. The more important question is one which silently presents itself to us at such times: « what will you do now? »

When life marks us, we need to accept it and take ownership of it. I agree with the saying, « that which does not kill us makes us stronger, » but becoming stronger requires us to play an active role. We must initiate the healing process because untended wounds can fester and even destroy us. We need to accept our situation, heal, move on and rebuild. Although the final result will be different than it might have been otherwise, it will not be in any way diminished, just different. We are the primary agents in creating a newer, stronger person.

Often we need the assistance of others in our restructuring efforts. Like the tattoo artist my friend sought out, they can help us begin to create a tapestry of sorts, which incorporates the undesirable to produce an ever-more unique and precious outcome.

It is possible to refashion our lives after we have been seared by one of life’s unforgiving branding irons. There are numerous examples of this possibility all around us. That which has lost meaning can become meaningful again and that which was marred can be transformed into a more profound and unique beauty. Not all of life’s problems can be solved but with effort and perseverance anything can be overcome.