Product: Hi-Vex
Top Line: Quest Optical Rx Specialty Lab is releasing a new lens material called Hi-Vex. The material has some unique features that make it optimal not only for free-form lens processing but also as a high velocity impact resistant lens.
Close Up: Hi-Vex Abbe value of 46 has minimal longitudinal aberration and will assure superb visual performance in terms of clarity and sharpness of image even at high power Rx or high value prisms, according to Quest. The material’s refractive index is 1.56, which puts it halfway between the refractive indices of poly and Trivex. Consequently, Hi-Vex lenses are thinner than Trivex and slightly thicker than poly. Hi-Vex passes the ANSI Z87.1 High Velocity Impact Test, which makes it an excellent lens material choice for children's eyewear, sports eyewear, and safety eyewear. The specific gravity is 1.25 g/cm³ which makes it 2 percent heavier than poly and 8 percent lighter than CR-39 [monomer by PPG] which makes it an excellent choice for wearers who want to enjoy a light wearing experience. Hi-Vex has also passed the Drilled Hole Lens Strength and Safety Test of Z87 by COLTS Lab, making it is an excellent choice for drilling and other rimless mounts. Hi-Vex has 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. “Hi-Vex material's additional significant advantages is ease of processing on high definition lab equipment,” said Michael Walach, president of quest Optical Laboratory, pictured here with a Hi-Vex lens he processed. “The Hi-Vex material is brittle like hard resin. When processed on HD single point technology it cuts into powder as opposed to poly or Trivex, which, when cut, pulls continuous thread which gives it a tendency to create a circular pattern on the lens, frequently with a nipple in the center. Also, in the free-form polishing process it has advantage. Due to the Hi-Vex brittle material characteristic the free-form polishing process is notably shorter than on poly or Trivex and the surface quality is as good as on CR-39 [monomer by PPG] or other high-index materials.”
Vital Stats: Hi-Vex is a Conant Optics product and in the U.S. is distributed by Conant Lens Inc. in Marietta, Ga. It is available in finished stock lenses and semi-finished blanks. Hi-Vex can also be ordered through Quest Optical Specialty Lab in a wide variety of RXs in SV, FT, HD RS, individually optimized PAL, IO computer, IO SV, and SF blanks, or finished stock. Hi-Vex photochromic SF will be available in the fall 2011.
conantoptical.com; questopticallab.com

Product: Adlens
Top Line: A U.K.-based company, Adlens, has partnered with Solidworks, a Concord, Mass-based software company to create affordable, adjustable eyeglasses that correct 80 percent of the refractive vision errors encountered by people in the developing world, according to Adlens.
Close Up: Using SolidWorks software, Adlens created a layered lens that enables wearers to literally dial up custom prescription eyeglasses with no help from an optician, optometrist or ophthalmologist. Under guidance of a trained person (for instance, a community health worker) Adlens’ adaptive eyeglasses adjust with the turn of a knob to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and presbyopia.
Vital Stats: Adlens used SolidWorks to design a four-layer polycarbonate lens. Two rigid lenses enclose a cavity housing a flexible third lens that contains a volume of oil. Knobs on the eyeglass frames pump the transparent oil in or out of the lens, where the middle layer flexes to provide the optical power the wearer needs. Then the wearer simply removes the levers and the adjustment knobs to lock in the prescription.
www.adlens.com; www.solidworks.com

More Images

Product: Transitions Optical, Inc. has introduced an individual version of the Healthy Sight Calculator, a free online tool which allows users to calculate their risk for eye-related diseases and vision problems, and how much they could save – in time, money and sight – with the right vision care and vision wear through their vision benefit.
Top Line: The new tool can be used by employers to educate their workforce, or accessed directly by consumers at HealthySightCalculator.org.
Close Up: “Most consumers miss the full picture of what the benefit can do for them—regular eye exams for early detection of eye and overall health problems, an up-to-date prescription to maintain productivity day-to-day, and eyewear features like UV and glare protection to preserve and enhance vision,” said Pat Huot, director of managed vision care, Transitions Optical. “The calculator helps tell the story of what you could be missing if you don’t care for your sight.” Transitions Optical developed the Healthy Sight Calculator with a team of experts through its Healthy Sight Working for You initiative, which aims to raise awareness about the value of eyecare and eyewear available through a vision benefit. ECPs are encouraged to take patients thru the Calculator and/or post links to it on their social media pages, a spokesperson told VMail Tech.
Vital Stats: The Healthy Sight Calculator helps visitors understand their individual risk and potential savings, while providing education along the way. Visitors to the calculator can watch a video setting up the importance of caring for their vision, or can skip immediately to entering their demographic information, including age, gender and ethnicity. With each selection, the calculator provides details on how their demographics impact their risk. Users are also asked to enter whether they have health insurance, because the calculator considers this when determining how much the individual could pay out-of-pocket in medical costs for different eye- and overall-health issues. The calculator then provides an overview of the user’s risk for 11 vision-related issues in three categories, showing where the user is at higher risk than the national average.
www.HealthySightCalculator.org

Product: Low Vision Educational Seminars
Top Line: Eschenbach has added new seminars to its online low vision education series.
Close Up: The one-hour webinars address a variety of topics to assist practitioners in maximizing their low vision patient outcomes. Topics range from device category reviews to clinical and practice management topics including clinical tips, patient case studies and marketing.
Vital Stats: Eschenbach is offering the following low vision webinars:

• August 17, 2011 - Hand-held Magnifiers: Everything You Need to Know About Them! - Paul Wilkerson, West Territory Manager, Eschenbach
• August 24, 2011 - The Complete Low Vision Exam: Avoiding Economic Pitfalls and Closing on Product Sales - Thomas I. Porter, OD, Director of Low Vision Services, Saint Louis University
• Sept. 14, 2011 - Overcoming Patient Objections: What Do You Say When They Say ‘No’! - Lynne Noon, OD, FAAO, Diplomate in Low Vision, Phoenix, AZ

To register, email dsommers@eschenbach.com or visit http://bit.ly/qckJo5