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Product: Alloy Replacement Technology (ART)
Top Line: After introducing a green alternative to the traditional alloy blocking process in 2014, Satisloh expanded its portfolio of blocking and deblocking machines and was honored with Germany’s Federal Ecodesign Award. This award honors innovative products, services and concepts with outstanding ecological quality, and an innovative approach and high design quality.
Close Up: Alloy Replacement Technology (ART) enables blocking and deblocking using solely synthetic materials. With ART, Satisloh offers an environmentally-friendly alternative to the traditional ophthalmic blocking process that employs hazardous heavy metal alloy. ART utilizes a universal, reusable and recyclable plastic block piece and a UV-curable adhesive, also protecting the lens front. This new, ecological technology protects the environment as well as staff. “Labs have wanted an alternative to alloy blocking for a long time. ART is the first viable option that provides quality blocking for this critical process without using dangerous alloy,” said Ian Gregg, Satisloh director of sales. “ART can be seamlessly integrated into an existing production line. To implement it, labs only need a blocker and a deblocker because the ART block-piece fits all common generators and polishers,” said Gregg. Satisloh offers both automated and manual blockers and deblockers. The manual line was recently expanded with the first alloy-free manual blocker, ART-Blocker-M. Thus, all kinds of labs, regardless of size and automation level, can now easily start alloy-free production.
Vital Stats: Besides the ecological advantages of ART, the technology improves efficiency in the lens production process. The blocking process is faster due to the elimination of time consuming taping and cooling. In addition, the precision of Satisloh’s ART blocking technology increases quality and yield for the entire lab. Also, deblocking with ART leads to increased productivity. The separation of lens and block-piece is done with a water jet, eliminating the shock of traditional manual deblocking, and therefore reducing spoilage and labor cost. The automated deblocker sorts block pieces by curvature and diameter allowing their re-use.
www.satisloh.com; (800) 866-5640

Product: Mobile version of Local Eye Site website
Top Line: Local Eye Site, a provider of job search and online recruitment services for the eyecare industry, is launching a mobile-optimized version of the job listing and search website.
Close Up: In response to an increase in web traffic from mobile devices, Local Eye Site developers created a mobile-friendly version of the job search website to keep up with the rising demand. “Creating a responsive website gives our users a better online experience when visiting Local Eye Site on tablets, smartphones, and other portable devices,” said Cameron Lockey, director of technology at Local Eye Site. “We’ve started to notice a significant increase in web traffic from mobile devices, so optimizing Local Eye Site to be mobile-friendly was a natural next step in the development process.”
Vital Stats: Mobile optimization allows users to search for and apply to jobs listed on Local Eye Site directly from their mobile devices, giving job seekers greater flexibility in their pursuit of career opportunities in the eyecare industry. Likewise, employers and recruiters using the site to advertise job openings will experience greater simplicity when posting jobs or managing their employer accounts from mobile devices.
localeyesite.com; email: info@localeyesite.com.

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Product: The Eyewear Stylist iPad App
Top Line: The Eyewear Stylist app for iPad was written by Dr. Dave Ziegler, an optometrist in private practice, who was looking for ways to enhance the glasses buying experience in his office. He wanted to show his patients the importance of having the expert advice of his optical staff when choosing glasses.
“While some people go online with a downloaded picture of themselves to select their glasses, the Eyewear Stylist app shows how facial shape, coloration, and each person’s “fashion personality” makes selecting a pair of glasses a consultative experience,” said Ziegler. “The Eyewear Stylist is a fun and quick way to show the patient a better way to choose the glasses that are right for them. It differentiates your practice from the competition and creates customer loyalty so ¬the next time they need glasses, they remember that your optical staff knows what they like.”
Close Up: The app consists of five pages:
Page 1: The title page, pictured here, can be customized by tapping on the screen and typing in the practice name.
Page 2: A staff member then takes a picture of the patient with the iPad. The app instantly converts the color picture to a black and white sketch. This emphasizes the facial structure and delights your patients since they’ve never seen themselves this way before. On the screen select the patient’s facial shape as either angular or curved. Select the patient’s coloration as either warm or cool.
Page 3: The staffer asks the patient to take a “Fashion Personality Profile” by responding to 12 statements that measure their interest in different styles and fashion.
Page 4: The Eyewear Stylist then creates a PDF that references the patient’s face shape and gives advice on ways to accentuate their features or soften them, depending on their preference. Photos with models wearing glasses demonstrate how this works. The patient’s Fashion Personality score is calculated and recorded to give your staff an idea of what type of frames to start with. Tips on frame color choices are given to complement their coloration as well as second pair recommendations. Send the PDF to a wireless printer that has AirPrint capability and print on special paper templates offered through Ziegler Visionary Marketing so the patient can take their personalized Eyewear Stylist portfolios home with them.
Page 5: With an optional Eyewear Stylist app upgrade for $99, take another picture of the patient with their final frame selection and have the patient post it to their Facebook profile, allowing you to have your practice exposed to all the patient’s Facebook friends.
Vital Stats: The Eyewear Stylist iPad app is available from the iTunes App Store.
www.zieglervm.com; (414) 255-5852

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