Character Eyez

In the old days (ohh...say 1995) we made prescription lenses in the backroom lab of my busy mall retail optical. I was very proud of what I was able to do with my 3 axis diamond generator and boy, we could do it fast. No longer did you have to order your glasses one day and then wait a week or two while a far away lab made the finished lenses. What we were offering was state of the art.
   Some other professionals back then were experimenting with molded prescription lenses that didn't require any grinding.No grinding meant no heat or surface distortion(this is a good thing). The technician simply poured some polymer into selected molds, let them cure in a UV chamber, then popped the finished lens out and cut it for the frame. That process had great promise but ultimately failed because of certain limitations, not the least of which was the fact that it was virtually impossible to keep dust off the molds. This would spoil the surface of the lens and make them unusable.I don’t think anyone is doing it anymore.

As my traditional equipment began to age , I could see that keeping old dinosaur  machines running  to produce inferior lenses in one hour didn’t make sense.I wanted to only sell the best.
Enter Digital Surfacing. Digital,or free form surfacing, is revolutionizing the eyewear industry and  beginning to render all other methods obsolete.Because it will take several years for all the old equipment that’s out there to expire,lot’s of stores are still selling lenses made the old way but, if a consumer wants the best optics available, they should step up to digital. They cost a little more and take a little longer to deliver,but the results are spectacular. Think of free-form as direct surfacing. Think of digital as a manufacturing process, not as a lens. Because it is not confined to using the traditional semi-finished lens blanks and fixed tools, this technology allows lens designers greater freedom for lens designs. The optical design of these new lenses is customized and optimized to the fitting and prescription requirements of each patient. Direct surfacing allows the manufacturer to produce a lens that is ground to produce a highly accurate and customized finished product. Each lens is unique to the end user. Since the equipment is new in the US and will cost the lab upwards of $500,000, ownership by individual optical stores like my old store is truly cost prohibitive. If the sign outside the store says “One Hour Service” you can rest assured that they’re not selling free form.
            

   Ever wonder who ate the first oyster ? He must have been a brave soul.
As an Optician I'm just as curious about who found the first semi  transparent stone, put it up to his eye, and discovered better vision. We've come a long way from holding  crude lenses up to our eyes to see better but , big picture wise, it really didn't take all that long
    Salvino D'Armate is most often credited with the invention of modern eyeglasses around 1284, but the wearers had to hold them up to their eyes. Finally, eyeglass designer James Ayscough introduced spectacles with double hinged side pieces around 1752 and you could wear them right on your face!
There you have it,500 years from soup to nuts!
      Next,around 1784,came Ben Franklin's bifocals. He had grown tired of going back and forth between two pairs of glasses. Finally he fused two different lenses together into one pair of glasses and the first modern era bi-focal design was born. It still exist today and it's called the Executive. It's clunky and has image jump, but believe it or not,it's still the lens of choice for many people.
        If  Ben could see us now he'd be impressed. Since the invention of crude Progressive Addition Lenses,invisible bifocals for you non optical types, in the 1950's, the eyewear industry has evolved into a super technical precision lens making machine. It produces progressive lenses that help us see better in many aspects of daily life like computer work, office work,and driving; just to name a few. They can be polarized for boating or driving, or they might fill two roles and be clear indoors and dark in the sun. They're lightweight and thin. We're treated to crystal clear vision because glare and aberrations have been eliminated.Digital surfacing (the subject of my next blog...thank you) has completed the journey and provides unbelievable clarity. Lens companies like Varilux, Shamir, and Carl Zeiss have embraced this new technology. Sun glass manufacturers Maui Jim, Kaenon, and Rudy Project have  converted to digital surfacing.
       These lenses can be mounted in fashion designer frames: extra large or micro small.
        They can be used in sport googles and performance sunglasses.
        This is possible due to the development of new materiels and technological advances that didn't exist even a few years ago.
        I invite you to join my blog as I indulge my nerdy need to talk about this industry and the changes in it that shape our vision.