The Optical Vision Site

87 New Patients With $50 Coupon From Groupon

In May,  we did a post on Groupon, the new trend of consumer purchasing. We are always curious as to if eyecare is using Groupon and how and what they are offering. Below is an example of an eyecare office in Texas, who used Groupon to what I would consider some amazing results. 87 people bought a $50 discount certificate. ($4350) That certificate has to be used by October 20, 2010 giving the purchaser 6 months to use or gives the eyecare professional 14.5 potentially new patients a month. Not a bad gig.

Speech To Text Eyeglasses

With these glasses you can see what other people are saying to you via 2 microphones that capture the sound. The Device filters the speech out and uses speech to text translation software. By Mads S. Hindhede

Photo;Yanko Design

Photo; Yanko Design

FREE Stuff- Google Call Phone

I just used the new Google Voice ‘call phones’ that works with our gmail account. It was great! Clear voice, no static, went through just find and for business, it might save money. We use google apps for business as well. Free calling in the USA and Canada, International calling will be starting at 2 cents/ minute to Japan, Britain, Germany and France.

Eye Can’t Believe It- Mustang Sally And Horse Dancing

Ok this is not optically related, but we are in the middle of horse racing season here in San Diego and this got posted on Facebook, so I just had to do this. Pretty incredible horses and trainer.

The guy in the video is Jean-François Pignon… He leads in Avignon a unique number when the horses are in total freedom. It is a real success.
Since 1993, Jean-Francois presents her show in many European countries. It is found in and near major cities (Berlin, Vienna, Zurich, Barcelona, Sevilla, Oslo, London, etc …) and four times within Equitana, the largest European horse show.
By 2003, eight horses are making up the team of this show and the complicity man horse reaches its climax.
For a year, Jean-Francois also presents the horse show music Forgiveness. With Lorenzo and Arnaud Gillette, and the participation of many riders, musicians, actors and singers playing live, this show seeks to engage the audience. With over one hundred thousand people to date, this show have big success since European tour is in the 2007 and 2008.

Today’s Opti-fun sponsored by Biosyntrx Nutritional supplements.

Managing Progressive Lens Choices

Last week we did a post about Progressive Lens Comparisons and lens plots. We are continuing this theme as our optical blog readers have asked for more non-biased posts about lens technology and performance in layman’s terms.

I am not claiming to be an expert on the subject but I did work for a lens company for many years so  have  some knowledge and understanding about how confusing all the data can be. I have scoured many progressive lens articles and CE courses and have been reading as much as I can about this subject and will continue to make recommendations for good resources on the topic of lenses technology and education resources.

The late Michael DiSanto who was a master optician, an independent industry trainer, past president of the Opticians Association of Ohio sadly passed away last year of Cancer but his educational materials live on and provide a wonderful resource. One of his recommendations on managing progressive lens choices was to “start a toolbox/streamline design choices. It is not possible to pick one design and use if for everyone regardless of need but to work with the best products the industry has to offer within a manageable group of lenses. These lenses do not all have to be from one lens supplier unless you want them to be”

The specialization of today’s progressive lenses provides you with the opportunity to offer your patients many choices to meet their individual needs which can be overwhelming for them. The toolbox idea is goes like this – a good toolbox won’t have over 300 different types of screwdrivers, but it will have a selection of specialized choices to get the job done. But how do you use this analogy to  select the lenses in your toolbox?

Your tool box can’t hold all the options but it should have all the basics, if you need a “specific tool” not in the tool box, you order it! Here is a “Tool Box” Example from some the lenses and materials we know best:

Progressive Lens and Materials Tool Box

Michael’s recommendation on how to create a progressive lens tool box was basically this:

• Define up to three general-purpose lenses used. These are the standard progressives that form the basis of the progressives prescribed and are the foundation of the pricing charged
• Choosing a progressive is a functions of brand – yours not the manufacturer’s e.g. does the brand of lens support who you are as a brand – can you get the add-on treatments and materials that are needed in that design for the variety of patient in the practice
• Choose a manufacturer that supports and trains staff to help make the practice more successful
• Lab costs, pricing, service  that fit with your needs
• Create a  3x 3table with  Good, Better, Best columns with General Purpose, Short Corridor and Computer as the rows (see above)
• In the “good” column add two or three general purpose choice designs that you dispense.
• In the better column add in their improved or evolved designs, thin and light materials and treatments like Sunsensors, Transitions, Trivex, Polarized etc.
• In the best column go one step further than the better column e.g. super high-index like Hoya’s 1.70 material
• Choose a least two designs for each box but no more than four

Round Sunglasses are IN

According to Style.com’s weekly “Shop the Look’ , (a site that we follow for the fashion trends), round metal sunglasses are in fashion again. The New York Times reported on the same trend and a feature article titled “Why Round Sunglasses? A Style Investigation”.

Lulu Guinness Patience L485

Below are a few quotes from that article and plus a couple of round sunglass styles from Tura and OGI Frames for optical retailers who are ready for eyewear customers who want to shop this look.

“This is what fashion is,” said Simon Jablon, the English designer behind the Linda Farrow sunglasses label, which was founded by his mother in 1970. “It is a trend. You can just sense it. You have a feeling for where things are going to go.”

Designers are looking at the same things — art exhibitions, fashionable parties, rock stars — so their impulses are often surprisingly in step with one another. But sometimes it’s possible to trace where their ideas are coming from.

Round frames last appeared as a fashion trend about two decades ago. In 1989, when Alain Mikli introduced a thick-rimmed version, Woody Hochswender wrote in The New York Times that “a modified John Lennon look is the newest old thing.”

Seraphin Penn Sun 8519 by OGI

The NY Times sunglass article explains how designers get ideas and these similar ideas develop into a trend which over period of time eventually become the high street style. But this article features eyewear design in particular so click on the link if you would like to read it.

Here is a link back to a previous post about the History of Sunglasses.

Opti-fun – Eyewear Makes Your Dog Look More Intelligent

I’ve never seen a dog look so intelligent it must be the eyewear! We hope the dog lovers among you enjoy this Opti-fun courtesy of Amcon Eyecare Supply, they have everything optical except canine eyewear!

Kapperman +White- 3 Day Summer SPECtacular Raises $565 For Optometry Giving Sight

Kapperman and White OD's

The office of Drs. Kapperman and White in Chattanooga, TN hosted a three-day Summer SPECtacular event in their practice July 27-29. The purpose of the event was to offer something new and unusual for patients and staff while also raising funds for Optometry Giving Sight. The practice pledged to donate $5 to Optometry Giving Sight for each frame sold during the promotion.

The office of Drs. Kapperman and White has three doctors on staff: Dr. Mark Kapperman, a Vision Source administrator, Dr. Troy White and Dr. Rob McGarvery. Doctors and staff members worked together to create this trunk show event. Each day was a different theme with the office fully decorated to match the theme. The first day was “EYEland Luau”; the festivities included tropical food and drinks for patients and staff; Maui Jim and Prodesign frames were the focus of the day. The second day was “Camp Wannaseeu”- the staff decorated the office with camping gear, including a tent, and showed patients frames from the iCarley, Moxie Girl and New Balance lines.

Day3- Black Tie

The last day was themed “Eleganza” whereby doctors and staff dressed in black tie and served patients elegant desserts and hordeuvres while viewing the Gucci frame line.

Over the course of the three days the practice saw 94 patients, sold 113 frames and provided 20 free screenings for children. Radio station J103 did a live remote from the office on July 27th and Jim Price with Optometry Giving Sight was there to kick off the event. The practice raised a total of $565 for Optometry Giving Sight.

“The mission of our practice has always been to help others in need. We hope we are able to reach out, in some small way, and help others as we have been so blessed ourselves,” said Dr. Mark Kapperman.

Due to the efforts of the doctors and staff at Drs. Kapperman and White sustainable vision care will be provided to many individuals in developing countries who need it most.

Help transform lives through the gift of vision by making a donation to Optometry Giving Sight®. Just $5 provides an eye exam and glasses for one person in a developing country. Learn more about Optometry Giving Sight® by visiting www.givingsight.org Optometry Giving Sight® guarantees that 85% of all donations go directly to programs