Looking to the Future

Lens experts discuss the impact that advancing lens technology has had on the category, and where it is headed in the coming years

By Susan P. Tarrant

The past decade has seen a veritable explosion of technological innovation in the lens category. Free-form lenses and digital surfacing have changed the way the industry can offer vision correction. But what can we expect next from not only the free-form designs that have patients seeing like never before, but from lens production technology, lens treatments, and task-specific designs? We polled lens experts to see what they consider the biggest recent impacts on the category, and where we will go next.

FREE-FORM’S IMPACT

Two things are happening. One, the percentage of free-form lenses prescribed is increasing every day. ECPs, particularly those in independent practices who have differentiated their brands and can provide that extra level of service, will really benefit from being the free-form provider of choice in their market. And two, patients are getting educated about the benefits of free-form technology and the positive impact on their vision is being realized. The future of our industry is here.

— Barney Dougher, CEO, The Hoya Free-Form Company

Free-form customized lenses are now widely perceived as the premium offering in lenses. We see this in the steady growth of customized lens sales, and in the proliferation of “tiered” offerings from manufacturers that provide multiple levels of customization and price points. This lens category has re-energized the ophthalmic lens industry as semi-finished progressive design was reaching its maturity.

— Joe Donahoe, president, North America, Carl Zeiss Vision

While traditional progressives still play an important role, there’s no denying that free-form has had an impact on the industry as a whole. Manufacturers have had to rethink distribution methods (semi-finished PAL blanks to electronic design distribution). Labs and retailers have had to invest in new equipment and training. Inventory management and ordering patterns have changed. ECPs have had to decide where these lenses fit in their selection process and educate consumers on the value they bring and when they are the appropriate choice.

— Scott Schaller, vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, Vision-Ease Lens

Digital surfacing has created excitement on the lab side. It may have been slower to be adopted at the ECP level, but the overall perception in the industry is that digital means better, even if there is a certain level of confusion on what it really brings to the patient. Our point of view is that “the performance comes from the design, and the digital technology is delivering it.” On a more negative side, free-form has not grown the market, especially PALs, nor has it gotten any substantial traction on the single vision side.

—Jean Marc Leroy, vice president, product marketing, Essilor of America

ADDING FREE-FORM TO PRACTICES

As a technology leader, we can do a better job of educating ECPs and providing them with tools that help explain the benefits of free-form to their patients. Of course, the best way to get educated is to have your local territory sales manager make a presentation.

— Barney Dougher

New types of dispensing aids, including apps for iPads, help patients visualize how customization can improve their visual experience. We encourage practices to make use of the new generation of educational tools available to them. Price-tiering will give more patients access to customization. The crucial factor, though, is the doctor and staff’s confidence in customized lenses. Wear them and see the difference, and your confidence will transfer to the patient.

— Joe Donahoe

PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY VS. LENS DESIGN INNOVATION

We continue to work on small footprint machines that allow in-store production. We see a definite segment of the consumer market that highly desires fast service and is ready to pay for that service.

Initially, digital designs were not possible because there was not a fast and economical way to produce them. Therefore, digital generators and polishers had to come first and the equipment drove the transformation. Now however, as nearly all labs have brought digital surfacing equipment in-house, the designs and need for faster delivery will become the driver.

— Larry Clarke, president and CEO, Satisloh North America, Inc.

By changing the equipment and processes, we have been able to create a better, more accurate lens style for the patients. Also, demand is beginning to adjust the manufacturing side as well. The need to produce lenses faster and utilizing the equipment to full potential is crucial for for manufacturers today.

— Tracy Adams, lens product marketing manager, Walman Optical

Images courtesy of The Hoya Free-Form Company (top), Satisloh North America (left), and Shamir Insight (right)

LENS TRENDS
CURRENT TRENDS	FUTURE TRENDS
We polled our lens experts about what they consider the current trends in the category, and those that are having the biggest impact. ■ Task-specific eyewear ■ Customization of lenses ■ Digital surfacing ■ Expanded in-house lab capabilities ■ Increase in use of functional coatings ■ Increase in free-form ■ More multiple pair sales ■ iPad peripherals for fitting devices	We asked the same experts what they see headed our way regarding lens design, treatments, and uses. ■ Automatic adapting PALs ■ 3D lenses ■ Ultra personalization ■ More brand differentiation among independents ■ More use of apps or virtual/augmented reality helping patients make lens design decisions ■ Electronic adjustments to tints, powers

New measurement technology and advances in precision tool making are allowing manufacturers to do a much better job of actually duplicating what was designed. The ability to digitize progressive services and duplicate that surface on a point-by-point basis with technologies like diamond turning have made a big difference in the ability to accurately make what was designed.

— Scott Schaller

LENS DESIGN POTENTIAL

We still need to tackle the single vision category in free-form and better demonstrate the visual benefit for the consumer. And the PAL category is moving slowly but surely toward more customized designs with additional parameters to either increase visual performance or match a specific need. Today’s new lens products are offering, besides better vision, better protection against glare and health features such as UV protection. And more innovation is already in the pipe.

— Jean Marc Leroy

Manufacturers are focusing more on the actual lens design as well as lens curvature. We are also seeing advancements made to exam equipment such as wave-front abberometry and the ability to prescribe within 1/100th of a diopter. Understanding acute accuracy in the design itself is allowing for advancements within the refraction and allowing the doctors more control in prescribing completely individualized lenses.

Somewhere down the road we may begin to see more advancements made through digital technologies, and we have seen some preliminary electrical components that are adding an element of optical enhancement.

— Tracy Adams

There is no lens technology on the market today that cannot be improved, and we are working hard to bring those improvements to the market. We see areas in which lens technology has gotten ahead of dispensing technology. We need to support practitioners with new ways to efficiently capture patient data, guide the patient in the selection process, and fit, measure, and verify new, advanced types of lenses.

— Joe Donahoe

LENS MANUFACTURING’S FUTURE

As far as manufacturing and house-driven brands, these will continue to grow as the designs set labs apart from one another. It allows for an integration of lens designers and labs to correct the issues they feel are most important.

ECPs may someday have the ability to choose their design specific to the patient. The issue of availability will rely on manufacturers and laboratories. The design has to go through qualification, and the design is typically randomly checked by the designers on a monthly basis in order to be sure the designs are still performing to their standards.

— Tracy Adams

Future new designs, especially more individualized and specialized designs, will be introduced faster than ever before. These new types of designs will only be as good as the measurements taken at the ECP dispensary, so each ECP office will need to have the most advanced measurement and eye behavior devices if he or she wants to offer the newest designs. To promote production speed and to avoid mistakes, there will need to be a close tie and system interface between the ECPs and their labs.

— Larry Clarke EB