Options for spectacle correction expand beyond fashion

The eye wear industry has hit the ground running in the new millennium. In addition to the new fashions from which to choose, new materials for lenses, frames and special packages designed for stronger, lighter spectacles are making their debut.

New lens material

PPG Industries, based in Pittsburgh, Pa., has introduced a new lens material, Trivex, a thermal-set plastic that the company describes as a tri-performance lens material. Tri-performance means a combination of optical performance, with an ABBE value of 46 for visual acuity; impact resistance that meets maximum high-impact standards; and a light and thin construction with the lowest density commercial lens material combined with the ability to pass Food and Drug Administration (FDA) impact standards with a 1-mm center thickness, according to the company.

The lens is expected to be launched this spring by Hoya Vision Care (Bethel, Conn.) and Younger Optics (Torrance, Calif.). Younger has announced that the lens will be available in SFSV aspheric designs in nine base curves and in Image progressives and Transitions. It will be marketed under the name Trilogy.

Hoya has announced that a full line of single-vision and progressive lenses will be marketed under the name Phoenix. Bill Norwood, executive vice president of Hoya Vision Care headquarters North America, said that the material is impact-resistant like polycarbonate, has good optics and a light weight of 1.11 specific gravity. He said that in addition to finished single-vision and progressive lenses, Trivex will be available in single-vision semi-finished, semi-finished progressive, finished single vision with an AR coating, a flat-top bifocal and Transitions. The material will be launched at Vision Expo East this month.

“I would say this is the replacement material for both polycarbonate and CR-39,” Mr. Norwood said. “Eventually, CR-39 could be replaced by Trivex. It has all of the qualities of CR-39 except that it’s much more impact-resistant, and it has a higher index: the index refraction is 1.53.

“Hoya has modified the Trivex material from PPG, which enhances its performance,” he continued. “It’s been more than a year in development and processing. It’s a process that’s very tricky, and I think we’ve turned the corner on that also.”

Progressive for active adults

The b’Active, a new launch from American Optical in Southbridge, Mass., is being touted as a progressive lens “for people on the go.” The viewing needs of today’s presbyopes have changed over the past 20 years, said Debby Corriveau, director of customer marketing for AO. “Presbyopes today are living longer and healthier. They’re more active than any previous generation,” Ms. Corriveau told Primary Care Optometry News. “They have more dynamic visual needs. Even if they’re not participating in sports activities, they’re living in a very active environment.”

Ms. Corriveau said that in looking at conventional progressive lenses, AO noticed that most were designed simply for straight-on viewing. “They don’t have what we consider a large enough ‘Active Viewing Zone’,” she said. The active viewing zone, she said, generally involves viewing objects in motion, a viewer in motion, or both. The zone includes a good portion of the peripheral vision zone.

The enhanced Active Viewing Zone that was developed by AO is the portion of the lens providing clarity of vision sufficient for dynamic vision, she said. “When people use the Active Viewing Zone of the b’Active, they have a truer image,” Ms. Corriveau said. “It has minimized skew distortion. That’s very important. If you see something in your periphery, you need to be able to recognize the visual cue, and you don’t want the image to jump. Horizontal lines in the lower periphery stay more flat, such as stairs or floors.”

Something as simple as driving a car employs the use of peripheral vision, she noted. The lens also assists people who participate in activities such as golf, tennis and soccer, or even walking or riding a bicycle, she said. “Any of those activities require dynamic vision,” she said, “as does attending your kid’s soccer game, which isn’t really participating in an activity, but it’s part of an active world.”

The b’Active is optimized for active lifestyle applications, said Ms. Corriveau, and also offers the good near and central intermediate required in a primary pair progressive. It is available polarized and in hard resin with a new hard coating, Resist. This is AO’s first polarized lens.

Definity 2 progressive

The Spectacle Lens group of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care introduced the Definity 2 Dual Add Lens in September of 2000. This progressive lens was made with the Dual Add technology, which was designed to distribute the near vision prescription over both the front and back surfaces of the lens, thereby reducing unwanted peripheral astigmatism.

Also, the lens has an intermediate zone that is 35% wider as well as a near vision zone that is 9% wider than the leading progressive lens, the company said. The lens is comprised of Lucid composite, a 1.57 index composite material similar to polycarbonate that blocks 99% of ultraviolet light passing through it.

New technology, facility

Rodenstock (Alpharetta, Ga.) is test marketing individual lens technology (ILT). This new technology takes the prescription and fitting information of the frame beyond segment height and pupillary distance, according to Renato Cappuccitti, professional services manager. “We’re also taking pantoscopic angle, frame wrap and vertex distance of the lens to the eye for that specific frame on the individual,” he told Primary Care Optometry News. “We then grind the progressive lens surface and the prescription surface with atoric curves on the back surface of the lens.”

Instead of starting with a predetermined progressive design, each lens is designed for each patient. The finished product is a customized lens for the individual — not only for that person, but for how that person fits into that particular frame, he said. Test marketing is currently underway.

Rodenstock is now manufacturing the Progressiv life C lens with its state-of-the-art automated prescription technology (APT) in its new Columbus, Ohio, facility, which opened in October 2000. The facility is now up to full production, making molded progressive, single vision and bifocal lenses. The Progressiv life C is Rodenstock’s featured progressive, according to Mr. Cappuccitti.

New photochromic

Transitions Optical Inc. (Pinellas Park, Fla.) is introducing its XTRActive lens in green. It originally introduced the lens in gray in November 1996. The lens achieves a true green color throughout activation and fades back to a neutral clear. The availability of Transitions XTRActive green was announced at Vision Expo West in Las Vegas in September 2000.

“Transitions XTRActive lenses have proven to be very successful, particularly with active, outdoor people,” said Dave Cole, general manager of the Americas for Transitions. “But we heard from both consumers and from our laboratory partners that they were interested in a green tint. It’s a color that’s always been one of the most popular for activities outdoors.”

The lens offers built-in 100% ultraviolet (UV) protection.

Also, the company has expanded its Quantum Technologies — which allow variable tint lenses to get darker faster and fade back faster — to be available in mid-index. Quantum was designed to quickly adjust to changing light conditions, moving from virtually clear indoors to a dark tint outdoors, and to perform in high heat and offer stability in cold temperatures.

“Quantum lenses have received more product support and commitment from more lens manufacturing partners than ever before,” Mr. Cole said. “Their high performance makes them great for the technologically savvy, active eyeglass wearer.”

The Quantum mid-index lens, like the high index, is available in gray. It also offers built-in 100% UV protection.

Lens performance package

Essilor (St. Petersburg, Fla.) launched the Nikon Performance Package in February. The package simplifies the lens selection and dispensing process while providing patients with all the features and benefits up-front to best suit their vision and lifestyle needs, according to a company press release.

It allows eye care professionals to specify Varilux Panamic or Varilux Comfort, Essilor’s top-selling premium progressive lenses, with Essilor’s latest advancement in premium anti-reflective coating technology on all prescriptions.

“The Nikon Performance Package means that eye care practitioners no longer need to evaluate the ever-increasing range of lens and material options or select coatings or other add-ons,” said Essilor Lenses Senior Vice President of Marketing John Carrier.

The Nikon Performance Package is available in single vision and in the following progressive lenses: Varilux Panamic, Varilux Comfort and Essilor Natural. Lenses are available from +6 D to –8 D, with cylinder of –3 D. Products are available in a range of lens material that includes Thin Polycarbonate, Thin Plastic and Thin Transitions.

Features of the Nikon Performance Package include optimized thinness for improved comfort and cosmetics; toughness for resisting scratches on both sides of the lens; and transparency for enhanced vision and cosmetics. The Nikon Performance Package automatically upgrades the refractive index from regular to high-index as the prescription power increases. The process also automatically includes asphericity and flatter base curves for higher-add prescriptions.

In addition, the Nikon Performance Package includes a shock-absorbing coating to make plastic lenses more impact-resistant, allowing the manufactured lenses to be up to 32% thinner.

The Nikon Performance Package is available through all authorized Varilux/Crizal distributors.

Titanium-alloy frame

A new lightweight, corrosion-free frame material on the market is a chrome/copper/titanium alloy, called TiCral and distributed by Eastern States Optical. The material is nickel-free, which reduces potential allergic reactions in wearers, Eastern States co-president Paul Shyer told Primary Care Optometry News.

For Your Information:

• Bill Norwood is executive vice president of Hoya Vision Care headquarters North America. He may be reached at 13 Francis J. Clarke Circle, Bethel, CT 06801; (888) 882-HOYA; e-mail: Bill.Norwood@hoyavc.com.
• Debby Corriveau is the director of customer marketing for American Optical. She may be reached at 50 Optical Dr., Southbridge, MA 01550-2573; (508) 764-5024; fax: (508) 764-5010.
• Renato Cappuccitti is professional services manager for Rodenstock. He may be contacted at 1525 Bluegrass Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30004; (770) 674-7783; fax: (770) 751-6318; e-mail: rcappuccitti@rodenstockusa.com.
• Dave Cole is general manager of the Americas for Transitions Optical Inc. He may be reached at 9251 Belcher Rd., Pinellas Park, FL 33782; (727) 545-0400 or (800) 533-2081; fax: (727) 546-3394; Web site: www.transitions.com.
• John Carrier is senior vice president of marketing at Essilor. He may be contacted at Essilor of America, 2400 118^th Ave. North, St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1927; (800) 237-8725; fax: (727) 549-5134.
• Paul Shyer is co-president of Eastern States Optical. He may be reached at 333 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont, NY 11003; (800) 645-3710; fax: (800) 543-8198.

• Trivex will be available from PPG Industries, Optical Monomers — 36, One PPG Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15272; (800) 323-2487; Web site: www.ppgopticalproducts.com.
• The AO b’Active lens is available from American Optical, 50 Optical Dr., Southbridge, MA 01550-2573; (508) 764-5024; fax: (508) 764-5010.
• The Definity 2 Dual Add Lens is available from Johnson & Johnson, 1 Johnson & Johnson Plaza, New Brunswick, NJ 08933; (732) 524-0400; Web site: www.johnsonandjohnson.com.
• The Progressiv life C is available from Rodenstock, 1525 Bluegrass Lakes Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30004; (888) 407-3937; fax: (888) 407-3938; Web site: www.rodenstockusa.com.
• The XTRActive green lens and Quantum Technologies are available from Transitions Optical Inc., 9251 Belcher Rd., Pinellas Park, FL 33782; (727) 545-0400 or (800) 533-2081; fax: (727) 546-3394; Web site: www.transitions.com.
• The Nikon Performance Package is available from Essilor, Essilor of America, 2400 118^th Ave. North, St. Petersburg, FL 33716-1927; (727) 572-0844 or (800) 237-8725; fax: (727) 549-5134.