LAS VEGAS--Specialty Lens is relaunching its melanin photoprotective lens product line under its iRx Polaroid brand. The Salt Lake City-based company held a press conference last month at International Vision Expo West to introduce three new melanin iRx lenses. All of the lenses transmit less high-energy visible light and provide more protection to the retina than conventional sunlenses, according to Eric Lindquist, marketing manager for Specialty Lens.

Eric Lindquist of Specialty Lens described the company’s new iRx melanin lenses at a Vision Expo West press conference.

Lindquist described one of the new lenses, Melanin True, as “a polarized lens designed to enhance contrast and natural color perception.” He said Specialty is offering a full line of lenses, including a progressive in its new iRx Pro design.

Another new product, RPM, is designed for driving. A daytime version features polarization and a “far variable focus” design that gives drivers a “wide open top zone and a wide intermediate zone,” Lindquist said. A nighttime version that has no polarization and a less concentration of melanin is also being offered.

The third new lens is iRx CPU, a near variable focus lens designed for computer users and “serious gamers.” It offers glare reduction with polarization, Lindquist noted.

Lindquist said Specialty is also introducing a new system called the C.S.I. (Customer Satisfaction Index) that provides a method for eyecare professionals to recommend the optimum lens choice for each patient. The system evaluates the properties of different lenses based upon three key factors--index of refraction, Abbe value and density. This “balanced approach” ensures patient satisfaction by providing for the benefits of comfort and visual acuity as well as cosmetic appeal, Lindquist said.           --Andrew Karp