For its special report on "deluxe eyewear," VM also sought out some examples of just a few of the thousands of "deluxe" ophthalmic eyeglass options that can be pulled together to address this new blueprint. (For a look at what ECPs and labs are recommending if a patient asks for the best possible eyewear and options, click here.) Representative of new lens designs, high-index materials, coatings and frame features that are available now or will be shortly, are shown here to provide ideas to dispensers as they engage patients in the eyewear selection process.

Rimless Zone
Lens: Definity Progresssive from Johnson & Johnson's Spectacle Lens Group
Rx: R -3.50D, L -4.25D, 2.00 add; 20 seg height
Material/Treatments: 1.60 high-index plastic; Gemcoat AR; Equithin; edge polish
Frame: The Silhouette 6555 is a Titan nylor semi-rimless frame that features the company's signature hingless, screwless technology. The lightweight temples (shown here in crimson) feature a specially developed titanium alloy, which is super resilient.
Lab: Johnson & Johnson Spectacle Lens Group, Roanoke, Va.
About the Lenses: Definity's proprietary Dual Add technology uses  both sides of the lens to create the add power. This distributes unwanted astigmatism over both lens surfaces to create a wide intermediate zone with smooth transitions between distances. In larger frames, a "fourth zone," located beneath the near zone, reduces the near add power to minimize distortion and flatten the field of vision, providing clearer vision when patients look down.

Luxe Style and Definition
Lens: SOLAOne HD 1.67
Prescribed Rx: R -3.00D, L -3.00D, 2.00 add; Compensated Rx: -2.77D sphere; -0.19 cyl, 90 axis, 1.82 x 270 degree prism, 1.7 CT
Material/Treatments: 1.67 high-index plastic; Teflon EasyCare AR; Transitions photochromic
Frame: Viva Moda's Etro VE 9800 features the iconic paisley print found on Etro textiles and apparel. The handmade plastic frame, shown here in Burgundy/Rust Paisley, is custom made with the exclusive Etro designs. The design is actually patterned in the zyl itself, which makes each individual piece unique and exclusive.
Lab: SOLA Technologies, Hebron, Ky.
About the Lenses: SOLAOne HD (High Definition) 1.67 lenses  represent SOLA's latest freeform progressive lens technology.  According to SOLA, HD Technology combines freeform  manufacturing with a proprietary optimization strategy to deliver a  level of clarity beyond what is possible with traditional base curves.  The lenses have been calculated to deliver the correct Rx power when worn by the patient, and are fully optically optimized taking into  account the Rx, average pantascopic angle and vertex distance. All of SOLA's 1.67 offerings include SOLA's Teflon EasyCare AR coating, which offers superior AR clarity, scratch resistance and easy cleaning. These lenses also feature the latest Transitions photochromic technology.

Light Style
Lens: Optima Resolution
Rx: R -6.00D sphere, L -6.00D
Material/Treatments: Resolution polycarbonate; Zeiss Blue AR coating
Frame: Pro Design Zenith 7329 is part of the company's premier collection. The titanium/aluminum frame features a forward, angular design for those who view their eyewear as an affordable luxury. The lightweight frame features saturated, complementary colors (3731 on the top and 2 on the bottom).
Lab: Soderberg, St. Paul, Minn.
About the Lenses: Resolution polycarbonate lenses are distinguished by Optima's proprietary, patented ECM-9 (Extrusion Compression Molding) technology. The highly automated process enables one lens to be produced in a three-second cycle. The process, because of its gentle nature, does not introduce any stress or birefringence into the lens, resulting in no loss of resolution, according to Optima. The lenses feature an aspheric/atoric design and a 1.2mm center thickness, making them extremely thin, light and clear.

Short and Sleek
Lens: Varilux Ellipse by Essilor of America
Rx: R -2.50D, L -3.75D, 2.25 add, seg height 20.0
Material/Treatments: Thin & Lite 1.67 high-index plastic;Crizal Alize AR
Frame: The Giorgio Armani collection is a high-end line targeting urban, affluent and sophisticated men and women ranging from 30 to 55. The Giorgio Armani frame 123 features a plastic frame front and stainless steel temples in a rectangular unisex shape that gives it a modern edge.
Lab: Essilor Processing Center, Dallas, Texas
About the Lenses: Varilux Ellipse short-corridor progressive lenses are optimized for small frames. The lens offers a wide far vision field -- 40 degrees without visual acuity loss, reaches 85 percent of the power  at only 9.5mm and features a minimum recommended fitting height of 14mm. The Thin & Lite 1.67 material is compatible with the anti-reflective and hydrophobic properties of Essilor's premium Crizal Alize coating.

Clearly Custom
Lens: Carl Zeiss Gradal Short i
Rx: Right: -2.00D sphere, -2.50 cyl, 015 axis, 2.00 add, 17.0 seg height; Left: -1.50D sphere, -3.00 cyl, 165 axis, 2.00 add, 17.0 seg height
Lens Material/Treatments: 1.60-index; Carat Advantage AR coating; Equithin
Frame: Marcolin's Kenneth Cole New York Ericsson St. frame features a custom temple tip with a metal insert to give the feeling of a buckle or apparel stitch, which ties it into the Kenneth Cole clothing and accessory collections. It also has Kenneth Cole snap-in nose pads, raised engraved logo plaques and European spring hinges.
Lab: Carl Zeiss, Chester, Va.
About the Lenses: The custom design of this short-corridor progressive takes into account the patient's Rx data, which is used to compute its freeform surface, as well as the patient's anatomy. ECPs can specify Rx, PD, fitting height, corneal vertex distance, pantoscopic angle, near distance and the shape of the frame. Zeiss's new Carat Advantage is comprised of its anti-reflective Super ET coating, Foundation hard coating and is topped with the company's new advanced super- hydrophobic coating. When combined, the components provide excellent scratch resistance, superior anti-reflective (AR) performance, and enhanced durability for the lens.  In addition, the new super hydrophobic layer of coating repels dirt and water and resists smudges, is smooth to the touch and cleans effortlessly, according to Zeiss.

Technology at Work
Lens: Shamir Office, Small-Environment Lens
Rx: R +3.50D sphere, L + 3.25D sphere, add 3.00.
Material/Treatments: Polycarbonate; Zeiss Carat AR Coating with Foundation scratch-resistant coating; edge polish.
Frame: The Invincilites Sigma, shown here with eyeshape F, combines modern, wearable shapes, and thin stainless-steel hardware with a plug-pressure mounting system. The striped, transparent and flexible Grilamid temples provide a subtle splash of color and feature an adjustable core wire in the tip that allows for a customized fit. 
Lab: Soderberg, St. Paul, Minn.
About the Lenses: The Shamir Office, Small-Environment lens is designed for the near and intermediate-distance viewing that patients require in a typical office setting. With a dynamic power range of 2.25D, the lens is optimized for patients with high reading additions of 2.50-3.50. The polycarbonate material combined with Zeiss Carat AR with Foundation scratch-resistant coating enhances the durability of the lens. Notes Garry Kriz, assistant finish lab manager, Soderberg, "When we use the OptiDrill or other drills that drill angled holes, especially with frames that mount with plastic bushings, it allows the frame to go through the lens at the proper angle."

Fast Fashion
Lens: Signet Armorlite Kodak InstaShades
Rx: R -1.00D sphere, L -1.00D sphere
Material/Treatments: Kodak 1.60 EvoClear; Evolution Plus AR coating
Frame: Marchon introduces its Flexon memory metal alloy into the Nautica collection with the N2003. With Flexon, the frame is able to flex for comfort without loosing its adjustment. This unisex style offers a modern rectangular shape.
Lab: Ozarks Optical Laboratories, Springfield, Mo.
About the Lenses: Kodak InstaShades is Signet Armorlite's new, fast-changing plasticphotochromic lens. According to Signet Armorlite, the rapid return to clear gives patients natural vision and good looks indoors, according to Signet UV filtering gives patients 100 percent UV blockage of the sun's harmful UV radiation. The lenses are as clear as any other photochromics and keep turning to clear longer than all other photochromics. The lenses are made of 1.60 high-index plastic and feature an aspheric design. Evolution Plus AR is Ozarks' proprietary AR with a super-hydrophobic coating; it is produced with Satis Vacuum equipment. John VanNoy, president of Ozarks notes, "Our Evolution Plus AR coating, developed by Satis Vacuum, is unique to the industry with its Ion Kappa process, a layer of negatively charged ions applied before the last hydrophobic layer. As a result, it repels dust. If the lens is easier to keep clean doesn't show smudges, patients will be happier and they'll buy the product again.

Facet Fascination
Lens: Augen Optics Trinity Double Aspheric
Rx: R -5.00D sphere, L -5.00D sphere, decentered 3.0mm
Material/Treatments: Trivex; Leybold Superclean AR coating; edge facet and polish.
Frame: BBH's Brendel is known for its upscale, feminine styling. The 908712 titanium frame features a pearl accent on the endpiece and comes in matte silver, matte Bordeaux and brown.
Lab: Volunteer Optical, Knoxville, Tenn.
About the Lenses: Trinity is a double aspheric lens specifically designed for cylinder power Rxs, patients with cylinder powers higher than -4.00D can especially benefit from the lens. The semi-finished lens blanks are front-aspherized in two principal meridians: one compensates sphere power, while the other compensates cylinder power to lessen visual distortion and provide clearer and sharper images. The lens is made of PPG's Trivex material, which blocks UV, is highly impact resistant and offers superior optics. Leybold Optics SuperClean is the company's latest high-performance anti-reflective oating. Notes Jeff Morgan, president, Volunteer, "We put everything on the lens before we coat it, including the polish and facet. You want to minimize the reflection with AR, so we AR the lens after we do the edge polish and facet. We have to use a special pad so the lens won't slip during edging."

Light as Air
Lens: Stock Seiko Super SV with AR
Rx: R -4.50D sphere, L -4.50D sphere
Lens Material/Treatments: 1.67 high-index plastic; Seiko anti-reflective coating
Frame: The T463 rimless from the Seiko's Lithe collection. It is made of 100 percent Beta titanium (Seiko's Super Titanium) and comes in six colors and six interchangeable eyeshapes.
Lab: ICare Eyewear, Mahwah, N.J.
About the Lenses:  Seiko's 1.67 Super SV AR, which features MR-10 resin, index-matched AR coating (eliminates fringe interference) and Seiko's patented MX design with a 10mm spherical fitting button in the center of the lens, allowing for 5mm of spherical fitting in any direction from optical center. The combination of a thin lightweight frame and thin, lightweight pair of high-index lenses creates "the most comfortable eyewear" for the patient, according to Seiko.

[Click here to go to the other section of VM's January Cover Story--"Deluxe Assembly"]