Sep
2005

Upfront

 


 
 

Our sneak preview of the new Bongo Eyewear ads from Viva International Group takes the optical message right to the club. The photography features Nicole Richie in some sort of club or party setting in the arms of her boyfriend, D.J. AM. The two lovebirds are silhouetted in color with the background seeping off in mysterious black and white. That juxtaposition is apropos considering Richie is wearing B Summer in Black Bongo specs, a retro cat eye shape bearing the Bongo-signature “X” design replicated on the temples. The provocative image is being featured on all advertising and marketing campaigns including special countercards and point-of-purchase materials.

—James J. Spina

 

P.O.P Star

The next time NBC airs the “Will and Grace” episode entitled “The Blonde Leading the Blind,” check out the background for an opti-P.O.P. (as in point-of-purchase) star. In it, Karen Walker, played by actress Megan Mullally, pays a visit to the eye doctor to get a new pair of eyeglasses. As the scene unwinds, the TV camera takes a wide angled shot of the dispensary and in the background is a BCBG Max Azria poster featuring the “Vittoria” frame and an Op banner of a surfer girl wearing “Clear Fusion 2” both by ClearVision Optical.

—Jackie Micucci

 

 

Perfecting Timing

Live. From the cross roads of the world. Revolution Eyewear. Ads for Revolution’s Bling Bling Lunettes are being featured on the big screen in New York’s Time Square this month. The images, which were also shown in August, are running six times an hour for 10 seconds, 96 times a day from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Talk about foot traffic…

—JM

 

 




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Game. Set. Match. Tennis ace 1. Andy Roddick sports a pair of Robert Marc shades style 549… Hip tips “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” fashion maven 2. Carson Kressley is the man about town in a pair of brushed platinum double-bridge sunglasses from Cartier’s newest Metal Rimmed Sunwear Collection… Tickled pink Actress 3. Kate Hudson in Christian Roth shades style CR 14232… I’m so sure Pop legend 4. Elton John wears l.a. Eyeworks’ Surenot in blue ice split… Exploration Young actress 5. Aria Wallace appears in the movie “The Perfect Man” wearing the C’Mon Vamanos from the Dora the Explorer collection from Nouveau Eyewear. The summer flick starred Heather Locklear as the mother of Wallace and teen sensation Hilary Duff… Mac daddy Comedian 6. Bernie Mac, star of his self-titled TV show, wears the l.a. Eyeworks HILO in wine storm both on and off the set… Abbreviated 7. Christian Slater was spotted at the Reader’s Digest 1,000th issue celebration wearing a pair of Chrome Hearts Deviant II with camouflage leather temples from Optical Shop of Aspen… Marcswomen Both wearing Marc Jacobs sun from Sàfilo are 8. Mischa Barton of “The O.C.” in style 22s in tortoise and 9. Jessica Simpson in the 16s metal aviator in shiny rhodium… In action Looking ready for anything in a pair of Robert Marc sunwear style 136 is action star 10. Wesley Snipes… Super-size me In the glossies wearing the ginormous Glossy by Dior from Sàfilo are 11. Paris Hilton, 12. Sharon Stone, 13. Nicole Richie and 14. Katie Holmes… On the red “Desperate Housewives” star 15. Nicollette Sheridan wears YSL 6083STS from Sàfilo at the Los Angeles premiere of the movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”… Gifted Ray-Ban did custom fittings for celebrities during Canada’s MuchMusic Video Awards held recently in Toronto. Among those who received new sunwear from the Luxottica brand: 16. Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas in silver shields style RB 3211 003/8G, which he liked so much he wore them while performing, fellow Black Eyed Peas band member 17. Fergie also in RB 3211, Backstreet Boy 18. A.J. McLean in RB 3250 and reality TV’s 19. Amber Brkich of “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” in RB 4062. —JM

   
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  OPTICAL Briefcase




Long corridor, short corridor. Bump up the add, leave it alone. Keep the patient in the same progressive lens style, change to a premium brand. Soft design, hard design, multi-design or wait for free-form technology to clean it all up.
These and numerous other optical paradigms have dominated optical conversations among eyecare professionals for as long as the progressive lens has been around. If there is one thing we love more than optics, it is talking optics. While we shouldn’t close our minds to the suggestions of our colleagues, I believe that sometimes the fear of patient non-adaptation, the ambiguity of purported lens properties, coupled with the trouble shooting suggestions we get, can sometimes move us away from using what we know best: Our patients and optics. In other words, let’s get back to basics

A colleague was having a difficult time with a demanding, yet loyal patient. After several progressive lens changes and prescription verifications, the patient was still not “comfortable.” He asked my assistance.

Mrs. G, a 45-year-old Asian woman, was extremely myopic, had an astigmatic correction with prism for as long as she could remember. She wore a metal frame with a small vertical measurement and had no problem accommodating with a 2.25 reading addition. The problem was her inability to articulate what she meant when she said she was not comfortable.

The most recent progressive giving her trouble was a brand name, short-corridor progressive in polycarbonate. Knowing this brand had a successful history of performance as a short-corridor product, the obvious move was to remark the lens and check the fit. As expected the fitting cross was perfectly centered on the pupil. Neutralizing this most current pair showed no discrepancy in sphere, cylinder, axis or prism. So why the problem?

It appeared the practitioner was always concentrating on an accurate
fit because of the prescription’s astigmatism and prism. Out of frustration he then lost faith in the brand he was using and upgraded to a more premium brand. When that failed, he was at a point where he felt nothing would make this patient comfortable.

What he was missing, because of his concern for the astigmatism and prism, was the patient’s posture and myopia. Mrs. G had a slight arch in her posture that was not noticeable at the dispensing table. But when she stood, that slight arch in her back was enough to violate the first rule when fitting myopic patients with progressives—never comprise their distance correction.

In retrospect a slight posture irregularity, complicated by the quick power progression of a short-corridor lens design was causing this patient to pick up unwanted placement of plus power in the distance. And, as we have all experienced, nothing is more uncomfortable for the myope than comprising that ever so important distant correction. Re-fitting the patient slightly below center pupil and adjusting the pantoscopic tilt made all the difference.

— Anthony Fulco, FNAO, vice president of sales and marketing, 21st Century Optics


  Above the Rim




“Professional Opticians of Florida and 20/20 magazine have teamed up to offer the highest quality symposium that is worthy of a Platinum Certificate in Rimless Eyewear Fabrication and Dispensing,” read the POF Summer Showcase brochure. And, in fact that is what happened.

On Sunday, July 31, the POF and Jobson Education Group presented a Rimless Symposium during POF’s Summer Showcase event. This educational presentation and hands-on workshop began with a panel of experts that taught participants how to achieve excellence in rimless eyewear including proper ordering, creation, dispensing, follow-up and ways to realize new profit opportunities. The symposium was supported by an unrestricted grant from SEIKO Eyewear and Santinelli International with additional help from Hilco.
More than 200 optical professionals sat for the three hour panel, lecture and interactive discussion of the rimless phenomenon and the details required
to be more successful at rimless than ever. Rimless represents 20 to 25 percent of a practice’s sales with new styles being launched every season. However, to do rimless correctly opticians need increased skills.

The workshops were also structured to experience new edging and drilling technologies first hand, especially as there is growing interest in in-office edging and drilling. SEIKO made frames and lenses available for purchase at a reduced rate and some participants edged, drilled and assembled their own three-piece rimless eyewear during the workshop. In addition, Hilco made the new three-piece bracing plier available so that symposium leaders could teach anxiety-free rimless adjusting.

To detail the hands-on skills required, a series of 90 minute workshops allowed participants to practice edging, drilling and assembly and adjust a variety of three-piece rimless eyewear. “Meetings like this are critical to share the best of practice with optical professionals,” says Mark Mattison-Shupnick who led the symposium. “Mixing a discussion of lens and frame materials, excitement about rimless, the selling techniques needed and the methods to avoid the issues that rimless might create with a hands-on workshop allows us to address each participant’s need in detail.”

All seemed to concur, rimless means more opportunities and options for both business and patient. —Mark Mattison-Shupnick

 

  Lens Marketing


 

Younger Optics Marks 50th Anniversary — This year marks the 50th anniversary of Younger Optics. The California-based lens manufacturer traces its roots to founder Irving Rips, who developed and launched the world’s first “seamless bifocal” in 1955. Rips named the company Younger Optics because the new lenses would make their wearer look younger.
Today, Younger is a world leader in Rx polarized sunwear with NuPolar brand lenses and continues to be an innovative force in the optical world.
“Our growth would not be possible without all the great people here at Younger,” says president and CEO David Rips, son of Irving Rips. “Believe it or not, we have employees that have been with us for more than 40 years. To me, this is both amazing and gratifying.”

Pair up. Power Up. Win Big! — Eyecare professionals have a chance to win big with Transitions “Power of Five” promotion from Essilor. Running until November 30, Essilor is conducting its “Pair Up. Power Up. Win Big!” promo for ECPs who place orders for lenses that pair up Transitions V with Crizal Alizé. When a customer orders a pair of Essilor Transitions V lenses (SV or PAL) with Crizal Alizé, they will receive a scratch-off card for a chance to instantly win a $5, $50 or $500 gift certificate. Whether or not the card is an instant winner, ECPs can fill out the back and mail it in to be automatically entered for a chance to win their choice of one of five $25,000 vacations: African Safari, Golf Resort, Spa Retreat, Private Charter Cruise or Family Fun.

Clear Vision Mission Sweepstakes — Secret shoppers are invading thousands of ECP offices nationwide through December 31. In order to grow the overall AR market and help ECPs provide the best vision to their patients, Essilor is introducing the Clear Vision Mission Sweepstakes. If a secret shopper has an ECP mention AR lenses to them during his or her visit, the ECP will automatically be given a MasterCard gift card worth $25 or $40 for recommending Crizal or Crizal Alizé. In addition, the ECP will also be entered to win one of three first place prizes worth $500 and the Clear Vision Mission Grand Prize of a Caribbean Getaway for two valued at $5,000.

Eschenbach Hosts Low Vision Seminars — Eschenbach’s seminar, “Low Vision Care…What’s It All About?”, is an introductory workshop for those interested in low vision and is approved for three continuing education credits by ABO, JCAHPO & ACVREP. The course covers topics such as the causes of low vision and marketing low vision services and includes a hands-on learning session. Seminars are scheduled for September 21 in Pittsburgh, October 5 in Raleigh, N.C. and November 3 in Toronto, Canada.

 

 

  

 



  Let's Go Austria



We’ve got more photos to share with you from Silhouette’s “Titan Minimal Art—Change Your Look… Change Your Life” contest of which 20/20 and sister publication VisionMonday were the proud media sponsors. The grand prize winners were treated to a trip to Austria including tours of historic Vienna and Silhouette’s headquarters in Linz. Official photographer Charlotte LaBarbera (sister-in-law of Silhouette rep Roz LaBarbera) captured some great moments from the excursion.
But before you take a look we’d like to congratulate all the winners: Laurence Piscitelli of Dazzling Optical in Brooklyn, N.Y, William Curran of William J. Curran Opticians in Drexel Hill, Pa., Lisa Ann Harmon of DEY Optical in Houston, Texas, Gary Carrera of Carrera Optical in Universal City, Texas, Gary Scheer of Alvernon Optical in Green Valley, Ariz., Lisa Hopkins, OD, of Long Beach, Calif., Richard Weaver of Belton Eyecare Center in Belton, Texas, James Paulson of Art of Eyecare in Franklin, Pa. and Elizabeth Gray of Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Miss.

—Jackie Micucci

 
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1. The winning Silhouette sales reps (l. to r.): Susan Stokar, Roz LaBarbera, Peter Gavin, AnnMarie Harrington, Pam Williams and Matt Hegarty. 2. Ashley gets a look at Vienna from up high thanks to daddy Matt Hegarty of Silhouette. 3. Taking in a majestic view of the vineyards are Gary Scheer of Alvernon Optical and Lisa Hopkins, OD, with Ken Munafo. 4. Doing a reenactment of the movie “Sideways” at the winery Freie Weingarten Wachau. 5. Ready for take off: Lisa Ann Harmon of DEY Optical and husband Russ wait at the airport. 6. Who’s having more fun coloring? Little Ashley or Silhouette’s Genevieve Fay. 7. You are here—Dürnstein. 8. During the tour of the Silhouette factory in Linz a worker demonstrates how a frame is soldered.

 

 
 
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