WRITER James Gibbins

When it comes to lens supply, practices in Australia and New Zealand are spoilt for choice. And as James Gibbins writes, whether you’re working with an independent Australian or New Zealand owned lens lab, an international company with a local edging and fitting service, or a boutique manufacturer of lenses, to optimise outcomes, the key is to get to know them – and their processes – well.

The production of fabulous prescription eyewear relies on multiple stages, every one of which must be high quality and mistake-free to ensure the best possible end product.

First up, the prescription is critical, and we rely on the clinical and people skills of the person performing the refraction, very often an optometrist, to get this part right. Fortunately, our optometry colleagues are usually experienced in this art and besides the occasional tweaking of a prescription, they nearly always nail it.

Next, the optical dispenser gets to work, advising and guiding the customer in the choice of lenses and frame. Frame considerations are critical in many ways: the frame must fit the physiology of the customer as best as possible (with extra attention to the bridge area); it must physically accommodate the lenses that will be fitted; and of course it must be stylish and attractive, according to the customer’s preferences. Many of our qualified optical dispensers assist with frame selection superbly, but a lack of training and/ or experience means we often see people wearing poorly chosen frames.

The optical dispenser also has the responsibility to guide the customer in their choice of lenses (although an optometrist may perform this role when a qualified optical dispenser is not available). Considerations include lens design and lens material, and decisions are guided by the prescription, the function the customer expects the spectacles to perform, and the price point they are comfortable with.

The next task for the optical dispenser is to order the lenses. Considerations for this critical stage include: Which ophthalmic lab carries the appropriate lens designs and materials to fill this order? Which lab can offer reliable service? Which lab has a proven track record? All crucial questions, and we are fortunate to have so many wonderful Australian and New Zealand based labs that tick all these boxes and are ready to help us with amazing service and cutting-edge ophthalmic technology.

CHALLENGES AND REWARDS

We ask a lot of our labs: we ask them to produce high quality ophthalmic lenses for every patient. To do this, they must complete the following three steps:

1. They must produce the lenses on power, according to the Australian /New Zealand Standard for Ophthalmic Optics – Mounted Spectacle Lenses AS/NZS 21987:2019.

In essence, the lab needs to produce lenses that fall within ±0.12D of that ordered (with a slight relaxing of the tolerance as powers increase, according to the standard).

With the amazing technology and surfacing machines that labs now have, this is quite straightforward; lenses can be produced to power confidently. If a customer checks lenses supplied by their lab and assesses that they do not fall within the Australian / New Zealand standards, then they are welcome to alert the lab and discuss a remake.

2. They must produce the lenses as optically pure and as clear of aberrations as possible.

Again, today this is not so challenging. Advances in lens production, in particular with aspheric designs, mean that when fitted to the correct height and according to the manufacturers’ guidelines, errors are few and far between.

3. They must make the lenses as thin as possible.

This is where the true challenge lies, and what many in our industry fail to understand.

Everyone loves thin lenses. Thinner lenses are lighter to wear, much more attractive, and far less intrusive. Dispensers are always thinking, “how do we get lighter lenses for our customer?”. It is the holy grail of lens production.

This is challenging because simply making lenses thinner can dramatically change points one and two: the prescription and the aberrations. Then there is the issue of what is ‘too thin’? A minus lens that is too thin in the centre is a safety concern because the impact resistance will be reduced. And a plus lens that is too thin on the edges will be unstable, more prone to breakage at the edges (known as chipping or flaking), and may be impossible to fit to the frame – for example, a nylon-fit /supra-fit frame requires a minimum lens edge thickness of between 1.6 mm and 2.2 mm, depending on the lens material.

In summary, points one and two are straight forward but point three – producing lenses as thin as possible – is where the lab must employ all its technology, wisdom and wizardry to produce the best lenses possible. Something that deserves the understanding and appreciation of all of us involved in ordering and supplying ophthalmic lenses.

SHIFTING CAPABILITIES

In the past, most labs in Australia and New Zealand manufactured lenses from start to finish, including surfacing and multicoating.

Shamir Australia (above and below).

However, for cost reasons, many labs – including HOYA, ZEISS, Rodenstock and Essilor – now perform the majority of the process in enormous international labs. Complete lenses are then shipped to a local scaled-back lab for edging and fitting.

Currently, the labs that perform all manufacturing steps within Australia and New Zealand include CR Labs in Melbourne, Shamir in Brisbane, Opticare in Sydney, and ILS (Independent Lens Specialists) in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Notably, all labs have embraced the advantages of technology to personalise their lens designs to better meet the needs of every individual. CR Labs, for instance, describes its Australis VR as “one of the standout examples of next generation lens design”. Via a virtual reality headset, the patient’s head and eye movements are measured, and this data is combined with other patient behaviours and needs to produce an advanced product.

While progressive lens designs have grabbed the spotlight in recent years, bifocals remain a preferred lens design for some. Shamir is particularly proud of its Duo Tech No Jump bifocal lenses with a virtually invisible segment that eliminates the troublesome image jump experienced when wearing standard bifocals.

And then there is Opticare in Australia and ILS in New Zealand, both of which have the technology to easily produce lenses within the Australian /New Zealand standards for power accuracy within ±0.12D and can also produce lenses within an incredible ±0.1D.

Among the international-owned lens labs is Tokai. This Japanese company’s claim to fame is the fact that it – and only it – offers the world’s highest refractive index in lens materials. At 1.760, it is the world’s thinnest plastic resin lens material.

German-owned Rodenstock is renowned for its DNEye Scanner technology, which takes multiple measurements pertaining to the size and shape of each individual eye, then uses the data to guide the production of individualised lenses.

When it comes to service delivery, Japanese owned HOYA Australia says its strength is a strong local footprint, with offices and labs offering edging and fitting across all the major capital cities in Australia and New Zealand”.

Meanwhile ZEISS in Australia is built on the combined foundations of both the Carl Zeiss legacy from Germany, as well as the incredible history and legacy of our very own Sola Australia. Sola was launched way back in 1960 but led the world in lens design and production, producing iconic lens designs including the Sola Grad progressive and possibly the world’s first degressive design in the Sola Access. ZEISS continues to offer outstanding lens products today from its high-tech research lab in Adelaide.

And, last but not least, we have Essilor – now part of the EssilorLuxottica group – which produced the world’s first progressive lens in 1959 (the Varilux). Essilor retains that original name in its latest progressive range, the Varilux XR Series.

Of course there are various other labs throughout Australia and New Zealand with a variety of services that might offer speedy supply to the local area, or higher levels of personalised service.

TAKE A TOUR, GET TO KNOW YOUR LAB

In my role as a Director and teacher at the Australasian College of Optical Dispensing (ACOD), I have taken dozens of lab tours, and I often take students with me. Being shown the equipment, the processes, and the final checking stations, and getting to know the staff, is always an informative and hugely positive experience. And the lens labs are justifiably proud of the amazing work they do.

If you haven’t done so already, I strongly encourage you to seek out an opportunity to tour your preferred lens lab or join Optical Dispensers Australia (ODA) on one of the tours it organises from time to time (visit: odamembers.com.au).

And, whether you are using the services of a large multinational lab, or a boutique outfit, and whether your lab manufactures locally from start to finish (which is pretty special in these days of reduced local manufacturing across various industries) or simply edges and fits, be assured your lab and its staff are dedicated to serving our industry and producing world class lenses.

Shamir Australia (above and below).

So get to know them on a more personal level; consult directly with the managers when you are confronted with more challenging dispensing tasks; visit them for an arranged lab tour; and let them know you appreciate their skills and service. In many ways, they are the unsung heroes in our optical world.

James Gibbins is the Director and a teacher at the Australasian College of Optical Dispensing (ACOD).

CR Labs (above and right).