In the wake of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, optical practices across the UK are providing only essential and urgent eye care. In order to effectively dispense emergency eyewear or carry out complex repairs, most practices are reliant on labs providing assistance in difficult circumstances. Optician surveys a sample of UK labs about the services they are offering and the challenges involved.
Across the board, safety was paramount with labs going to great lengths to protect their own employees, practice staff and patients. These include providing personal protective equipment where appropriate, observing social distancing in the work place, disinfecting to avoid contamination and cleaning products upon arrival and prior to dispatch.
PKP Optics
Kent-based PKP Optics is still fully functional across glazing and surfacing. The lab’s well regarded repair service is also available.
‘We are running the lab with a skeleton crew; following guidelines on social distancing by only having one team member in each department at any one time,’ says Matthew Perrett, managing director at PKP. ‘Volume is obviously down but the standard mix of work has not changed at this time. To help practices, we are offering service to customers’ addresses. We operate a full repair service including titanium welding and frame modification.’
Spec-Care
Rather than a prescription house, Spec-Care Services is a business designed to support optical practices in other dispensing-related ways.
‘We offer a full repair and modifications service, from laser welding to replacement component,’ says Rob Barrow, director at Spec-Care Services. ‘We have closed our doors to public access and only operate under the guidelines issued by the
government. This means we operate social distancing within the workshop and ensure all appropriate cleaning and hygiene routines are followed.’
Barrow says that the company is still able to offer its regular business to business service. ‘In addition we can return repairs directly to the client, while ensuring billing and tracking numbers are issued only to the optician,’ he says. ‘Our consumer repair service supports social distancing further by allowing the client to deal directly with Spec-Care. Our website supports this service and provides full details including costings. All our services, except 3D design and print are now available by return of post.’
Shepshed Optics
‘I’ve taken the view that I want to continue to work during the coronavirus pandemic,’ says Clifford Austen, owner of Shepshed Optics. ‘It’s difficult to just walk away from your own business, I like a challenge and I want to help out. We can supply just about any lens required, despite many labs and lens manufacturers closing down. Hoya has been a great help, as have Waterside and Jai Kudo to name but a few. The only lens I’ve not been able to get hold of quickly so far is a photochromic green D28, but fortunately the patient was happy to go with grey.’
Shepshed are also well placed to assist with broken frames. Austen says: ‘We can repair most frames, or get them repaired, or get them replaced with something else to keep the patient going. One patient dropped his specs down a drain this week and couldn’t believe he had a new pair on his nose later that afternoon. Complex or out of range prescriptions are no problem at the moment either.’
Austen notes that delivery services are somewhat less frequent than normal at times but nothing that can’t be worked around with planning. ‘My only other comment is that you’ll be amazed what’s still possible at the moment, despite the crisis we’re in,’ he adds.
Norville
Norville’s labs in Gloucester, Seaham, Bolton and Edinburgh are set up to produce and dispatch spectacles, on the same day, to the patient’s home address via Royal Mail for no extra charge.
‘This modified procedure, now confirmed by the College and GOC as acceptable even for children’s spectacles, will meet the needs of those who have damaged or broken their specs and need instant help,’ says Frank Norvillle, chair at Norville. ‘Our Allyn range includes an extensive choice of metals and acetates with a selection of sizes from 48mm to 60mm. Single vision stock range can be produced and dispatched on the same day, surfaced perhaps similar, but tints or MAR to surfaced range will extend the timing slightly.
‘The government has instructed optical practices to continue to provide urgent eye care throughout the crisis to enable people in need, and key workers, to access essential eye care which cannot be postponed,’ Norville continues. ‘We hope this service will cover any emergency Rx supply requests. Of course, if it is a replacement for a previous order processed by us we will have the exact details in our Rx data base. Having the date of the supply will help to speed up the process.’
Nikon
Nikon’s lab in Milton Keynes remains open, albeit with a significantly reduced team.
‘Our customer service department will continue to support by phone, fax, email and webchat, daily from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday to answer customer queries and assist with processing essential orders,’ says Jill Mclellan, commercial director Nikon Optical UK. ‘During the stay home period, we are able to offer 90% of our normal product range with near-normal lead time on most lenses – this includes a full prescription range offering and all glazing/repair services.’
Mclellan also revealed that the company is able to manufacture and glaze safety eyewear for medical use in a wide range of trivex, high base lenses. ‘Providing appropriate frames are sent in, we would welcome any of these orders and be grateful of the chance to support our key workers during this time,’ she adds.
Caledonian Optical
‘We are still offering surfacing and glazing services,’ says Mark Robertson, head of manufacturing at Caledonian Optical. ‘This will cover most emergency patients’ needs. Materials will be limited primarily to CR39 lenses only. For the meantime, we are operating our coating department, but this is only for one to two days per week based on current orders in progress. High index orders will need to be assessed on the availability of the coating department being in production. We can still produce more complex Rx, but again will be based on availability.’
The lab, which is based in Aberdeen, is still seeing a variety of orders coming in ranging from uncoated single vision lenses due to replace broken frames to varifocal orders.
‘The main challenge for remaining open will be if the orders received drops further,’ says Robertson. ‘We are starting to see other places close, so replenishment of stock will be another factor the longer these uncertain times continue.’
Quincey Eyewear
Quincey Eyewear, located in Goonhavern, Cornwall, is well known for its cutting edge technology.
‘We are still operating a full lab system albeit with much reduced staff,’ says John Quincey, managing director at Quincey Eyewear. ‘Being a small unit we have to be multi-skilled. Orders being received are mixed and range from those complex and difficult prescriptions to sports goggles and safety. We will continue to offer what practices need for as long as we can replace stocks of lens and frame materials. Our usual safety visor with prescription insert is out of stock at the moment but we are in the process of arranging an alternative.’
Optimum Coatings
Mark Marland, sales director of Morecambe-based Optimum Coatings, says that he is receiving orders for high prescriptions, repairs and all types of multifocal from hospitals, practices and other labs to make use of Optimum’s freeform production and a special high Rx department.
‘To support our customers, we are keeping them updated regularly and delivering orders to alternative addresses when required,’ says Marland. ‘We are using Dx and Royal Mail for delivery and despatch, collection times are not always consistent during the current situation so at worst case customers might have to wait an extra day in some cases. The principle challenge is balancing a fluctuating workload with staff numbers to ensure we continue to deliver an excellent, timely service.
While Optimum is observing strict protocols to protect staff physically, Marland notes that the company has also ‘provided professional helplines which are available to all staff for mental wellbeing physical health and any financial worries they may have’.
Essilor
Essilor’s Thornbury site remains open for both stock and Rx orders and for glazing.
‘If there are products we cannot source locally or through our global network, we will advise our customers accordingly,’ says Tim Precious, managing director Essilor. ‘Our customer service team is also operating on a reduced level but with adequate cover to support ECPs during these unprecedented times.’
Precious says the priority is to maintain production requirements at the Thornbury site and, although the volume of orders has slowed, Essilor continues to fulfil all orders from ECPs to deliver emergency jobs for patients.
‘The mix of work is pretty normal,’ says Precious. ‘The wellbeing of our workforce is of paramount importance and we are paying very close attention to government guidelines in relation to Covid-19 and following measures. Our employees have adapted well to the current situation, with some of the commercial teams working from home where possible and continuing to be available to support and assist ECPs. For those onsite we are following government guidelines in terms of distancing and additional sanitisation.’
Waterside Labs
Industry stalwart Waterside is opening for at least part of every working day to provide essential services.
‘We are surfacing and glazing but not tinting or coating as we feel these are not essential for emergency supplies,’ says joint managing director Bob Forgan. We are getting requests for things like “can you do a pair of minus 14.00s for a patient who is desperate” or “can you do a pair of high power progressives for another” or “we’ve got a young child patient who can’t see a thing without his specs”. As virtually all our products are manufactured in-house and we have all the latest manufacturing equipment, it means there’s pretty much nothing we can’t supply if need be.’
Forgan also notes the lab has a large inventory of semi-finished or stock lenses and is happy to send finished jobs to practice owners’ home addresses or direct to patients. •