That high-end lenses are very much a fixture of modern optometric practice is clear from the large number of quality entries in the Premium Lens Practice of the Year category.
Kate Hattersley Opticians, which won, revealed in its entry the determination to be ahead of the field in trialling new ophthalmic lenses rather than relying on manufacturer information. The independent practice in Earlsdon, Coventry explained that lens trial comparisons, including trying out new developments from manufacturers other than its suppliers, give it confidence when recommending premium lenses.
Dispensing optician James Dawson, who has worked at the practice for six years, says that these trials, which fish out some under-performing lenses, enable the practice to match up the product well to customers when they have a full consultation.
The practice does not prejudge what a person can afford, letting them decide if they want a product on price reasons alone or to make use of the best products on the market. 'We deal with all the big companies in the lens market and tailor our prices according to specification. There is always a cheaper option, but we find our customers have always wanted us to show skill in what we do and to give them a reason as to why they should spend more of their hard-earned cash.'
Customer feedback supported the entry, including: 'Just picked up my really expensive glasses, never paid this much before. Thankfully I can see why they are so much more expensive. Have to say they have been worth the money...' and 'Well, have to say you were right, even though I resisted varifocals until now, I wish I had got them ages ago. I am still glad I went for the better one as I think I would have struggled much more with that lower grade one.'
The practice automatically changes its recommendation when an improved version of an existing lens product is brought out, for example immediately updating customers on the launch of Crizal Forte with Scotchgard or informing existing photochromic wearers about the launch of Transitions VI. 'With the use of Transitions samples we demonstrate to all our customers the potential benefits, and we are educating, enticing, offering advice, tying in the fashion element, and learning about our consumers. We actively make use of supplier offers, like try and buy, where they can exchange if not happy, so we put our money where our mouth is. This has led to 99.9 per cent of our photochromic sales being Transitions VI, as well as a higher uptake of the product.'
Crizal Forte with Scotchgard now accounts for some 90 per cent of all its anti-reflective lenses. Dawson explains that the practice does not price lenses without a coating and even absorbs some of the cost of upgrading to Forte. Again, it makes the most of a demonstration kit - showing the anti-static and easy cleaning properties of the new-generation coatings compared to older versions. Some 99 per cent of all lenses dispensed are coated.
The practice targets varifocal wearers and potential wearers with premium lenses, its top seller being the Essilor Varilux Physio F360. Other options are the Zeiss Individual and GT2 3D, as well as the Rodenstock Impressions freesign.
'We do seem to attract those customers who want and appreciate the benefits of customised lenses and would not flinch at their cost,' says the entry.
A high volume of vocational lenses are also dispensed, including Rodenstock Nexima and Nexima Impressions, Essilor's Interview, Varilux Computer and its Anti-Fatigue lens, while single-vision offerings include Nikon Seemax and Rodenstock Impressions mono. Zeiss glass lenses are used for particularly high prescriptions.
When it comes to rimless dispensing, polycarbonates and 1.67 materials are used, with polycarbonate or Trivex recommended to children and protective eyewear promoted for sports vision. Maui Jim is a best seller in Rx sunglasses. 'We supply about 99 per cent of our sunglasses with polarised lenses and always with a back-surface MAR. We deliberately choose our sunglass styles so that they have the possibility to be glazed, with the exception of the Maui Jim shield, which has an unsurpassed optically distortion free surface across the whole lens.'
The Maui Jim Polage polarised demonstration unit is used to show how much better a polarised lens can be, while Essilor's Visio Office is used to demonstrate Transitions and tint options in the frames on faces module.
The practice uses Essilor Open View, Rodenstock Sports curved and Shamir Attitude, with a 'huge portfolio of products in this area including varifocal, bifocal, polarised, Drivewear, Transitions as well as fashion tints and mirrors'.
Sports specific and medical tints are also provided, from the Adidas trail lens to Essilor Sports solutions, with tints for conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa in the Norville Dot Com range. The practice has also had success with Drivewear, which Dawson describes as a specialist lens, that is explained with care as an alternative to normal photochromics, but not for evening use.
Lens developments are mentioned in reminder letters, window displays are given over to promote the latest lens developments and the practice now has the Premium Lens Practice of the Year award in a prime position. ?
