Separate from the staples of practice business, a number of accessories and smaller items were being showcased at Optrafair 2019. These products can help make a practice stand out by adding flare, convenience or that little bit extra.
The Eye Doctor
Compress specialists, The Eye Doctor, was at Optrafair Exchange to showcase its latest development – its sterilised hot compress.
The company’s own research over the course of three years claimed that not all bacteria is killed during the 30 second heating process in a microwave, as is usually assumed. In response, it has imbued its compress with an anti-bacteria agent that is bound to the fabric to prevent harmful bacteria reaching the eye.
‘Sterileyes is a dry eye breakthrough,’ says Sam Wymer, sales director at the Eye Doctor. ‘Contrary to popular belief, not all bacteria are killed in the microwave. Sterileyes is bound permanently to the fibres of our fabrics to provide effective antibacterial protection against potentially harmful bacteria. Why risk it?’
The family run business was also keen to promote its personalised product range, which can deliver bespoke packaging to customers through a personalised sleeve with the practice brand on. They come with a low minimum order and work well as a marketing tool.
Finally, it has also invested in ready readers that can be hidden or fastened to either the back of a phone or a key ring. They have been working with a US company to bring the products over to the UK and are the sole distributor in the country.
ThinOptics
‘The Eye Doctor is very pleased and excited to officially launch ThinOptics into the UK and Ireland,’ says Wymer. ‘Ready readers that are always with you, these unique reading glasses come in four strengths and three different designs.’
E.W.Morris
E.W.Morris, who says it houses ‘the UK’s largest selection of specialist labels and display equipment for the jewellery and optical trades’, was at Optrafair to display its wide range of optical accessories and products.
One of the more interesting lines in the cohort was its display boxes and cases. Coming in either leather or faux leather, they are designed for use in practice as a dispense tool or to sell to patients with multiples frames who want to keep them in one, stylish place at home.
The company had previously experimented with display trays and, when they proved successful, then branched out to frame carry cases and display boxes that come in multiple sizes, with different colourways for the outside of the case and the flocking within.
Stephen Whale, managing director of E.W.Morris, said: ‘These new products are the latest addition to our range, complementing our beautiful range of dispensing trays. The cases, boxes and trays are all manufactured using real or synthetic leather and are available in many different colour options.
‘The interiors of the cases are either white satin or a coloured flocked material. We have chosen to expand this range of products as we are aware that the presentation of frames to the patient is becoming more important than ever before.’
Centrostyle
‘Accessories are taking up less and less space in practice,’ says Kevin Gutsell, director of Centrostyle, who was launching the company’s new Airport range at Optrafair this year. ‘We need to promote accessories more and we hope this range can do that.’
The new Airport collection is a range of items including chains, cases, pendants, readers, sunglasses and frames. Gutsell says it is a ‘careful selection of materials, with art and culture impressions from across the globe’.
Centrostyle’s Airport collection
Some notable members of the new range are Centrostyle’s leather or aluminium chains and cords, which combine functionality with a desirable aesthetic, and its new line of magnetic glasses cases made from aluminium that come in multiple designs and finishes. A key message from the company was that it wanted its new collection to stand out and give the accessories a certain level of exposure in practice.
‘Each product type comes with Airport visibility and display to give it prominence and has a journey and style of its own,’ adds Gutsell.
Bondeye
At one of the larger stands at Optrafair, silver sponsor Bondeye was showcasing all manner of accessories and consumables. Its new range of cases come in five distinct styles all with their own finishing options and colour schemes. Launched at Optrafair, the cases can be turned around in three weeks, can feature customised embossing on the outside of the case, and contain a foil or print of practice details on the inside.
Bondeye’s customisable product
‘The launch of our new personalised merchandising range gives opticians excellent quality products at fair prices,’ says Dave Walker, sales director at Bondeye. ‘Own branding plays an important part in promoting businesses and boosts retention through returning customers. Bondeye’s award winning service delivers some items within three weeks so we’re a great choice when considering your next bespoke order.’
In addition, Bondeye had yet more customisable products on display to tempt delegates. Its collection of bespoke labels for lens sprays and cleaners helps further build a practice’s brand recognition and, with a minimum order quantity of 500, they are not going to break the bank.
‘For a small fee we can even design some imagery and artwork for you if you want something specific,’ adds Walker.
Kycloth
South Korean microfibre cloth company Kycloth was showcasing its range of anti-fog cleaning cloths that have been chemically treated to reduce fog when they are used on the lens surface. The technology was developed last year through the company’s own research and the cloths have been selling well since in the 60 countries where Kycloth currently operates.
James Yun, sales representative for the UK and EU, says that production pressure and technological advancements from competitors in places such as China, which can now produce good quality but cheap microfibre cloths, mean the company has invested heavily in R&D to develop more sophisticated products.
‘Pressure from China, which is starting to make similar quality products to our old ones, means R&D is necessary for us to stand out,’ explains Yun.
In line with this, Kycloth says it has also been working to refine its printed cloths by removing 12 harmful chemicals, which it claims are bad for eye health as chemicals on the cloth get transferred to the lens and sit near to the surface of the eye. A certificate from OEKO-TEX, a Swiss body that tests for harmful chemicals in the textile industry, was on hand to prove to customers that the chemicals had been removed.
The Eyebag Company
Celebrating its 15th anniversary, The EyeBag Company was at Optrafair to showcase its latest products as well as to publicise the work the company has put in to make its EyeBags sustainable. In keeping with today’s ethical business trends it has invested in making EyeBags and its packaging 100% biodegradable.
The EyeBag
Sarah Gurney, company secretary, says: ‘The EyeBag itself has been 100% biodegradable for some time as it’s made from silk and 100% brushed black cotton and filled with flax. We recommend to our customers that once the product has come to the end of its life, cut it open, remove the flax and dispose of it with food waste. The outer cloth goes into material recycling.’
Although the actual product has been biodegradable for a while, the company has gone further to ensure that the packaging used will also be sustainable and will use less plastic. ‘On our next production run the box varnish we have used until now will be replaced with a fully biodegradable machine coating. We have already replaced the plastic security seals with paper ones,’ adds Gurney.
The EyeBag Company’s philosophy is that ‘simple is best’, in that any inconvenience to the wearer will reduce usage and therefore the treatment benefits of the product. Key features of the EyeBag include its microwave decontamination properties – something confirmed by Aston University – that removes the risk of having peri-ocular skin close to detergents and a strapless design that does not apply unnecessary pressure on the closed eyelids that reduces ‘perfusion pressure’, which Gurney says makes the EyeBag stand out from competitors.
Chick
Starting in Italy in 2007, the Chick brand can now be found selling children’s spectacles in over 60 countries. Made in Europe, the glasses, which are designed for children from the ages of two to 14, come in three different materials: acetate, metal or flexible TR90 plastic.
Chick children’s spectacles
The TR90 range is lightweight and non-allergenic with flexible hinges that allow the temples to bend 180 degrees, meaning a safe design for playing children. The range comes in 12 different colour schemes, and are coloured both inside and out so damage or scratches to the frame do not change the colour. With interchangeable fronts and temples, the TR90 range will be popular with those kids who like to experiment with colours and styles. Its temples are also able to be shortened by up to 50% to ensure good fit.
Chick representative at Optrafair Exchange, Antonio Ferretto, was there to find a UK distributor for Chick products. ‘I’m here because I believe that the UK market is a very strategic market in Europe and we would like to develop more the distribution of our products,’ says Ferretto. ‘We already sell to about 70 optical shops around the country, but we are wanting to find a UK-based distributor or some agents to help us with daily work instead of only three days a year like it happens now with the shows.’