Lens related companies were among the most active at Optrafair, with Southampton-based Waterside Labs demonstrating its range of lens solutions for smart glasses.
The company’s Smart Glass lens technology is designed for use with products including Google Glass, Vuzix M100, Epson Moverio BT-200 and Recon Jet. All these products were available for first-hand demonstration on the Waterside Labs stand.
Waterside managing director Bob Forgan also made two CET presentations on ‘Smart Glasses – the Future of Eyewear’ at the ABDO Theatre during the show, giving insights into the opportunities this sector
‘These are exciting times for the wearables sector and for Waterside,’ comments Forgan. ‘We are forging ahead with our plans to grow the business in established areas and new product sectors – and showcasing our products at leading events such as Optrafair is an important part of our marketing strategy.’
The company was also presenting OptikamPad, its digital measurement and dispensing tool for iPad. ‘Our OptikamPad was certainly a key focus of attention for many,’ says Forgan, ‘possibly prompted by recent media coverage of Specsavers in-store use of iPad applications. Our digital dispensing tool attracted lots of enquiries not least because it’s the leading and most accurate device on the market, taking 10 measurements with just one photo image.’
[CaptionComponent="1272"]Waterside also launched Elysium, a new lens concept complemented by a related lifestyle analysis app.
‘All Elysium progressives take individualised lens designs to a whole new level thanks to Digital Ray-Path Technology,’ comments Forgan. ‘This clever new interactive user friendly on-screen consultation app is available as a free download for the Apple store. It identifies the best Elysium lens design for each individual through a series of steps engineered to evaluate the wearers’ expectations, needs, previous experience and reading habits.’
Sunwear promotions
Nikon’s striking Japanese inspired stand attracted a lot of attention. The company had eye-catching promotions and products on display too. ‘We are launching our sunwear promotion,’ says Amy Salter, area account manager for Nikon. ‘This runs throughout May and June, in which period we are offering 50 per cent off all our sunwear products – Transitions, tints and mirror coatings. As you would expect we believe that the sunwear sector will be a major area of growth over coming months so it is the perfect time to offer this to our customers.’
Salter feels the promotion will be hit with customers. ‘It is early days so far but in the last couple of weeks the customers we’ve spoken to have been very open to it. They’ve been very pleased as it is something that they want to push in their practice as well.
Salter also stresses Nikon’s ability to put prescription lenses into high base curves and wraparound frames. ‘Being able to offer high curve and large diameter lenses makes life easier for practices. We are also launching our progressive Presio Power lens in polarised now and the e-Life range of lenses, which are occupational and lifestyle lenses, are now available with Transitions.’
‘Our SeeCoat Blue coating reduces the amount of blue light and is a great contrast enhancer. It is a big focus at the moment as the role of digital devices has been picked up by the national press and awareness in the consumer market is growing.’
Salter also feels that Nikon Lenswear benefits from consumer awareness of the highly rated Nikon camera brand. ‘Everyone at the consumer side knows Nikon from the camera business so we don’t have to go out and sell the brand – the yellow logo sells itself. No matter how old or young people are they recognise the Nikon brand. This can be helpful to our customers which are independent practices. We work very closely with our independent customers and support them through marketing, the brand and our products.’
Shamir was out in full force in Birmingham with the latest innovations in its Attitude III lens and new coatings. ‘We’ve got a few things going on at the show,’ comments Tanya Storey, product development manager at Shamir. ‘The latest product launches have officially been available since February and these are our main focus at the minute.’
‘Attitude III is a range of fully optimised, individualised freeform lenses developed for use in high wrap large eye size frames. We have had a similar product in the past in Attitude and that’s been around for a few years now. That allowed us to optimise the lens according to the frame, whereas the new product takes more of an insight into the lifestyle of the wearer as well. We are changing the design of the lens according to what they are going to be using them for.’
Shamir now offer a sports and a fashion version of the Attitude III, complementing the single vision version. Storey explains the benefits.
‘A sports person, perhaps a golfer or a runner, as they look down through the lower part of the lens, need a long working distance. But a normal progressive would have a short working distance and become unusable. With the sport design we’ve created a unique power profile using our trademarked IntelliCorridor technology so that we actually push the gradient down so when the sports person is wearing the lenses they have a safe comfortable working distance for the task at hand and can still get full addition power in there.
‘So they can read, fill in scorecards, look at watches or maps – whatever they need to do – but that won’t affect the distance. The lens delivers the right power at the right place.’
The fashion version works in a different way, aiming to take into account people’s increasing use of digital devices. ‘We know if someone reads a book they hold it at about 40cm at about 30 degrees,’ explains Storey. ‘People tend to look at digital devices a little bit higher and a little bit further away. So in a normal progressive the reader has to tilt their head backwards to get the right prescription and that is not comfortable. Using the IntelliCorridor technology but this time raising the add within the design results in a more comfortable product that users can wear for longer. The fashion version, like all Attitude III lenses, can be optimised for the higher wraps and large eye sizes.’
[CaptionComponent="1273"]Shamir’s other recent product launch is in the Glacier lens coating range. ‘For the new Glacier Plus UV, we’ve kept all the features of the original Glacier Plus – so it is durable, super hydrophobic and oleophobic – but now we’ve added a UV element with a back-surface UV coating. Within the Glacier range, we’ve also added an achromatic and, for clear lenses, a blue coat and a sun coat.’
Photochromics
Hoya used its considerable presence at Optrafair to, among other things, promote its Sensity photochromic lens. ‘We are here to talk about lenses and, in particular, our Sensity product,’ comments Andy Sanders, professional services manager, at Hoya Lens UK. ‘Sensity was launched last year and features Stabilight technology, which ensures the lenses perform consistently in varying circumstances. We quote that it is as good as the best of the rest but is faster at clearing – on the way up it goes dark as quickly as other products but is then faster to clear. This is most noticeable in the grey tint.’
[CaptionComponent="1274"]According to Sanders, Sensity has been very well received in the market with both the brown and grey versions free of any pink tinge that is sometimes associated with these types of lenses.
Also of interest is the distortion-free optics offered by lenses using the Avantek mounting system. This system avoids screws and clips, thereby avoiding distortion caused by conventional rimless frames. ‘This provides really clean optics and avoids any intrusion into the viewing zone by screws or other components. It makes a pair of frames very light and we can glaze them with PNX 1.6 and 1.7 index lenses.’
[CaptionComponent="1275"]Hoya was also displaying several customer journey aids designed for use with a tablet. These included the HVC viewer, which enables patients to view the effect different lenses will have on their vision, and centration system visuReal Portable Plus.
‘Our goal is to create a unique patient buying experience in-store that adds up to patient satisfaction and the professionalism of our customer,’ comments Dale Hughes, marketing manager at Hoya Lens UK.
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