I must remark I was rather taken back by the recent leader from the editor encouraging optical supply shopping around. Although it’s quite true spectacle frame supply has changed beyond all recognition from those distant times when it was anchored around a few British manufacturing enterprises to today’s any spare bedroom or garage being the basis of a frame supply company.
However, to paint lens suppliers with the same brush would seem rather disingenuous. There may be a passing similarity between stock spectacle frames and stock single vision lenses but this quickly changes when you consider bespoke prescriptions. The crucial difference is the word stock, materials pre-made in anticipation of a future order. However, 30% of lens manufacturing is for individual prescriptions (Rx) which cannot even start on their manufacturing journey until an order actually arrives.
That lens manufacturing process requires optical technicians with knowledge beyond that of just waving a barcode reader about. Setting up a modern prescription lens laboratory is far more than just installing the latest lens machinery even with today’s expenditure in millions.
The significant differing factor at play is those optical technician’s skills whom as ever find themselves at the bottom of the optical craft food chain. This constant call for lower pricing has moved way beyond any gains in efficiencies of production. Optical buyers short term wins may turn out to be long term own goals but by then most of those buyers will have moved on to something or somewhere else.
We seem to have arrived in an era of expecting everything for nothing with little concern or responsibility to others in the optical supply chain. It is that old adage you get what you pay for. I am surprised the editor travelled this path because the next stage in his journey is to encourage the consumer to similarly shop around which then would bring online supplies into play. The end result spectacle frames and lenses produced, assembled and mailed in from overseas with little need for any optical persons except an OMP or just an APP.
Obviously the editor finds himself in a mid-winter SAD moment. One can but hope when he emerges his travel will be in the opposite direction encouragement to optical buyers to pay that little bit extra for exemplary service, products and attention to the needs of practice emphasising the wonderful gift of corrected vision. For us all to perhaps reflect on current words from the Dean of Gloucester Cathedral ‘we all need more grace in our lives’.