02/22/2020
Are you aware there are hundreds of progressive manufacturers with most declaring their lens is the best!
There are to many, to name them all, but here are a view you may be familiar with, Essilor, Shamir, Hoya, Ziess, Kodak, Transition, Rodenstock, Vision-Ease, Shiko, Kodak etc. etc.
and those brands have many subdivisions under them, Varilux, Sola, Precise, Physio, Comfort, Sync lll, Amplitude and on and on.
Many of these brands are also made into digital, new digital free form, progressives, high definition etc. etc.
Then there are hundreds of labs in the US such as, Walkman Optical, Walkman Optical, VSP Optical, FEA Optical, Classic, Optical, Bell Optical, Chemat, Omega etc. etc. etc...
Plus many of these labs produce their own brands using their state of the art equipment. They may call theirs Power, Eagle etc. etc... Get my drift?
Gives you a moment of pause doesn’t it...
So, where am I going with this? Every eye doctor has their favorite Lab, their favorite Brand and their favorite manufacturer. So is doctor A lens choice for you better than dr B or C (that would be me, the optician) Not necessarily!
It is rare that we as an optician and doctors can not find the perfect progressive for you, as long as the prescription is correct, the measurements are taken correctly, the frame adjusted correctly, we know what you do at home and work etc. etc...
So, Yes, I am still in business, yes I-can order the same lenses as anyone else, yes I can do all measurements, adjustments as well, if not better, then some. Yes. Is my choice as good as anyone else. Yes.
If your still with me let me go just a little further. We as doctors and optician can price the exact same progressive at what ever price we wish and that goes for frames also. The majority of us pay the same wholesale price then price up what we need to cover our expense and to live.
Now why have I posted all of this? Because I want you to know that I am still in business and contrary to what you may have been told I can and do order many of my product from the same companies, brands and labs that they do!!!!. Only my markup rarely needs to be as high because I run my optical shop in my home office by appointment only.
If you choose to stay with your eye doctor or go with an optician, I’m ok with that. What I’m not okay with is my patients being told by their doctor that I can’t get what others get or that my lenses are not as good as theirs. I strive to do the very best for my patient and I hope my patients know that.
That’s it folks, I’m done with my lesson. Bless each and everyone one of you who took the time to read this to the end.