1 Insight Spring 2010

Page title

Insight The Professional Magazine of Essilor UK Ltd

Summer 2010

NEWSVARILUXPHYSIO2.0PERSONALISEDLENSESVARILUXCOMFORTNE

welcomeContents4-7 NewsEyecode personalisation, Xperio polarised lenses, the new Crizal family, new Varilux Comfort New Edition, safety at Essilor, going to the World Cup with Mr Blue, Varilux Specialist Opticians trip to Miami, Insight on line, downloadable practice videos.

9 The Optician Environment AwardWe look at how Essilor won The Optician’s award.

10 Varilux Starter LensesHelping you make that vital first Varilux sale.

10-11 Varilux Physio 2.0Varilux Physio 2.0 - taking high-resolution vision to the next level.

12-13 Personalised LensesPersonalisation - 5x higher precision which makes the difference.

14-15 Eyecode and VisiofficeEllis and Kilpartrick dispenser Louise Barrington gives a revealing first impression of personalised lenses.

16-17 The New Crizal FamilyFighting the five enemies of clear vision with Crizal.

18-19 Varilux Comfort New Edition Out with the old and in with the new with the new Varilux Comfort replacement lens.

20-21 Varilux Physio 2.0 Technical White Paper A detailed look at the thinking behind the new Varilux Physio 2.0 lens.

24-25 Smart Move 2010 for Transitions The information on this important summer promotion.

26-27 Working With Essilor Making sure you’re making the most of everything we have to offer.

Hello,

well there can’t be much doubt that personalised lenses is the focus of this issue of Insight. A look at what’s happening in optics shows that there’s a revolution going on in personalised lenses. I’m also sure that what seems revolutionary today will be absolutely routine in a year or two from now.

It’s a perfect example of why it’s so important to keep up with what’s happening in the profession, as well as the business, of optics. Everyday dispensing isn’t enough any more; the successful practices are the ones that are open minded to innovation. It’s where your customers will benefit from the differentiation and the profit is to be made.

Visioffice is at the heart of personalised lenses as it’s so much more straightforward to dispense these lenses with it. It helps demonstrate lenses too, so it’s very good at earning its keep. Whenever we speak to practices that have one, they all say that it has raised sales very noticeably. I’ve also heard people say that they found it hard to imagine that any machine can dispense as accurately as they do themselves. It’s pretty clear that users get to trust it implicitly and learn to appreciate that it leaves them free to get on with the important business of offering their pateints the best possible solutions.

I’m very taken with Eyecode which gives very impressive results. We all want to deliver the best for our customers and there’s no doubt that the clearest possible vision is at the heart of it. There’s an excellent article on Eyecode in this issue.

But there’s new products too as we’ve two important launches in this issue. The Crizal range has been improved and more closely linked to the needs of its users, which is of course critical to the success any product.

Some might say that we’ve left the best till last and that may well be the case with Varilux Physio 2.0. Varilux Physio has been a phenomenon and this new version takes it a whole leap forward. I hear that somewhere in the world, there’s a Varilux Physio dispensed every ten seconds and this update is bound to maintain that.

I wish you all a very successful summer.

Marc TersigniManaging DirectorEssilor UK Limited

4 Insight Summer 2010

News

EyEcodE takEs lEns pErsonalisation to nEw hEights

Xperio is a new brand of polarised lenses that brings together the very best designs with mate-rials from Essilor. Xperio polarised lenses are supe-rior to ordinary tinted lenses because they deliver:

• glare reduction• true colour perception• unmatched clarity of vision• superior scratch resistance • 100% UVA and UVB protection.

It means that Xperio allows wearers to experi-ence the world more safely and more comfortably.

The filter is a thin optical film that contains dichroic molecules directionally aligned so they block polarised light.

Rolls of dyed polyvinyl alcohol are heated and stretched so their molecules align in one orien-tation. The film is a dichroic material with the combination of colouring agents, which provide the final lens colour. n

New Xperio lenses - for comfort and safety

Eyecode is the technology that makes real per-sonalisation in lenses possible. Its name perfectly describes what it does - Eyecode reveals the unique code of every human eye.

Eyecode is linked to Visioffice technology, Essilor’s universal measuring system. Every human eye is unique and previous lens designs were created on the assumption that the eye rotation centre (ERC) is the same for every eye,

when in fact, it varies greatly. Its axial length can vary by 30% on a case-by-case basis which can have a dramatic effect on the quality of vision.

To dispense Eyecode lenses, you will need Essilor’s universal measuring system Visioffice. The ERC measurement can only be obtained through Visioffice but the results are at a highest possible level of accuracy.

Eyecode lenses are calculated using the exact ERC for each wearer and give an optical accuracy of 5 times greater lens precision than is possible without Eyecode.

We’ve new patient literature available (see above) to help explain the benefits of Eyecode to your customers.

Click here for more information about Eyecode. n

News

Summer 2010 Insight 5

thE insidE story on thE crizal familyThe new Crizal range for 2010 has now been launched.

The range is the first in the UK to include smudge resistance as standard, across the entire range.

The concept behind the Crizal range is that there are five enemies of clear vision and that each prod-uct should deliver a different set of benefits, according to the wearer’s needs and budget.

The five enemies of clear vision are reflections, smudges, scratches, dust and water.

Top of the range Crizal Forte fights the five enemies of clear vision with a high standard of quality. Its ability to repel water is at a level that’s unique to Essilor.

Crizal Alizé has become Crizal Alizé + with the addition of dust repellence.

New Crizal Easy replaces Trio Easy and is the ideal introduc-tion to the key benefits of AR technology. It gives a good quality pro-tection at a very affordable price and on a greater selection of materials.

Crizal Sun, as the name implies, is designed for use with sunglasses and scores highly on smudge resistance and UV protection.

Essilor has identified three basic consumer types for AR lenses: value for money seekers, comfort seekers and premium seekers and the range includes at least one option for each, as well as the specialist Crizal Sun coating.

For more information on the new Crizal range, click here. n

Varilux Comfort becomes Varilux Comfort New Edition

Varilux Comfort will be completely replaced by a new and improved design, Varilux Comfort New Edition. It is Digitally Surfaced on a brand-new semi-finished lens and

offers all the advantages of Varilux Comfort.For more information about Varilux Comfort New

Edition click here. n

going to the world cup with mr BlueIf you’re a fan of England’s football team you might have heard that there’s going to be a World Cup happening in South Africa this June! If you already knew about this, you might find yourself feeling a little envious if you read on...

Anyone who purchased a Mr Blue edger in March and April stood the chance of winning one of five trips for two, including flights, hotels and most important of all, match tickets, for England versus Algeria on 17th June in the Green Point Stadium, in the beautiful city of Cape Town.

The lucky winners were: James Conway of Dipple & Conway, Paul Roberts of Optical Services Blackpool, Simon Kearsel of Harts Eyecare Ltd., Dominic Tunnell of G Tunnell Opticians and Rohin Tuli of Optikal.

Congratulations to all the lucky winners! n

News

6 Insight Summer 2010

Essilor Ltd has recently been awarded OHSAS18001:2007, the internationally recognised standard for occupational health and safety management.

This evidences the policy of the business to ensure all employees, visitors and subcontractors at Essilor can be fully confident that activities and processes are completely safe in operation.

Lloyds Registered Quality Assurance (LRQA) conducted the intensive audit over five days and commented positively

on the high standards of safety management and the posi-tive engagement of all employees.

This safety award builds on our existing certification to ISO9001 for quality and ISO14001 for environmental management. Essilor’s UK Head of Q, S & E Julian Dobson commented that “Essilor customers can be assured of our strong social responsibility and that safety and environmental practices are best in the industry”. n

safety first at Essilor

News

Summer 2010 Insight 7

If you’re a Varilux Specialist Optician, you may recall the Varilux ‘Passport’ Promotion which ran from June till August last year. All VSOs were invited to participate and we took 120 lucky VSOs to the Ritz Carlton Miami in South Beach in April this year.

Guests were given plenty of free time to enjoy the facilities of the five-star hotel as well as a trip to the Everglades National Park for an airboat ride.

This event included a trip on the fabulous Biscayne Lady luxury yacht for a dinner cruise.

Other excursions included the use of catamarans for an afternoon followed by dinner at the upscale Yuca Cuban restaurant - with Salsa lessons included.

miami trip for Vsos

Golfers had the opportunity to play the famous Doral ‘Blue Monster’ course. While for others, there was an opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of Miami on our Art Deco

walking tour. The trip included a fare-well gala dinner at the hotel (above).

Participants enjoyed a wonderful experience and said they looked for-ward for the next VSO promotion. n

insight - now it’s digital only

Nothing is for ever any more and Insight keeps changing too. Until now we’ve been printing Insight while also uploading a copy onto the website.

That’s changing, as from now on, we’ll be making Insight an online-only magazine.

You’ll still find that Insight’s the best magazine for keeping up with the news from Essilor and it gives us an oppor-tunity to go into more depth with some articles when we didn’t have the space before.

It’s still full of really interesting background articles with regular inter-

views with optical practition-ers like yourself.

It also gives us an oppor-tunity to make Insight an interactive magazine to enable you to contact us or jump to our website. n

Insight The Professional Magazine of Essilor UK Ltd

Summer 2010

NEWSVARILUXPHYSIO2.0PERSONALISEDLENSESVARILUXCOMFORTNE

download movies for your practice flatscreen tVDid you know that you can now down-load high quality consumer product movies for your practice flat screen?

Just click here and we’ll take you to the webpage where you can download one of several videos for your practice or website.

It’s easy to do - you’ll find there’s full instructions on the website and you’ll soon notice that they’ll really catch your customers’ eye! n

Introducing

Because a demanding lifedemands a better lens

Learn more about this new generation of modern progressive lens by contacting your Essilor Account Manager, calling 01454 281281 or visiting www.essilor.co.uk

Natural Vision at any distance and any task

95%* of wearers feel comfortable

while reading with Varilux comfort®

New Edition Lenses

Life has never been more demanding on your patients’ eyes.

New technologies, lifestyles and work habits are now exposing presbyobes to a whole host of new vision challenges. To meet these new demands, Varliux has introduced Varliux Comfort® New Edition - a totally new lens that provides an even higher level of performance than the current gold standard, Varliux Comfort®. Via its exclusive Total Comfort System it is able to offer your patients:

• Repositioned near vision – for more comfortable posture when using modern, miniaturised technology

• Improved acuity, breadth and accuracy – reducing eyestrain created by so many pixel-based digital screens

• Wider fields of vision – for more dynamic sight across distance and near vision (increased by almost 25%)

• Enhanced fluidity – for quick and seamless movement between the lenses’ different optimised zones

• Improved aesthetics – lenses are now even thinner so they can be fitted into a wider range of fashion frames

* Wearers test performed by the Optometrics Centre & Institute of Bures sur Yvette (France)

Environmental Award

Summer 2010 Insight 9

Essilor wins Optician Environment Award - and it’s just a startEssilor has developed and is implementing a rigor-ous environmental policy over recent years and the hard work of Director of Quality, Safety and Environment Julian Dobson and his team has been recognised with the reward of Optician magazine’s prestigious Environment Award for 2010.

This award recognises that Essilor has gone well beyond the requirement of meeting the demanding legislative responsibilities demanded of all compa-nies, especially those involved in manufacture. It means that Essilor is in fact ahead of the legislation following best-practice approaches to environmen-tal issues. Essilor operates an open-door approach to customers, suppliers and authorities.

The Essilor Group has also signed the Global Compact which means that the Group has signed up to the United Nations policy on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

Essilor UK was the first laboratory in the Group to gain ISO14001 - a recognition of the quality of the company’s good procedures and control.

It goes further, as Essilor’s policy is that anyone working with or supplying the company is a link in the quality chain, which means that suppliers have to be audited too. Even marketing materials are required to be FSC compliant.What does the future hold?Essilor’s now focussing on waste handling so that good practices are consistent across all the loca-tions in which the company operates. In fact, the intention is for all waste to be recycled.

One of the major offensives will be against water wastage to ensure that the company’s water usage is reduced to an absolute minimum. The target is to reduce water consumption across the operation by a demanding 30%.

Essilor is also working with the stakeholders including the Local Council to develop a series of environmental initiatives. Importantly, the entire workforce has also been involved in the programme with a high-level involvement campaign from the Board down.

Winning the Optician’s Environmental Award for 2010 was a great boost to Essilor, as it recog-nised how far the company has come in terms of its environmental policies, but the view from the Essilor Board is that it is a no more than step on the road the company has chosen to follow.

For further information, please contact Essilor. In addition, Essilor is producing a video to explain what is happening in more detail. When it is completed you will be able to view it on the Essilor website. n

the award means that Essilor is in fact ahead of the leg-

islation following

best-practice approaches

to envi-ronmental

issues

Julian Dobson with the material for tomorrow’s newspapers

Varilux Starter

10 Insight Summer 2010

Varilux startEr lEnsEs

Opticians are well aware that getting their customers into that all-important first pair of Varilux is the critical sale, for once they have made the decision to try Varilux, custom-ers rarely want to down-trade to an inferior presbyopic correction.

That’s where the Varilux Starter Initiative comes in.Varilux Starter is a pricing initiative, not just a time-limited promotion. Early presbyopes are entering the world of optics all the time and Varilux Starter pricing means that practices can offer a very significant cost saving to early presbyopes choosing Varilux for the first time.

This pricing initiative is applied to Varilux Comfort New Edition, Varilux Comfort Advans, Varilux Ellipse, Varilux Ellipse Advans, Varilux Liberty and Varilux Liberty Short.

It is also applied to lens coatings Crizal Forte, Crizal Alizé+, Crizal Easy, Crizal Sun and also to Transitions.

As this new pricing initiative is designed to help convert early presbyopes, it is applied to low additions, from 0.75 to 1.25.Varilux Starter PricingThe new pricing means that the lenses shown above will receive an extra 20% discount off the optician catalogue price. Your current discount will also apply. n

>>

Taking Vision To The Next Level With Wave 2.0 TechnologyThe launch of Varilux Physio in 2006 has proved to be a revolution for presbyopia. It brought together two new technologies, WAVE and Advanced Digital Surfacing, to create a lens that simply could not have been made before.

The result was Varilux Physio which world-wide has already sold over 20 million lenses with a new lens being dispensed every 10 seconds. Best of all, research has shown that 97% of existing wearers are fully satisfied with Varilux Physio.

Modern advanced digital surfacing technologies have meant that new varifocal designs can be realised much quicker than before. It has meant that Essilor has now launched Varilux Physio 2.0 - an upgrade that replaces Varilux Physio.New Varilux Physio 2.0Wave technology has meant that researchers can take account of an entire beam of light going through the eye, whatever the direction of gaze.

That technology has just taken a major leap forward with Wave 2.0 which adds the ability to take account of the diameter of the wearer’s pupil.A New Behavioural ModelThe diameter of the wearer’s pupil might seem a small detail, but it certainly isn’t. Pupil diameters can vary between 2mm and 8mm and the optical needs of one size are very different to the other. Essilor has developed a behavioural model that allows the pupil size to be meas-ured in all situations.

It allows the constraining pupil diameters to be mapped and included in the lens calculations.

Distance affects pupil size, the closer the object, the smaller the pupil. The pupil will enlarge in poor light and older people tend to have smaller pupils too. The power of the lens also plays a part, as a plus power will magnify the beam of light and a minus lens will reduce it.

Previously, lenses have been a compromise, with designs based on predetermined and fixed diameters.

Varilux Physio 2.0 allows mapping by prescription and for every prescription, a precise, adjusted mapping of the

Varilux Physio 2.0 - ta

Varilux Physio 2.0

Varilux Physio 2.0 - taking high-resolution vision to the next level

Wearer Benefits

Varilux Physio Varilux Physio 2.0

DistanceVision

Superior visual sharpness(Coma control) IMPROVED

IntermediateVision

Wider fields of vision(Axis control) IMPROVED

NearVision

Greater visual and postural comfort

(Power control)IMPROVED

High Resolution VisionHigh Resolution Vision

as never seen before• Whatever the situation• Whatever the light conditions

✔

✔

✔

It enables wearers to see detail

more clearly, enjoying

wider fields of clear

vision and unequalled

contrast

most constraining pupil diameters is implemented into the lens calculation.

This new behavioural model enables us to map constricting pupil diameters for each wearer. This is integrated into the design of each lens to deliver unmatched performance for wearers. This is protected by patent.Real Wearer BenefitsVarilux Physio delivered High Resolution Vision but Varilux Physio 2.0 takes it a stage further ena-bling wearers to see detail more clearly, enjoy-ing wider fields of clear vision and unequalled contrast.Wearer Power, Focimeter PowerAll Varilux Physio 2.0 lenses are calculated in Wearer Power which brings the sphere and astig-matic powers into actual wearing situations.

Focimeter Power adjusts the parameters to correspond to the prescription, measured with a

focimeter thereby allowing the optician to control the lens more easily.

The result of the new lens is that coma control is improved for sharper distance vision.

Its axis control is also improved for wider intermediate vision and its power control deliv-ers greater visual and postural comfort in near vision.The Varilux Physio 2.0 RangeThe range now includes Varilux Physio 2.0 f-360o which takes account of the five main fitting condi-tions and Varilux Physio 2.0 Short, which delivers excellent performance in smaller frames.Varilux Physio 2.0 and EyecodeEyecode is an additional option with Varilux Physio 2.0 that enables dispensers to measure the Eye Rotation Centre (ERC) in 3D giving lenses that are even more personalised, are five times more precise and deliver instant and effortless vision. For more information click here. n

Summer 2010 Insight 11

pErsonalisation5x HIGHER PRECISIONMAKES THE DIFFERENCE

12 Insight Summer 2010

Lens dispensing

Over recent years Varilux lens performance has quickly developed with the introduction of new designs and, as importantly, personalisation. This article will focus on the personalised lenses avail-able from Essilor and highlight the reason behind and the opportunity this category offers your patient.

The most appropriate starting point is to con-sider the key varifocal categories that exist in the UK today for everyday usage. Prescription and Dispensing Data

The most dispensed category can be defined as Universal Varifocals which are varifocal designs that can be ordered with:

•Patientprescription•PDs(monocularideally)•Fittingheights(againmonocularideally).The lens supplier will then use theoretical values

to calculate and manufacture the lens. Personal-ised lenses still require the above measurements though unlike universal, personalised lenses also require additional parameters which are used in the final lens calculation to ensure the perform-ance is tailored to the end user.

So the big difference between the categories is the removal of theoretical ‘average’ values. A rudimentary analogy would be the difference between an ‘off the peg’ suit and a ‘tailored’ one. In doing so, personalised lenses greatly enhance the visual performance for the end user by refining the calculation.

Let’s consider the options that exist within personalised Varilux lenses:Eyecode™ DataIn January, Eyecode personalisation was launched in the UK. The most important first point is that Eyecode is not a new design but a revolutionary new personalisation that can be applied to pre-mium Varilux and Essilor single vision designs.

Eyecode personalisation acts on the exact 3D position of a wearer’s eye rotation centre (ERC) in relation the lens back vertex, which can vary by up to 30%.

Applying the exact 3D ERC position to the lens calculation greatly optimises the optical perform-ance by ensuring the optimised areas of the lens correspond to every possible gaze direction.

This ensures that the design features are perfectly calculated for each position of the lens used by the eye in every possible gaze direction. In doing so, Eyecode personalised lenses are up to five times more optically precise compared to lenses that use a theoretical ERC position.Frame DataThis considers the lens position on the wearer’s face, which has a significant effect on the orien-tation and size of the areas of clear vision. Of particular importance are:

•Vertex Distance Measurement from corneal apex to back vertex of the lens, which affects the relative size of clear vision areas

•Pantoscopic Angle The degree of lens tilt on the wearer’s face. Again, the particular effect is on areas of clear vision

•Wrap Angle The inclination of the lens due to the frame bow has an effect on the inset position of the near vision point, therefore the position of the intermediate corridor.

Personalising a Varilux design with specific frame data allows the rear surface calculation to reposition the inset of the near vision point. This ensures the areas of clear vision match the wearer’s eye path as it travels down the lens to

Y 

X 

Z 

Eye

Y 

X 

Z 

Eye

eye data

Y 

X 

Z 

Behaviour

Y 

X 

Z 

Behaviourbehaviour data

Frame

Frameframe data

>>

observe intermediate and near objects.Behavioural Data

Every person has a unique strategy as to how they observe objects in their periphery. Some people rotate their head (in effect, point their nose at what they look at), some maintain their head position and rotate their eyes while others adopt a mixed approach with both head and eye rota-tion. The ratio of head/eye rotation is rooted in each person, is stable over time and not in anyway linked to gender, prescription or age.

The only way to uncover the exact behaviour is through the use of Visioffice, a universal measur-ing system that identifies the head/eye ratio, along with the stability of this behaviour.

Varilux Ipseo New Edition is the only lens available in the UK today that considers the head/eye ratio and stability coefficient with regard to its design calculation.

This information is an important factor in generating a design tailored to specific behaviours; head movers tend to be more vulnerable to the ‘swim sway’ effect whereas eye movers need wider visual fields as they use a greater area of the lens.

Varilux engineers recently refined Varilux Ipseo New Edition as they uncovered the surface on which the design is added had an effect on performance. Head movers preferred a design in which low levels of aberrational astigmatism were positioned on the rear surface in doing so, they stabilised the image. Eye movers conversely, had a significant preference for the wide visual field design to be on the front surface, as this increases the magnification of near objects. Visioffice measuring system

A joint technology combining the expertise of Essilor lens Research and Development engineers with the state-of-the-art Activisu software, has lead to the development of the Visioffice universal measuring system. This all-encompassing, in-practice 3D measuring unit facilitates the meas-urement of all Essilor personalised lenses, includ-

ing Eyecode, quickly and to an extreme accuracy. Many other functions include:

•Patient demos that highlight the benefits, lens features, including personalisation and what the can deliver to the wearer.

•Frame selection interface that takes pho-tographs and/or videos of the wearer to help them select frame colour and style.

•Filing system for personal data, including Eyecode information.

SummaryToday, more than ever before, the options

we can offer wearers are extensive. Personalised lenses offer an opportunity to ensure the highest level of optical performance to all patients.

To find out more about Eyecode click here. For more information about Visioffice click here. n

Personalised lenses

Summer 2010 Insight 13

Visioffice

14 Insight Summer 2010

Practice Focus

>>

How are you getting along with Visioffice?It’s brilliant. It is fantastic. It’s a wonderful opportunity and it’s so much better than the old Vision Print System - there wasn’t enough of it, if you know what I mean.

VPS was OK when it first came out but it doesn’t quite look the part any more. You say to customers that Visioffice is a special machine and it looks it too.

It’s great. Clients are wowed by it - they love it.What do they like about it?They like the feeling of it being the latest thing and I say that it gives us accurate readings of things that were just averages before. A lot of our customers work on computers, as we all do nowadays, and they get what it’s about straight away. If I was to say that we can use Visioffice or get at them with a marker pen, they’ll choose Visioffice.Do you use Visioffice on everyone?Not for standard varifocals. They’re old technology, so we just take the usual measurements in the conventional way. But that has an effect too. Customers say they want to go on ‘the new one’ because they’ve never seen it before.

Our Bath practice is all wood and dark panelling and to have this totally modern machine makes it look state of the art too. People love Visioffice - it really stands out.

We use it on single vision and varifocals because once you get to a certain prescription, it’s not going to add to the cost of the lenses but the extra measurements mean they are going to get better vision at the end of it.

Lots of these people have had spectacles all their lives and have got used to thick and heavy lenses and we can make it better now. It’s about giving a service, isn’t it?I was thinking that where we are now with lenses and frames is, in a way, getting like where we were a hundred years ago, with bespoke products - everything made to order. The results are a bit different though!

When I tell people that these lenses are being made for you alone, they say “yes please, yes please I want them!” People have had enough of average products in all areas, they want something special. Even if they don’t go for Eyecode the first

Louise Barrington, Ellis & Kilpartrick

Eyecode. What’s it like in practice?We’ve written a lot about Eyecode in this issue but what really matters is what dispensers think of it. So we asked Ellis & Kilpartrick’s Louise Barrington, an early adopter of Eyecode, how it was going down in their Bath practice.

once people have worn good quality eyecare, they don’t go

back to everyday lenses

Ellis & Kilpartrick - Eyecode in use

Summer 2010 Insight 15

time, they go away and think and talk to others about it.Do you think Visioffice is accurate?I think it’s really good. When you first start using it you wonder if it’s up to it but it’s really accurate.Did you already have Visioffice when you got Eyecode?No. I wanted it since I first saw it but putting it with Eyecode makes it worth it. I trialled it some while ago and it was fantastic. We don’t use its demonstration module with everyone but some-times people need to see what they’re getting.

The module that shows four pictures of a frame on your face isn’t something I use all the time but last week we had a six-year old girl in who was about +8.00, so she can’t see what she looks like and she was pretty excited and so were her parents. It was really nice for us too.

Sometimes I think we’ve been thinking we’re just opticians, which of course we are, but we are in retail too and I’m not sure everyone can accept that in the end, they have to be able to sell.It’s true of life, we all have to sell ourselves. They had to sell themselves when they went to University, or they wouldn’t have got in.Yes. No-one thinks there’s anything wrong with that. Selling’s really a matter of identifying some-one’s needs and doing what you can to meet them. It’s certainly not a hard sell and part of it is selling yourself and the service you offer. Anyone can get the same lenses as we dispense somewhere else, it’s how we go about it that counts. Have you used Eyecode to market the practice?We haven’t yet but we I think that we will. We’ve only had it a month and some people have man-aged to find out about it on the Internet and have come to us as result. We’d like to look at how we can do more of this.

We have a new system for letters that means we can add specific paragraphs for particular people, we should put Eyecode in that.I know Essilor has written some copy for VSOs for just that use and for websites, so just ask them and they’ll pass it on to you.That’s a good point, we should put it on the website too. We’re looking at making Eyecode our standard varifocal lens and if you want the basic then it’s Varilux Comfort New Edition.

We had a man in last week, a first-time varifo-cal wearer and he’d gone for Varilux Comfort. You need to bear in mind that he holds his head at a pronounced angle and has a reasonable prescription - well, he tried them on and said he couldn’t even go out the door wearing them. So he tried Varilux Physio f-360o and said that while it was better, it was still not right. Then we got him some Eyecode lenses and he’s just fine with them. He was a challenge.

These things change lives. He’d reached the

point where it had become difficult for him to work, I think he said he was an architect. Well, when he was ready to put on his Eyecode lenses he actually said that he was really worried about putting them on, because he had realised that it was his last chance with varifocals and if this didn’t work he’d end up having to wear half a dozen pairs of spectacles which he really didn’t want.

I thought ‘No pressure then!’ but he put them on and he said ‘That’s great, I can see to read, look at the TV, in the distance’. So that was fantastic - a real boost to our morale about using it.What else are you using?I know you’ve come to talk about personalised lenses but Crizal Forte is fantastic, it’s brilliant. Essilor guarantees it against scratches so I’ve got all these children wearing Forte lenses.

It’s lovely because their mums can take photos and actually see their eyes. It’s not just a matter of taking their money - it make lives better. Essilor’s guarantee gives us confidence to dispense them.

The only thing I’m waiting for is a polarised Eyecode - sooner the better!

It’s Eyecode that grabs them though. One of my best customers, he’s a Varilux Ipseo wearer, came in a week or two ago for a service to his glasses, we often give them, and we got chatting about Eyecode and it got him thinking.

He asked about his sunglasses and said he hadn’t updated them at his last prescription and I had to say that with an 0.25 change in his astig-matism, he really didn’t need to. I said that it was such a small difference he couldn’t ever notice it (I do like to be able to sleep at night) but he wanted to try Visioffice and Eyecode and asked if we could we test him with it.

I’ve got a feeling he’ll be back with all his other spectacles. Not that everyone’s like him of course but you could see it genuinely made him feel happy.Not everyone at your practice is as well-heeled as him though are they?No, not at all. We have our share of people who are very careful about how they spend their money but who know the importance of good vision.

I’m sure our dispensing values are a little above the average but is that because of our clientèle or is it that we offer our customers what’s best for them? We don’t prejudge them. Besides they’re going to wear them every day for the next year or two years and maybe it’s the cost of a newspaper, or at most a coffee, a day.

Anyway, once people have worn good quality eyecare, they don’t go back to everyday lenses.

There’s no going back.I’m sure you’re right. Thank you.Thank you. n

...he put them on

and he said ‘That’s great,

I can see to read, look

at the TV, in the distance’. So that was

fantastic - a real

boost to our morale

about using it.

16 Insight Summer 2010

Lens Coatings

Wider and improvedThe new Crizal family fights the 5 enemies of clear vision

Crizal has been available in Britain since the early 1990s and has been the best-selling HMAR coating ever since. If you think that suggests that the market for AR coatings in the UK has become a mature one,think again as the reality is that we still have a long way to go.The World ViewWorld-wide, penetration of AR coatings fluctu-ate greatly. It would be easy to think that market penetration is merely a function of the overall development of that country’s economy but the facts suggest otherwise.

Japan’s penetration is nudging 100%, with consumers accepting that an AR coating is more or less standard - the argument there has been won, both with the profession and wearers.

In Eastern Europe though, penetration is just 31% and while it’s true that the area is economi-cally less well developed than Japan, the take up in the USA, the world’s richest economy, is little better, standing at just 35%. It’s not a cultural issue either - just cross the border to Canada and the uptake rises to 57%.

Re-visiting the Far East again, in South Korea, 94% of wearers have an AR coating and even China’s penetration is 88%.

So where does Britain lie in this league table of AR coatings? Essilor’s own estimates suggest that 51% of UK spectacle-wearers have an AR coating, so we’ve come a long way but we still have a long way to go.The Way AheadThe market for ophthalmic lenses is estimated to rise by around 1% annually, so anyone wanting to grow their business shouldn’t rely on population growth as it won’t be nearly enough.

One place to look for business growth is in the market for AR coatings which is growing at four times the rate of the population. Better still, Essilor’s Crizal outperforms the market, growing at seven times the rate of the population growth.

Overall, it’s clear that AR coatings offer con-siderable potential for happier customers and improved profitability for your practice.

The issue for many dispensers is how to counter the objections potential wearers voice on being offered AR coatings. We need to look at who we’re up against!Crizal Consumer Profiles While every consumer should be treated as an individual, there are general types of potential wearer that can be identified.

The Value for Money Seekers account for 38% of the market and are attracted to Crizal’s outstanding anti-scratch properties.

Comfort Seekers account for almost one in four of the patients visiting a typical practice and motivated by the anti-smudge, anti-dust and easy cleaning.

Premium Seekers, our last grouping, account for 38% of the market and are most motivated by performance considerations and will be interested in premium products that offer better vision.The Range Of Crizal CoatingsWe’re aware that not all your patients are going to have the same needs and it’s why we offer a range of Crizal coatings, each designed with a different type in mind.Crizal Forte State Of The ArtCrizal Forte is the top of the range and includes all the available options and at the highest level.

REFLECTIONS

SMuDGES

SCRATCHES

DuST

WATER

Summer 2010 Insight 17

The Crizal Family

Its water repellence capability is exclusive to Crizal Forte. It also includes premium dust repel-lence, premium scratch resistance, premium smudge resistance and premium AR efficiency. It makes Crizal Forte the state-of-the-art coating.

The target customer for Crizal Forte would most often be the Premium Seeker though it would appeal to anyone looking for a high-quality AR coating.Crizal Alizé + ImprovedCrizal Alizé has been improved recently and includes an anti-water coating. It offers premium dust repel-lence, excellent scratch and smudge resistance and excellent AR efficiency. It’s excellent for Comfort Seekers.Crizal easy New Entry LevelNew Crizal easy is a quality coating for Value for Money Seekers. It includes an anti-water coating. It offers excellent scratch and good smudge resistance and excellent AR efficiency.Crizal Sun Unparalleled ProtectionCrizal Sun offers complete protection from UV radia-tion, with added scratch and smudge resistance.

Crizal Sun is the only lens designed to eliminate

AR EFFICIENCY SMUDGE RESISTANCE SCRATCH RESISTANCE DUST REPELLENCE WATER REPELLENCE

PREMIUM(up to 30% less reflections)

PREMIUM(Best contact angle 116o)

PREMIUM(As good as glass lens with AR)

PREMIUM(100% anti-static)

UNIQUE(Best sliding angle 6o)

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT(Contact angle 113o)

EXCELLENT PREMIUM(100% anti-static)

VERY GOOD(Sliding angle 12o)

EXCELLENT GOOD(Contact angle 110o)

EXCELLENT N/A GOOD(Sliding angle 18o)

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT N/A PREMIUM

both UV and visible light reflection (four times less UV is reflected back into the eye from the rear surface of the lens).

It is also twice as easy to clean on both front and rear surfaces than other sun lenses and delivers unri-valled scratch resistance on both surfaces as well, providing optimum protection in all circumstances.

If you’d like to know more about the technological aspects of the Crizal range, then click here to visit the web page to download the brochure (see below). n

Varilux Comfort becomesVarilux Comfort New Edition

18 Insight Summer 2010

Varilux Comfort New Edition

Summer 2010 Insight 19

Varilux Comfort has now been completely replaced by a new and improved design, Vari-lux Comfort New Edition.

Launched in 1993, Varilux Comfort has crossed the threshold of 100 million pairs sold, a unique performance in the progressive lens industry!

Over 17 years though, peoples’ lives have changed – as have their visual requirements. Additionally, tremendous progress in the industry (specifically on calculation and surfacing technolo-gies) has made it possible to recalculate the original design, with even greater precision than ever before, to produce a better aspheric lens with lower levels of aberration.

As a result, Varilux Comfort New Edition is Digitally Surfaced on a brand new semi-finished lens. It offers:

•immediatevisualcomfort •widerfieldsofvision•softerdesign.The new lens also has

flatter base curves and is more aesthetic.

For more information about Varilux Comfort New Edition, click here.n

The 1993 Varilux Comfort launch brochure

Wearers like Varilux Comfort New Edition - for all sorts of reasons(Satisfaction rates by criteria)

QualIty of oVErall VIsIoN 96%

DIstaNCE VIsIoN 96%

INtErmEDIatE VIsIoN 91%

NEar VIsIoN 94%

DyNamIC VIsIoN (WEarEr) 93%

DyNamIC VIsIoN (surrouNDINg) 91%

0 20 40 60 80 100

2018161412

DIstaNCE

INtErmEDIatE

NEarVIsIoN (subjECt moVINg)

VIsIoN (surrouNDs moVINg)

Varilux Comfort New Edition Varilux Comfort

Varilux Comfort New Edition was judged to be significantly better than current Varilux Comfort on every criteria, with particular

improvements in near vision and dynamic vision

Extensive testing has been conducted worldwide, including in the UK, both clinically and in real-life conditions, on hundreds of wearers (including current wearers of Varilux Comfort).

Out with the old, in with the new

20 Insight Summer 2010

Technical White Paper

1. IntroductionWavefront is a technology originated in astronomy and

was introduced into ophthalmic optics at the end of the last century when wavefront technology was adapted to the eye’s pupil size. Thanks to this, Essilor initiated studies with the most up-to-date academic laboratories to introduce a new way of analysing and understanding ophthalmic lenses.

The wavefront management system, or W.A.V.E. Tech-nology™, is a means of modelling light and analysing the performance of the optical system which allows us to handle the complete beam of light entering the pupil (Figure 1), including higher order aberrations. Our aim for Varilux Physio was to optimise the management of all lens aberra-tions, by controlling the wavefront entering the eye. Varilux Physio was the first lens to apply this technology and of eight patents protecting the product, three relate to wave-front technology.

In the last four years, more than 25 million Varilux Physio have been sold worldwide, delivering High Resolution Vision whatever the direction of gaze. Studies have shown that 96% of opticians and consumers are satisfied with the lens because they experience sharper vision, higher contrast and wider fields of vision.

W.A.V.E technology is now tried and tested and, building on its success, we have introduced the second generation: Varilux Physio 2.0.

Even with the high level of acceptance, presbyopes still seek improved vision and part of their needs remain unfulfilled. Their complaint is their near vision quality, especially in low light conditions. Nielsen’s Customers’ Purchasing Behaviour Europe research showed that 77% of wearers want lenses that give better near vision in low light conditions with 81% look-ing for lenses that improve night driving vision.

With the second generation of Varilux Physio, our objective is to go a step further in the management of the wavefront by considering, for the first time, pupil diameter variations within the design of the lens.2. The key role of the pupil

The pupil’s ability to open and close controls the amount of light entering the eye, it can typically vary between 2 mm and 8 mm, depending on the person and ambient conditions.

It is known that:•thepupilsizediminisheswithage,•thelowerthelightconditions,thebiggerthepupilsize,•theclosertheobject,thesmallerthepupilsize.

b) The pupil projection depends on lens power:Considering the ray beam entering in the eye for a given

object, corresponding to a particular gaze direction and prox-imity, its shape is limited by the pupil, which varies with age, light conditions and target distance. Situated between the object and the eye, the lens modifies ray beam and emerging wavefront accordingly to the lens power, which is directly correlated to the eye prescription. So, the entire lens area intercepted by this ray beam has to be taken into account in order to calculate the wavefront entering the eye. It can both be expressed on the front as on the rear surface. We consider here the area of interception of the beam with the front sur-face and called it the “projected pupil” on the lens (Figure 2).

In order to compensate ametropia and presbyopia, the

local power of the lens varies. Due to convergent or diver-gent power effects, the lens can magnify or minimise the ray beam and impacts on the size of the wavefront entering the eye. It also means that for each direction of gaze, the area of the lens involved in the emerging wavefront shape is changing with the lens power. For a given pupil, the pupil projected on the lens depends on the power of the lens:

•withapluslens,theprojectedpupilislargerthantheactual pupil (Figure 3a),

•withaminuslens,theprojectedpupilissmallerthantheactual pupil (Figure 3b).

Then, for the same eye pupil size, the projected pupil diameter may vary up to +/-15% from the pupil diameter, according to wavefront calculation.

Thereafter, without “eye pupil” or “projected pupil” men-tion, “pupil” has to be understood as the area of the beam

Varilux Physio 2.0 technical White Paper Laurent CALIXTE, Cyril GUILLOUX, Gildas MARIN

>>

Figure 1Wavefront allows handling the complete beam of light entering through the pupil

Figure 2the projected pupil on the lens is defined as the

intersection of the ray beam with the front surface of the lens. light beam shape entering into the eye is limited by the eye pupil of the wearer.

Figure 3 for the same eye pupil diameter, the projected pupil varies with

lens power, therefore with ametropia; a) hyperopic eye; b) myopic eye.

Summer 2010 Insight 21

Varilux Physio 2.0

intercepting the front surface of the lens. c) Impact on lens performanceThe pupil size computed into the lens plays a key role in

its optical performance. For a given lens, the wavefront entering the eye strongly

depends on the specification of the area of the lens inter-cepted by the ray beam and corresponding to the projected pupil. The quality of this wavefront is determined by the size of this projected pupil: the larger the projected pupil, the more deteriorated the wavefront (Figure 4).

3. A new calculation process taking into account the pupil size variationWe have seen that the aberration level of an ophthalmic

lens depends on the pupil diameter which makes it an important consideration in the lens calculation.

Then, Essilor’s new patent-pending calculation process, (W.A.V.E 2.0), determines first, through models, the pro-jected pupil diameters for each gaze direction to build and secondly, a pupil mapping of the most constraining projected pupil sizes and, thirdly takes it into account for the lens design optimisation.

a) Two models to estimate the eye pupil diameter: In order to simulate the pupil diameter as a function of

gaze direction, two models have been created:•abehavioural model that gives the conditions of use of an

ophthalmic lens and their amplitudes of fluctuation.•apupil model giving the pupil diameter from the different

parameters that affect it.The aim of the behavioural model is to estimate the prox-

imities and light conditions as a function of gaze direction. The parameters are derived from the type of activity, the postures adopted to perform them and the wearer environ-ment, as proximities of the objects.

For example, distance vision, situated in the upper part of the lens, is most often used during outdoor activities which are generally conducted during the day, typically in brighter light. However, wearers also use their distance vision during outdoor activities in low light condition, eg driving at night.

As variable light conditions impact on the lens’ perform-ance it needs to be taken into account. Therefore, by identi-fying the various most common wearers’ activities, we have built a model that determines average values and amplitudes of variation of proximities and luminance as a function of gaze direction.

The pupil model gives the pupil diameter according to the three parameters from which it varies: age, proximity and luminance. It has been built empirically, according to experi-ments. Also, it is clear that age is directly correlated to the prescribed addition. The two other parameters are deter-mined thanks to the behavioural model. Knowing the wearer addition and using these models, it is possible to determine pupil diameter as a function of gaze direction.

b) Creation of a projected pupil mapping:Pupil mapping is a map that gives the projected pupil

diameter as a function of gaze direction. It is established for each eye according to this process.

Firstly, the optical design of the lens is determined in accordance to the behavioural model i.e. for a given indi-vidual each gaze direction corresponds to one object proxim-ity and therefore to one optical power needed to compensate wearer default: lens power and object proximities are directly correlated.

Let us consider a given eye prescription (power, astig-matism and addition) and a determined gaze direction. For this gaze direction, the behavioural model gives us an average proximity and luminance and also tells us how much proximity and luminance can deviate from average values. The chosen gaze direction corresponds to one given lens power and then, depending on the prescription, the wearer has the ability to see clearly objects at different distances. At the same time, light conditions could vary depending on the various tasks considered for the given proximity. The pupil model gives us pupil diameters for these different conditions of use. Taking into account the lens power, the result of that computation is a range of most probable projected pupil size for the considered gaze direction. It is represented on Figure 5 as the red area around the average projected eye pupil diameter (black point).

Because pupil size has an impact on lens performance, we have to consider the biggest one within the most probable range. That projected pupil diameter, called “most constrain-ing pupil size” is indicated on figure 6 as the blue point.

This process has to be applied for each gaze direction, and leads to a “pupil mapping” of the most constraining projected pupil diameters as a function of gaze direction for >>

Figure 4aberration level impacted (at near vision point for a given prescription –4 add 2.00) as a function of pupil size. Colours represent the optical path difference (oPD) to the

perfect wavefront. uniform green colour means perfect wavefront.

Figure 5 Projected pupil model: for a given gaze direction, the black point indicates

the average projected pupil diameter and the blue point the most constraining projected pupil diameter among the most probable.

22 Insight Summer 2010

Technical White Paper

each prescription. Figure 6 shows pupil mapping used for Varilux Physio and the new one obtained for a particular prescription computed with Varilux Physio 2.0.

Note that the right map is much more complex, because the model is more sophisticated. We can also see that the pupil sizes taken into account when calculating Varilux Physio 2.0 are significantly greater: for Varilux Physio the most constraining conditions were ignored. On the right, one passes continuously from a pupil size of 8 mm in dis-tance vision to 4.5 mm in near vision.

An 8mm pupil size was not included in every case as the design of a progressive is inevitably a compromise. If we consider a pupil of 8mm in near vision for a person with a high addition, we will target an unnecessary performance because such a patient will never have such a pupil in those conditions. If an unnecessary requirement is incorporated into a lens design, it will be at the expense of a required performance - peripheral aberrations, for example.

c) Lens calculation and manufacturing:The pupil mapping computed for each eye prescription,

means we know the size of the wavefront to take into account for each gaze direction. It allows the designer to manage the wavefront entering the eye by modifying the geometry of the lens during the lens optimisation. The lens design is split onto the two surfaces of the lens (using DDV technology for Dual Digital Vision) which work in tandem to form the wavefront with the minimum of residual aberra-tions. Figure 7 shows the lens calculation principle.

In addition to that, calculated lens perfectly matches the wearer prescription according to wearer power adjustment.

Varilux Physio 2.0 is protected by at least 11 granted or

pending patents, 8 derived from Varilux Physio: 5 on lens design, 1 on lens optimisation, and 2 protecting manufac-turing technologies. Digital surfacing is the only means of manufacturing such complex surfaces.

The three others correspond to new calculation proc-esses with the purpose to improve lens performances. Among these, one new patent pending protecting the new lens design method leading to wavefront improvement was especially filed.

Thanks to these technological innovations, Varilux Physio 2.0 is designed to provide the wearer a lens with higher performance, even in high pupil size situations.4. Varilux Physio 2.0 High Resolution Vision at any distance and in any light conditions

a) Wavefront analyses:The first step for simulating optical performance is to cal-

culate the wavefront and estimate the residual aberrations, including higher-order aberrations, for each gaze direction.

To study the wavefront, light must be considered as a wave. Wavefronts are virtual surfaces, where all points are vibrating in phase. As a stone thrown into water producing circular concentric waves, centred on the point of impact, wavefronts produced by a point source of light or which are focused on one point are spherical.

In reality, though, light does not focus perfectly and wave-fronts are irregular. Aberrations are the variance between the sphere – the ideal wavefront – and the actual wavefront. They can be broken down into a variety of elementary aber-rations, the main components of which are power error and astigmatism. The other components are higher-order aber-rations with a more complex effect, eg coma, which produces comet-shaped images.

For each direction of gaze, the wavefront coming from the object is shaped by the lens before entering the eye through the pupil. Study of this wavefront provides a complete description of the lens optical properties for this gaze direc-tion. The level of these optical properties can be represented by the RMS (Root Mean Square) error of the wavefront.

Optical performance simulations prove that Varilux Physio 2.0 is better than Varilux Physio, whatever the light conditions, whatever the distances, as illustrated by wave-front diagrams of figure 8 and 9. These wavefront analyses are conducted for -4. add 2 D. prescribed lenses.

Figure 6 Projected pupil mapping a) according to Varilux Physio, only 3 fixed different

pupil diameters were taken into account : 6, 5 and 4 mm for distance, intermediate and near vision respectively, whatever the prescription;

b) an example of pupil mapping for a -4.0 add 2.0D prescription.

Figure 7 lens calculation principle according to W.a.V.E. 2.0 technology

Figure 8 Wavefront diagrams illustrating that Varilux Physio 2.0 is better than Varilux Physio

in low light conditions whatever the distance (distance, intermediate and near vision at 8° above, 24° and 36° below the fitting cross, respectively, and with a 8, 7

and 6mm pupil diameter, respectively). Examples of -4 add 2 D prescribed lenses.

>>

Summer 2010 Insight 23

Varilux Physio 2.0

b) Contrast sensitivity simulation:Higher-order aberrations reduce contrast and acuity, just

as power error and astigmatism. Their effect on vision is undeniable and increases in proportion with the pupil size.

These aberrations affect performance in terms of the wearer‘s perception of image contrast. It’s why the lens is char-acterised by the contribution in terms of contrast sensitivity.

The first stage consists of calculating retinal image deterioration. As in any optical system, we can determine the object’s contrast deterioration, characterised by a transfer function called the Modulation Transfer function. For each spatial frequency, this function gives the coefficient of contrast attenuation. It represents the maximum retinal contrast, as obtained when object contrast is maximum.

Only the complete knowledge of the wavefront and taking into account of the pupil diameter will enable correct estimation of this function. The Wavefront Management System is used to calculate the properties of the wavefront and therefore the transfer function for all gaze directions, taking account of the pupil size. By multiplying the contrast of the object by the attenuation coefficient thus calculated, one obtains the retinal image contrast.

Retinal sensitivity and the efficiency of neuronal process-ing will finally enable us to detect, or not, the retinal image. Studies based on experimentations have described how this

detection system works 16. In practice, retinal and neuronal components of the detection system cannot be disassociated and are modelled by a retinal contrast perception threshold. This is defined for each spatial frequency: this is the mini-mum detected contrast graph (in red on figure 10). If the contrast of the retinal image is greater than this threshold value, the image will be perceived. Overall perception is the result of these two stages. In order to be perceived, the retinal image must clearly have a contrast that is higher than the perception threshold.

The contrast performance can therefore be represented by the shaded area on figure 10. The lower limit (in red) of this zone is given by the perception threshold. The upper limit (in blue) is set by the maximum possible retinal contrast. The perception threshold remains fixed in the modelling, whereas the transfer function depends on the lens-eye system and thus on the lens efficiency.

Contrast sensitivity, simulated as explained previously, is better for Varilux Physio 2.0 than Varilux Physio, in every situation, that is to say, whatever the pupil diameter, as shown on Figure 11 computed with -4.00 add 2.00D pre-scribed lenses. It indicates that Varilux Physio has rather good performances but the difference with Varilux Physio 2.0 increases with the pupil diameter. The latest lens genera-tion has an optical performance nearly maintained, whatever the pupil size.

Varilux Physio 2.0 is always better compared to com-petitors’ lenses, whatever the light conditions (Figure 12 overleaf). As expected, the biggest gap is obtained in low light conditions.5. Conclusion

Varilux Physio 2.0 capitalises on the foundations of Var-ilux Physio: wavefront analysis associated with physiological needs. This new lens answers to complaints still expressed by some presbyopes, i.e. near vision quality and vision in low light conditions.

Because the pupil is a key element in evaluating lens performance, Varilux Physio 2.0 takes into account pupil size variations. The lens design aims to consider the most disad-vantageous situations for each gaze direction. The result is a

Figure 9 Wavefront diagrams illustrating that Varilux Physio 2.0 is better than Varilux Physio

in daylight conditions, whatever the distance (distance, intermediate and near vision at 8° above, 24° and 36° below the fitting cross, respectively, and with a 8, 7

and 6mm pupil diameter, respectively). Examples of -4 add 2 D prescribed lenses.

>>

Spatial frequency0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

Cont

rast

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Figure 10 modelling of the global performance in contrast represented by the shaded

area. the blue curve gives the modulation transfer function of the optical system and the red one is the minimum detected contrast for an eye.

Pupil diameter (mm)

Varilux Physio Varilux Physio 2.0

0.43.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Cont

rast

sen

sitiv

ity

Figure 11Contrast sensitivity as a function of the pupil diameter: Varilux Physio 2.0 is better

than Varilux Physio, whatever the pupil size. Examples of -4 add 2D prescribed lenses.

24 Insight Summer 2010

Technical White Paper - Varilux Physio 2.0

pupil mapping of the most constraining pupil diameters and that is computed according to physiological models for each eye prescription.

Lens design is optimised from the prescription and according to the pupil mapping.

Optical simulations prove that Varilux Physio 2.0 is better than Varilux Physio and competitors’ lenses, in term of wave-front analyses or contrast sensitivity, whatever pupil size, that is to say whatever the light conditions and whatever the distances. Varilux Physio 2.0 has been launch in Europe, US, Canada, etc, and feedbacks from Eye Care Profession-als and wearers are very positive and express a high level of satisfaction.6. In summary

a) Wearers still complain about near vision quality and vision in low light conditions.

b) Pupil size is key in optics because of its impact on lens performance.

c) Eye pupil diameter is not fixed. It varies for everybody according to age, object distance and light conditions.

d) Pupil projection depends on eye pupil size and lens power, therefore wearer ametropia.

e) Behavioural and pupil models were computed to deter-mine the most constraining pupil sizes as a function of gaze direction: it leads to a pupil mapping.

f) Pupil mapping is computed from each eye prescription and is taken into account during lens optimization.

g) Varilux Physio 2.0 optical performance is nearly main-tained whatever the pupil sizes.

h) Varilux Physio 2.0 is better than Varilux Physio what-ever light conditions and object distances.

i) Contrast sensitivity with Varilux Physio 2.0 is better than that obtained with competitors, whatever the pupil sizes. n

Figure 12Contrast sensitivity in daylight (blue) and low light (red) conditions, with a pupil diameter of 3 and 8 mm respectively, for Varilux Physio 2.0 and some

competitors’ lenses delivered to a -4 add 2 D prescription.

Daylight

low light

VarIlux PhysIo 2

ComPEtItor a

ComPEtItor b

ComPEtItor C

ComPEtItor D

ComPEtItor E

Sma

Smart Move 2010

Summer 2010 Insight 25

Smart Move 2010 for TransitionsEssilor’s Smart Move promotion for 2010 is an exclusive offer to selected independent opticians purchasing Crizal coated lenses directly from Essilor. It started on 1st March this year and runs until the end of September.The Programme’s ObjectiveOur aim with the programme is very simple, we want you to sell more Crizal Transitions lenses. To help you do this, we’ll support you and offer you some worthwhile rewards.

The support includes free staff training, point-of-sale material as well as a patient guarantee.

The reward is more profit for your practice as well as gift vouchers for your staff. It makes the programme a smart move for every practice.Smart DaysFor the duration of the programme we nominate one day each week to be designated a Smart Day. It means that on that day, you’ll receive a free upgrade from clear to Transi-tions lenses for every pair of Crizal lenses you sell.

Generally, the Smart Days will be announced after the event, though from time to time you’ll know in advance which day will be the Smart Day for that week.

We’ll contact you by email to let you know how much extra profit your practice made on the Smart Day.Dispenser incentivesIt doesn’t end there though, as we’ll give you a £1 voucher on

every pair of Transitions lenses your practice sells, which will rise to £2 on Smart Days, so there’s a real opportu-

nity for everyone to benefit with the programme.Sales Training

We’ll also provide a training service with an Essilor consultant providing you with detailed informa-

tion about Essilor products. You can also have training with a Transitions product consultant who will give additional training on Transi-tions lenses.

Point-Of-Sale MaterialWe’ll also supply you with free POS material including freestanding showcards, patient leaflets and material for your practice window.Love ’Em Or Leave ‘Em Transitions GuaranteeWe provide a risk-free guarantee for total reassurance. It means that if your customer isn’t totally happy with their Essilor Transitions lenses, they can return them within 30 days in exchange for an equivalent clear pair. You just refund the cost difference, return the lenses to us and when you order the clear pair from us we’ll issue you a full credit for the original pair.Act Today!If you’d like to take part or find out more, speak to your Essilor Account Manager. n

aBout transitions lensesWe recommend that Essilor Transitions lenses should be sold as the perfect lens for everyday wear.

They automatically adapt to changing light condi-tions to reduce visual fatigue and eyestrain.

Indoors and deactivated, Transitions lenses are as clear as standard clear lenses.

When wearers go inside from outdoors, Transitions lenses fade back to clear 30% faster.

Indoors and out, Transitions lenses offer 100% protection from UVA and UVB radiation at all times.

Transitions lenses are enhanced with Crizal, provid-ing excellent resistance to the five enemies of clear vision, which are:

•scratches•smudges•reflections•dust•water

26 Insight Summer 2010

Working With Essilor

It’s very possible that as Essilor offers a range of services you may have forgotten about or are unaware of, we’re going to look at how we

approach customer relations.Service, service, serviceHowever technically excellent our products are, however advanced our manufacturing facilities, without a fast, responsive service, we know it all counts for nothing. When you make a promise to your customers, we’re fully aware how much you have to rely on us to ensure you honour it.

Essilor is a global organisation, which means we have pan-European manufacturing facilities we can call upon. We also believe in offering you a truly personal service, so we invest heavily in customer service staffing levels and individual staff development and training. That’s why the vast majority of Essilor Customer Service staff are SMC qualified.

Service quality is really tested when problems arise, and again we have a team of staff whose sole aim is to sort problems out as quickly and as pain-lessly as possible.

Don’t forget too that with Essilorder on-line ordering, your practice can order lenses over the internet in seconds. You can track its progress too.

If you’re a Varilux Specialist Optician, we can offer help with your marketing. Our marketing team can prepare InView newsletters, direct mail campaigns, practice materials and tailored pro-motional activities to find out more, contact your Essilor Account Manager.

Essilor is also certified to the internationally recognised ISO 9001 : 2000 management system.It’s a partnershipWe take a long-term view of our relationship with you and the best way of optimising in the long-term, is to work in a true partnership with our customers.

If that’s to happen, we must begin by under-standing your needs and then meeting them.

That’s why we conduct regular, face-to-face panel meetings with our customers as well as having independently-conducted market research to find out how satisfied you are with us. We use this feedback to drive improvements in our service.

We view our relationship with you as more than just Essilor being a supplier of the best lens and coating ranges, we work with you to help you achieve your business objectives through a programme of agreed coordinated activities.

the best way of

optimising in the

long-term, is to work

in a true partnership

with our customers

Essilor and you - It’s a real partnershipare you making the most of all we have to offer?

Essilorder makes it easy to order on line

InView Practice Newsletter

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Summer 2010 Insight 27

It’s a Real Partnership

We reward your loyalty to us too. We give our customers incentives, discounts and promotions as well as the opportunity to become a member of one of our loyalty programmes which give a wide range of rewards for you and your staff.

The power of the brandWe’re well aware of the technical excellence of our lens designs and we’re just as aware of the impor-tance of developing the brand with your customers because it’s the power of those brands that brings them to your practice. An essential part of that is the advertising and marketing support we give you as independent practitioners.

We help generate increased footfall for your practice with targeted mailing campaigns and web-site activity. We also know that 86% of consumers research online before choosing a product or a retailer.

We direct customers conducting on-line searches straight to their nearest Varilux Specialist Optician.

Another part of the strength of Essilor brands is the no-risk guarantees that go with them. So there’s no risk for customers - and no risk for you.

If you’re interested in using the power of branded optical products, take a look at our article on optical brands in the last issue of Insight, click here.Quality productsUltimately, without top-quality products, all the support in the world amounts to very little. Essilor lenses and coatings are at the cutting edge of design. We lead the world in product innovation.

We also offer high quality lens edging and mounting from both our Thornbury and London laboratories.

We offer quick and reliable remote edging too, to help you offer a responsive service without the need for your own laboratory.

If you’d like to talk to us about how we can help you develop our mutual business, just contact us and we can arrange for one of our Account Manag-ers to call. n

Varilux Specialist Opticians in Athens last year

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