This is a sponsored post by Essilor of America, a supporter of NewGradOptometry & new graduate optometrists! 😎
As many eyecare providers know, oftentimes several different lens technologies or multiple pairs of glasses are necessary to meet the needs of our patients.
Patients have different lifestyles, occupations, and hobbies that influence what we as clinicians prescribe.
Many times I find myself faced with the question: “What kind of ophthalmic lenses do I need to prescribe for this patient?”
How can you determine patient need?
Understanding the needs of your patients all depends on communication.
I typically ask patients the following questions:
- For what tasks do you wear your glasses?
- Do you use the computer and/or digital devices often and throughout the day?
- Do your eyes ever feel tired at the end of the day?
- Do you enjoy spending time outdoors?
- How clear is your vision in your current glasses?
- Do you have problems with nighttime driving or glare?
- Are there things about your glasses you wish were better?
By asking these questions, I get a better understanding of what kind of spectacle wearer my patient is and whether or not his/her needs are being met adequately, as well as what kind of ophthalmic lenses he or she could benefit from.
Ensuring your patient has the best spectacle lens-wearing experience involves providing the clearest vision possible at all working distances, and choosing lens technology that facilitates ocular health.
The challenge is prescribing a series of lenses capable of achieving these things.
Sometimes, it is necessary to prescribe multiple pairs of glasses. For some patients, though, multiple pairs of glasses pose a challenge economically, and for others, there are issues with practicality and/or convenience. This can put pressure on eyecare providers to choose a single lens that can attempt to address all of a patient’s needs.
Fortunately, Essilor has been pushing the boundaries of what is possible in ophthalmic lens technology and reimaging how to meet patients’ needs. As a result, the company has brought together three innovative lens technologies to create the Ultimate Lens Package.
What is the Ultimate Lens Package?
The Ultimate Lens Package is a combination of Essilor’s newest and most innovative Varilux®, Crizal® and Eyezen™+ lens technologies, along with the proven performance and protection of Transitions® lenses, designed to give every patient Essilor’s ultimate in vision, clarity and protection in a single lens. It simplifies dispensing by allowing you to position the lens as a single solution so you don’t have to “sell up” to no-glare, photochromic or lenses that protect against UV and Harmful Blue Light.[1]
There are two different packages:
Ultimate Lens Package: For Presbyopic Patients
The Ultimate Lens Package for progressive wearers is designed to provide the clearest vision possible at all distances while reducing visually disturbing reflections from all directions, and protecting against ultraviolet and Harmful Blue Light.
Click here to learn more.
It includes these three technologies:
- Varilux X Series™ Lenses
We have all heard patients report that they need to move their heads around to find the perfect spot for visual clarity, particularly when using the computer, often referred to as the “sweet spot.”
New Varilux® X Series™ lenses feature Xtend™ Technology, which allows the patient to see multiple distances through a single point in the lens, extending wearers’ vision within arm’s reach so they no longer have to search for “just the right spot” to see sharply at any distance.
Xtend Technology allows lens wearers to see multiple distances through any point in the near and intermediate zones of the lens which allows for significantly improved vision at distances within arm’s reach. This zone is critical for the modern patient who spends ample time on computers and digital devices. Historically, other progressive lenses have only allowed wearers to see at any one distance throughout specific points in the lens.
The Varilux X Series lens is the result of immersing patients in research, testing and measurement from start to finish. Perfected through five years of research and 19 wearer studies with over 2,700 wearers, this lens is so advanced it has 15 new patents pending.
Varilux X Series also has all the technologies that made its predecessor, Varilux S Series™, so successful:
- W.A.V.E. Technology 2™
Provides sharper vision at all distances, even in low light, by reducing the higher order aberrations found in all progressive lenses. - SynchronEyes™ Technology
Provides smoother transitions between distance and near zones by calculating the lenses as a matched pair to promote improved binocularity. - Nanoptix™ Technology
Reduces the “off-balance feeling” common to progressive lenses by controlling magnification between visual zones.
- Crizal Sapphire® 360° UV Lenses
There is no question that patients are exposed to continuous light sources in the modern visual environment. Light from computers, digital devices, and screens is something we are exposed to from multiple sources and more angles than ever before.
Many eyecare providers are already accustomed to prescribing additional lens options such as anti-glare treatments to help reduce reflections and light that affect their patients’ vision. I have historically chosen Crizal® No-Glare lenses to meet these needs for my patients.
New Crizal Sapphire® 360° UV lenses have Multi-Angular Technology™ to reduce reflections from all directions for less distracting glare, better aesthetics and safer nighttime driving. Crizal Sapphire 360° UV No-Glare lenses offer best-in-class transparency and clarity, as well as superior durability and cleanability. The UV protection is also improved with an increased E-SPF® index[2] to E-SPF®35, providing optimal UV protection in a clear lens.
Specifically, Multi-Angular Technology considers a 360-degree angle in optical calculations. A new patent-pending nanolayer, when combined with the new calculation, results in reduced front, or head-on, reflections by 35 percent and reduced side reflections by 45 percent[3] for improved clarity and better aesthetics.
- Transitions® Signature® VII Lenses
Transitions® Signature® VII lenses are fully clear indoors and darken outdoors. Chromea7™ technology, which is comprised of an exclusive dye formation that makes the lenses more reactive to indirect sunlight and hot temperatures, ensures your patient’s lenses are darkest when he or she needs them most.
Transitions Signature VII lenses block 100 percent of UV rays and offer protection against Harmful Blue Light both indoors (at least 20 percent) and outdoors (over 85 percent)[4].
Ultimate Lens Package: For Single Vision Patients
As technology has advanced, the demands we place on our visual system have changed drastically. Digital devices, multiple screens, prolonged near-vision work, and the modern demands of life have forced our eyes to work harder than ever before. The single vision Ultimate Lens Package was designed to meet the changing needs of this patient demographic.
Click here to learn more.
The lenses include these three technologies:
- Eyezen™+ Lenses
The new Eyezen+ 0 design, along with Eyezen+ lens designs 1, 2 and 3, provide sharp, comfortable vision and a complete range of accommodative relief options for every single vision age group.
Eyezen+ is designed with W.A.V.E. (Wavefront Advanced Vision Enhancement™) Technology to provide sharper vision than traditional single vision lenses, and also includes Essilor’s Smart Blue Filter™ feature, which is embedded directly into the lenses and allows for a clear lens that reduces at least 20 percent of Harmful Blue Light[5].
- Crizal Sapphire 360° UV Lenses
Crizal Sapphire 360° UV lenses with new Multi-Angular Technology™ reduce reflections from any angle of light for less distracting glare, better aesthetics and safer nighttime driving.
- Transitions Signature VII Lenses
Transitions Signature VII lenses with Chromea7 technology allows lenses to be more responsive in lighting conditions across all temperatures. The new Transitions Signature Style Colors and Transitions XTRActive Style Mirrors are also an option for single vision wearers of the Ultimate Lens Package.
How does the Ultimate Lens Package facilitate eye protection?
It can be easy to focus solely on lens technology, but as clinicians, we are also focused on ocular health concerns such as protecting our patients’ eyes from exposure to Harmful Blue Light and ultraviolet (UV) light. Let’s take a closer look at these two types of light and how they affect vision.
Harmful Blue Light
We are still just beginning to understand the true impact of prolonged blue light exposure on our eyes.
Some studies suggest blue light exposure may have significant retinal health risks. Essilor and the Paris Vision Institute conducted an in vitro study that exposed porcine retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells to blue-violet Light (415nm – 455nm), reproducing the physiological exposure to sunlight of the 40-year-old eye. The study found that the retinal cell death rate decreased by 25 percent when there was a 20 percent reduction in exposure to blue-violet light[6].
As people become more dependent on and immersed in technology, especially at younger ages, there is concern that this added exposure to blue light might have potential consequences to ocular health in the future. While the evidence on blue light damage is not yet decisive, we do know there is at least a possible link between prolonged exposure[7] and retinal disease. We also know that children growing up with cell phones and other digital technology will have a longer life of exposure to blue light damage than any generation before.
While blue light is commonly associated with the devices that have defined our digital age, the sun remains the main source of blue light, giving off 100 to 500 times more than digital devices2, which is why it’s always important to dispense lenses that protect from Harmful Blue Light both indoors and out.
Ultraviolet Light
The harmful effects of ultraviolet light on the eyes are well known, and there is concrete evidence to support the fact that UV light can exacerbate and lead to the development of cataract formation and anterior segment pathology such as photokeratitis[8], [9].
Studies have shown that young eyes are more vulnerable to UV exposure than older eyes[10], which means that most UV damage has been done by the time a person reaches adulthood. However, it is never too late to start protecting the eyes and it is imperative to start early in life as the harmful effects of UV exposure are cumulative and happen over time.
As optometrists, we should be focusing our efforts to educate patients on these risks and the necessity to protect the eyes against potential harm from ultraviolet light, and how the lens technology available to us can protect patients’ vision.
The Ultimate Lens Package provides the protection your patients need. Both the progressive and single vision lens solutions reduce exposure to Harmful Blue Light and block 100 percent of UV light.
How the Ultimate Lens Package and the Ultimate Offer Can Benefit Your Practice
The most powerful source of referrals in a practice is usually word of mouth, as there are many practices that offer the same services and products.
It is therefore critical to set yourself apart.
One way to do that is to spend more time with your patients and to educate them about ocular health concerns and new technologies. By communicating with your patients and offering the newest in lens technology, you can separate yourself from the average clinician and practice.
And, to increase excitement among your patients and drive them to your practice, Essilor has created the Ultimate Offer. Patients can purchase an Ultimate Lens Package (both the progressive and single vision) and get a second pair of qualifying lenses that is of equal or lesser value at no cost through clinicians who are enrolled in the offer.
The Ultimate Offer is available only to independent eyecare professionals, and due to such great success since its inception, will continue to be available through December 31, 2018.
With the release of the new Transitions Signature style colors and Transitions XTRActive style mirrors, launched on July 16, 2018, now is as good a time as every to attract single vision patients want to create a unique and personalized look with frames and lenses while enjoying all of the benefits Transitions lenses offers.
Transitions Style Mirrors and Style Colors will both be available as an option for the second free pair of lenses offered to consumers through the Ultimate Offer.
Recommending the Ultimate Lens Package can help your practice stand out. This product is a unique combination of innovative technologies to give both single vision and presbyopic patients the ultimate in vision, clarity and protection, all in a single lens. When you help your patients see better, you’ll leave a lasting impression on that patient who then is more likely to return to your practice and trust your professional recommendations.
Sources:
[1] Harmful Blue Light is the blue-violet wavelengths (415-455 nm) on the light spectrum believed most toxic to retinal cells.
[2] E-SPF is an index rating the overall UV protection of a lens. E-SPF was developed by Essilor International and endorsed by third party experts. The E-SPF index relates to lens performance only and excludes direct eye exposure that depends on externals factors (wearer’s morphology, frame shape, position of wear).
[3] As compared to Crizal Avancé UV ™, depending on the lens configuration (index, hard coat, etc) and incident angle.
[4] Arnault E, Barrau C, Nanteau C, Gondouin P, Bigot K, et al. (2013). Phototoxic Action Spectrum on a Retinal Pigment Epithelium Model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Exposed to Sunlight Normalized Conditions. PLoS ONE 8(8): e71398. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0071398 (August 23, 2013). Identified Harmful Blue Light through in vitro experiment on swine retinal cells, where the most toxic wavelengths are high energy visible light falling between 415-455nm on the light spectrum (blue-violet light).
[5] Eyezen+ lenses block at least 20% of Harmful Blue Light, the high-energy wavelengths found between 415-455nm on the light spectrum believed most toxic to retinal cells (blue-violet light).
[6] Smick K, Villete T, Boulton ME, et al. Essilor of America. Blue light hazard: New knowledge, new approaches to maintaining ocular health. 2013. Accessed March 18, 2016.
[7] Dillon, James, et al., Transmission of light to the aging human retina: possible implications for age related macular degeneration, Experimental Eye Research Volume 79, Issue 6, December 2004, Pages 753-75. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2004.06.025
[8] Roberts, J. E. “Ultraviolet Radiation as a Risk Factor for Cataract and Macular Degeneration.” PubMed. Eye Contact Lens, July 2011. Web. 7 Aug. 2014.
[9] Taylor HR, West S, Muñoz B, et al. The long-term effects of visible light on the eye. Arch Ophthalmol. 1992 Jan;110(1):99-104.
[10] Van Kuijk, F. J. “Effects of Ultraviolet Light on the Eye: Role of Protective Glasses.” Environmental Health Perspectives 96 (1991): 177-84.
