I’m not sure about you, but day-to-day I tend to carry around a multi-tool. It’s incredibly useful at getting the job done most of the time. Need to cut something? Bam, here’s a knife. Need a screwdriver? Bam, here it is. It’s pretty awesome. Need a hammer? Well….I can smack it with the side of… nevermind.
Maybe it’s not the solution to every problem, but the majority of the time it can get the job done with little to no complaint. Obviously – in an ideal world – it would be better to carry around a complete toolbox everywhere I go. Then I could get the right size tool, or something that’s easier to handle than a multitool. But a full toolbox isn’t exactly portable – or cheap.
I’ve found that this idea of a do-all wonder tool is the same philosophy that many use when it comes to a progressive lens. It’s decided that one design is going to be used, and that’s it. Sometimes there’s a good/better/best option, but usually the choices are fairly limited. This makes sense, to an extent. Exactly how many different progressive lenses do you need to know about in order to just sell one? Getting information about all of these different lenses can be nigh-on impossible, especially when you then have to communicate to your staff about what each lens does, the pros, the cons, price, availability, etc. It’s like lugging around a tool box – great idea, but not something that’s going to happen any time soon.
With the rising popularity of free-form, however, the toolbox is becoming more and more manageable. Higher-end lens brands are starting to carry a wide selection of lens designs, each geared for different purposes. This makes it possible for you to just carry one lens family, while still getting the benefit of choice. This means your pricing and availability will be consistent across the lens designs, and the only thing you have to worry about is what designs are best for each individual patient. This kind of lens choice gives you a leg up on competition – especially on line competition. You can actually talk to your patient and find out what it is that they spend their time doing. With that information, you can select lens designs that give them better vision where they need it. There’s no point in giving someone a lens with great distance viewing if they’re in a cubicle for nine hours a day – they’re almost never going to use it. Informed decisions about progressive lenses help you show your customer how much you care about their vision, and give them a reason to come back to you instead of trying to get something cheap online.
Most of this idea has been common when we look at something like a ‘computer lens’, with a focus on intermediate and near zones. With free-form technology, we can not only make these lenses, but a whole host of other ‘specialized’ designs. One design may, for instance, focus on those that work indoors. This would be ideal for someone like a doctor or retail worker. You can’t just give them a ‘computer lens’, since they need distance viewing to be able to walk down the hallway or see across the room. A standard progressive may not be ideal for their work environment due to the high amount of intermediate (talking to customers and patients) and near (reading and writing) tasks they do. So with those needs determined, we can select a lens design that prioritizes these areas without completely removing the distance portion of the lens. Similarly, we can look at a driving progressive with much the same criteria – you need distance (obviously) with enough intermediate to see the dashboard and your mirrors. You need only a tiny bit of reading, as you certainly shouldn’t be reading and driving at the same time. Often times driving lenses (like sunglasses) will be left in the car full-time. That makes it even easier to give them a specialized design, since they’re always going to be used for driving.
These are just a few of the reasons why it’s important to have a selection of lens designs available. Not only does it give you more, better options to choose from, but it gives you more to offer your customer. Even if the customer doesn’t need all of the designs, it’s good for them to know what it is you have to offer. They want to feel confident that you have their best vision at heart, and making sure you tailor your products to their lifestyle helps to give you the edge over the competition.
– Bill Heffner, IV
