LENS PROCESSING
Grinding 'em out...yourself
In-office surfacing is now more viable than ever
By Susan Pronovost

Managed care eating away at your revenue line. Increased competition from the larger optical shops and chains. An increased awareness of the value of premium lens product. A monthly wholesale optical laboratory bill that is looking similar to the gross national product.

If any of these scenarios describe your dispensary (and most likely quite a few of them do), you could be a candidate for an in-office surfacing lab. More and more of your colleagues are entering the surfacing arena...and they're reporting success.

That success is due in large part to the technology that exists in the industry today--technology that is allowing even the small independent optometrist, optician, or even ophthalmologist to handle his or her own surfacing jobs.

IT'S NOT AS HARD AS YOU THINK

"Certainly the technology has come a long way. The process of making the lens has become much less complex," says Todd Rhodes, product manager at South Windsor, Conn.-based Gerber-Coburn.

Each company's equipment is different, and each company's equipment requires differing levels of skill, space, and manipulation from the operator. Across the board, however, the newest in surfacing equipment available to independent dispensers requires little operator training, little space, and has little room for user error. Chalk it all up to computer technology, which guides the lens through the various stages of surfacing--including in most cases layout, blocking, lens generation, and cylinder creation--with little more required of the operator than punching the right measurements and moving the lens from stage to stage.

"As the computer chip evolves, so does our ability to make the technology less dependent on the operator," he says. That, in turn, means dispensers can realize staff savings because they don't have to rely on highly skilled technicians. "They can take that proverbial hamburger flipper and put him in the surfacing lab," Rhodes says.

Stuart Wilson, director of training for Charlottesville-Va.-based National Optro-nics, agrees that advances in surfacing technology has made it accessible to smaller optical shops with less skilled technicians.

"It's really been reduced to a fairly simple step by step process that just about anybody can do," he explains. National Optronics' surfacing equipment requires the operator to type in the data of the Rx into the calculating software to determine the base curve necessary. The equipment will print a "work ticket" that will literally spell out the calculation that the operator need enter at various stages throughout the process.

Rhodes puts it this way: "We call it Process-Smart Technology. When you put the smarts into the technology, you don't have to put the smarts into the operator."

One of the great time savings as well as "ease of use" features in the new surfacing equipment can be found in the usually time-consuming and painstaking layout process. According to Wilson, National Optronics' surfacing equipment reduces the amount of time needed for the layout process by about 60 percent on average, as it reduces the amount of "hands-on" work needed.

A reduction in turn-around time is also one of the main benefits of in-office surfacing. Not only can the dispenser control the quality of the lens, but he or she can also provide better and quicker service to patients-a very important benefit in these days of super optical shops advertising lenses in an hour.

FLEXIBILITY OF JOBS

All the equipment experts spoken to here agree that great revenue savings can be found when dispensers keep their premium lens jobs--the polycarbonate, the high-index, the progressives--under their own roof instead of paying a lab to make the lenses. From a retail standpoint, dispensers should already know that selling patients up to those premium products is the way to survive in the face of managed care... but then why give a large part of that premium revenue to somebody else?

"The real money is in processing the premium lenses," says Rhodes. And, with the technology available now, "it's just as easy to do that easy job as it is to do that premium job."

John Corsini, vice president of sales at SuperSystems, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, agrees. He adds that keeping those premium jobs in-house gives a leg-up over other dispensaries in terms of turn-around time. "What you want to do is be able to cover off a majority of your bifocal jobs," he says. "That's really what you need to compete."

All of the newest in-office surfacing systems can handle all of the traditional jobs--from single vision to flat top 28 and 35, any curve, a variety of segs, all major progressive addition lens types, high index, photochromics--and a host of materials (although some will not surface glass).

And there's more flexibility coming on the horizon. Gerber Coburn and Sola's Matrix system, which was initially developed about three years ago for LensCrafters, has just been made available to independent practitioners. The lens bonding system takes the place of surfacing equipment, and allows optical dispensaries to produce AR lenses in about an hour.

IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU?

Surfacing equipment sounds like a great idea, but what kind of independent eyecare professional has that kind of money and space to devote to such an endeavor? You don't need as much as you would think, our experts report. And, it doesn't matter whether you produce three pair of lenses a day or have a considerably higher daily volume.

The larger in-house systems, such as those from a Gerber-Coburn or a National Optronics, are great for medium- to large sized independents (although some smaller shops may benefit from that equipment as well).

National Optronics reports that someone who dispenses 100 pair per week, with about 30 percent of those being premium or progressives, would benefit from moving jobs in-house. Gerber-Coburn prefers to base its analysis on amount of money being spent at the lab; if $3,000 a month is going to an outside lab, you might want to consider working in-house as well.

But even those dispensaries selling just a few pair of lenses a day can enjoy the benefits of an in-house system. SuperSystems and its FastGrind 2000 lens surfacing system is designed specifically for small- to medium-sized optical shops.

"FastGrind fits the niche for the small independent," says Corsini. "If [dispensers] are only doing two to three pair a day, they can justify the cost of the FastGrind. That's all it takes."

The FastGrind, an all-in-one surfacing system that needs just six square feet of space, requires a smaller investment than most of the larger in-house systems-about $18,000 versus the $60,000 or more for the systems that can handle a larger volume.

And handling surfacing in-house means saying goodbye to wholesale lab bills. Every equipment manufacturer can produce an individualized matrix that will outline the number of (and type) lenses a dispensary sells and its monthly lab bills compared to the monthly cost of investing in surfacing equipment.

And financing has become easier as well, making the equipment even more viable for smaller independent practitioners. Our experts report a plethora of rather aggressive leasing options available.

"With leasing you're paying for the use of the equipment, not for the ownership of the equipment," says Rhodes. Leasing the equipment may also provide dispensers with some considerable tax advantages as well.

Most importantly, financing could reduce the investment of a full surfacing lab in your dispensary to as low as $1,000 a month. It is likely that you'll be saving more than that in monthly lab bills.

And space is really no longer an issue at all, again thanks to technology. Equipment manufacturers report quite a bit of flexibility in setting up their systems. A smaller, all-in-one system like the FastGrind needs just six square feet. Larger systems, like those of Gerber-Coburn and National Optronics, need a bit more (more like 10x15 feet) but can still turn a small back room into a lab.

In all systems, all that's really needed is electricity, a simple water source, and an air compressor (for the larger systems).

CASTING AS AN ALTERNATIVE

If you decide that surfacing is not the best method of lens processing for your business, a viable alternative just may be lens casting, or lens fabrication. It's an in-house method of making lenses in a mold shaped to the desired Rx.

The most recent entry into the in-house casting game is the Q-2100 from Louisville, Ky.-based Optical Dynamics (formerly FastCast). As John McClendon, a consultant with Optical Dynamics, explains, this two-piece machine takes up about the same amount of space as a an edging system--just a few feet on a countertop--so it could be a good match for a dispensary with a shortage of space.

The two glass molds fit around a gasket and are filled with a monymer. Like the newest in-office surfacing equipment, the new casting equipment also boasts an ease-of-use that makes it viable for any dispensary's skill level. The operator need only enter the Rx data into the PC-driven system, and the lens will be formed to the correct thickness and curve.

"There's no additional work that needs to be done" once the lens comes out of the post-curing unit, except for the usual finishing work--a given in any surfacing or casting operation, McClendon says. Coatings or tints can be applied after the casting process, and the lenses will accept most conventional treatments, he says.

The system can create all lens designs, including clear, photochromic, bifocal, and progressive--and can also fabricate them in about an hour.

CHOOSE YOUR PROVIDER WISELY

If you've decided to enter the in-office surfacing arena, you won't find a lack of companies willing to provide you with what you need. The challenge dispensers face, rather, is choosing the right company to work with. While it's important to choose a system that is right for your individual dispensary's needs, it's also imperative that the company meet your needs regarding training, support, and service.

"Optical equipment is no different from other major product that you buy," says National Optronics' Susan Polson. "You can expect the same type of service."

Actually, you can probably expect a much better type of service. As equipment vendors continue to develop cutting-edge machinery that is bringing dispensers to a whole new level, they are taking on the role of educator, consultant, and coach to help those dispensers succeed at that new level.

So, make sure to choose a company that offers the type of training program your operation needs. Research the following items, and ask a lot of questions before you sign on the bottom line.

• Company background. Research the company's history in the industry, ask about recent mergers and how that may be affecting business. Most importantly, talk to other dispensers who have purchased or leased equipment from them.
• Reps and coverage. If you encounter a problem with the surfacing equipment, it's imperative that you are able to get someone on the phone to help you solve it.
• Training. Most companies provide initial training upon purchase, but will you need more support than that? Many companies offers additional training at trade shows, seminars, or additional individual training from the reps.
• Service. Of course the equipment will have a warranty, but are you protected after the warranty expires? Service contracts can offer anything from simply replacement parts to providing full trouble-shooting and repair service.

Most of the equipment manufacturers also offer a consultation service that will help dispensers configure a layout for the equipment, and some will even sub-contract any plumbing or electrical work necessary.

Entering the surfacing arena is no small decision. But as technology advances, it is quickly becoming possible for just about any dispenser to handle his or her own surfacing jobs, thereby increasing their service to their patients. And those technological advances are continuing at an incredible rate. Make sure you and your practice or dispensary, is keeping pace. Your patients depend on it. EB