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Show & Tell
How to use demonstration kits to effectively dispense premium lenses
By Joseph L. Bruneni

Two factors are vital components in the successful dispensing of premium lenses. The first requirement is that the dispenser has a firm understanding of the best ways of explaining the often-complicated technology involved with modern ophthalmic lenses. The second requirement is to have tools to help graphically demonstrate the visual and/or cosmetic benefits of each premium lens or lens treatment. This means lens demonstration kits.

Sometimes a useful demo can be made up in the back office. There is a handmade demonstration that has been used for years. It's simply a nail driven through an uncut polycarbonate lens. It still makes an effective demonstration. The best ones, however, are usually the more sophisticated ones produced by manufacturers and laboratories.

To help your office deal with the increasingly complicated task of explaining modern premium lenses, this article provides useful scripts for the dispenser to use when explaining each type of premium lens to the patient. The script is followed by a review of what's available in demo kits for that category. With this combined information, you can develop a proven routine for explaining each type of premium lens.

POLYCARBONATE LENSES

Script:

"Polycarbonate lenses are made of a modern material that makes them lighter, safer, and more durable than other lenses. They are high index
and can be made thinner than other lenses, making them more attractive for stronger corrections. They are the lightest lens available today. Polycarbonate lenses are virtually unbreakable, making them the most impact-resistant lens material on the market. They are the only choice for patients who have reduced vision or
no vision in one eye or who are involved in occupations or activities where eyeglasses are at risk of breakage. They also protect eyes from harmful ultraviolet protection and have a scratch-resistant coating. These added benefits are included at no extra cost, making polycarbonate lenses an excellent value."

Demonstration:

Each polycarbonate manufacturer has created some type of polycarbonate demonstration kit. Check with your laboratory for their suggestion or contact one of the companies listed in the sidebar "Getting Started." One of the most dramatic demonstration tools is the impact tester available from Gentex. Place a polycarbonate lens under the cup and pull back on the spring-loaded plunger. The resounding "whack" the lens takes provides a valid demonstration of strength that never fails to impress viewers.

ASPHERIC LENSES

Script:

For Plus Corrections: "Conventional lenses in a farsighted correction like yours are thicker in the center, which make them protrude from the frame. This central bulge also makes lenses heavier than nearsighted corrections. Another cosmetic drawback is they enlarge the appearance of your eyes. Optical scientists have designed a new lens that uses special constantly changing curves. Called aspheric, these lenses are much slimmer and lighter, and magnify eyes less than conventional lenses. Best of all, with your type of correction, you see better through them, particularly when looking to one side or the other. They are the most modern lens for your correction."

For Minus Corrections: "Conventional lenses in your type of correction have thicker edges, and these thick edges are obvious in most frames. This adds bulk to the lenses which in turn makes them heavier. Strong nearsighted lenses also make eyes look smaller. Optical scientists have designed a new lens that uses constantly changing curves. Called aspheric, these lenses have thinner edges, are lighter in weight and don't make eyes look smaller. Best of all, with your type of correction, you see better through them, especially when looking to one side or the other."

Demonstration:

It's simple to demonstrate the thickness and cosmetic improvements of aspheric lenses using a demonstration display that features actual lenses. The best displays use lenses cut in half to demonstrate the thickness differences. Some demos show patients the difference when looking through two plus lenses, one conventional and one aspheric. This kind of display illustrates both the cosmetic and the optical advantages of aspherics.

HIGH-INDEX LENSES

Script:

"People who wear strong corrections such as yours are often sensitive about the appearance of the thick edges of their
lenses. Fortunately, there are special new plastic materials now available that bend light differently so that strong lenses like yours end up with thinner edges. These lenses are called high index and include a factory-applied scratch coating at no extra cost. If the appearance of your lenses is important, you will want to consider high index."

Demonstration:

Much like aspheric displays, the best high index demo units use sample lenses cut in half to reveal the difference between high index and conventional lenses. There are a variety of demo units, illustrating high index materials ranging from 1.54 to 1.66 index lenses.

PROGRESSIVE ADDITION LENSES

Script:

"You've probably heard about bifocals with no lines. They are called progressive lenses. Besides not revealing your age, they provide other benefits that help you see better. They provide sharp, clear vision--not just at near or in the distance, but at that arm's-length distance where only trifocals help. Best of all, they provide clear vision for all distances between. All bifocals or trifocals take getting used to, and this is also true of progressive lenses. With progressives, however, all you have to do is simply point your nose at whatever you are looking at. Chances are, you already do that. Patients who start wearing progressives seldom ever go back to bifocals or trifocals."

Demonstration:

Some displays show how patients see through progressives. Others use actual progressive lenses mounted in a frame that patients can put them on and experience looking through them. It's difficult for lay people to visualize how a progressive works and any of these demo units help in that regard.

PHOTOCHROMIC LENSES

Script:

"You've probably read or heard about lightweight hard resin lenses that darken in the sun. These magic lenses provide increased comfort and convenience when moving between indoors and outdoors and they do it quickly and completely. They darken to a moderate shade of gray or brown, but do not darken in a bright room. If you are especially active and spend a lot of time outdoors, you can order them in new darker versions. The lenses provide 100 percent protection from damaging ultraviolet light and are treated with a special scratch-resistant coating that protects the surfaces and extends the life of the lenses."

Demonstration:

Demonstrating to a patient how a photochromic lens activates usually means asking them to step outside. One of the most effective demo kits utilizes a UV light box with a specially designed card holding photochromic samples. Simply insert the lens card into the light box, push the switch and in 45 seconds you have a fully darkened lens. The light box shuts off automatically.

ANTI-REFLECTION COATING

Script:

"Anti-reflective coatings are the newest development in eyewear. This special coating makes your lenses almost invisible, allowing the world to see your eyes more clearly with no annoying reflections in your lenses. Anti-reflective coatings also make it possible to see things more clearly, especially at night. This special treatment eliminates those annoying 'ghost images' created by overhead lights, car headlights, sunlight or indirect light. Anti-reflection coatings also reduce eye fatigue while using a computer or when driving at night."

Caution: never use the term "AR" to the patient. Use the words "anti-reflection coatings" instead.

Demonstration:

Regardless of their correction, every patient should have an opportunity to learn about the visual and the cosmetic benefits of AR coating. Most coating laboratories offer some type of AR demonstration unit. A typical demonstration kit usually includes a partially-coated lens sample to demonstrate the dramatic difference when a lens has AR coating. Some kits have a lens mounted in a black shadow box with the center of the lens AR coated. Patients often attempt to stick their finger through what appears to be a hole in the lens. Most AR demo units demonstrate the cosmetic benefits of AR. Be sure to explain the visual benefits of AR coatings. Unfortunately, there is no effective way to demonstrate the visual benefits. Note: One of the most effective demonstrations is to have a frame with two plano lenses mounted, one AR-coated and one not. The dispenser puts them on and asks, "Which would you prefer?"

POLARIZED LENSES

Script:

"Prescription sunglasses are important to anyone who spends much time outdoors. There is a new type of high-performance sun lens called polarized. These modern lenses do much more than merely reduce the amount of light reaching your eyes. Polarized sunglasses eliminate annoying reflected glare from water, snow and shiny surfaces such as street pavements, metal, mirrors, windshields and glass. Most of the ski and sport goggles you see selling for hundreds of dollars in sporting goods stores feature polarized lenses. Now, you can have these special lenses made with your prescription. They are particularly useful for driving, or for anyone spending much time around water or the beach because they block reflected glare coming from roads, sandy beaches, or water."

Demonstration:

The primary demonstration of polarized sun lenses should include a demo of the glare cutting benefits provided by polarized lenses. Several polarized demo kits are available to show how polarized lenses eliminate reflected glare. Direct the patient to view the scene with and without polarized glasses. If you have the proper assortment of plano polarized sunglasses, you can also take two pair and cross one over the other, demonstrating how polarized lenses block light.

SUN LENSES & TINTS

Script:

"Prescription sunglasses are one of the most-appreciated types of eyewear available today. The convenience and comfort that comes when eyes are fully protected from glare, sunlight and ultraviolet rays is difficult to describe. This is one purchase no one ever regrets. Best of all, there is a wide variety of colors, densities, and mirrors to choose from. Once we understand how you use your eyes outdoors, we can design a pair that are exactly right for you."

Demonstration:

Probably the best display is one that illustrates the many color options available to the patient. These are colorful and lead to an active discussion of what will best serve the patient for the way they use their eyes outdoors. One of the best ways to encourage sunglass sales is to have a good assortment of plano sunglasses in your display. People like to try on sunglasses and see how they look on them and how they see through them. The lenses in most ready-made sunglasses can be produced in Rx form.

ULTRAVIOLET PROTECTION

Script:

"One of the major hazards to the human eye is ultraviolet rays from the sun. Unfortunately, the ozone layer, which normally protects Earth from UV, is shrinking and this has made UV protection important, particularly for the eyes. Some modern lenses come with built-in UV protection but for lenses that do not have built-in protection, UV protection can be added. It's a service we strongly recommend."

Demonstration:

Demonstrating UV protection has been virtually impossible until recently. Special UV electronic devices are available but recent studies have raised questions about their effectiveness. One of the simplest and most effective tools for displaying UV protection is a simple plastic card, about the size of a business card. It has a special treated strip on the front surface. Merely place an optical lens over the strip and expose it to direct sunlight (or use the Transitions UV light box). The strip quickly darkens under sunlight but if the lens offers UV protection, the strip remains white under the lens. There's no more effective way to demonstrate UV protection.

Merchandising today is a "show and tell" world, and modern premium lenses require the use of graphic demonstration kits. When you combine an effective explanation with a practical demonstration of what you have explained, you inevitably encourage a positive reaction from the patient. You'll also find that most consumers react favorably when you take the time to explain the technology to them.

Review the demo kits that are available and make sure you have the assortment you need. Equally important is the requirement to keep your demo kits looking clean and presentable. Nothing kills incentive for the patient more quickly than watching you blow dust off a demo kit before showing the patient "the newest" in ophthalmic lenses. Also, once a demo kit begins to look raggedy and show-worn, order a replacement. These demos are your most valuable asset for explaining what's available in modern eyewear. EB