Q&A
by Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC

SECURITY FEATURES

Q Should I insure my in-house lab? If so, what for—equipment catastrophe, equipment breakdown, loss of business, liability?

A Without a doubt, yes, and for all of the above! If you're leasing equipment, it's likely that whoever leases you the equipment requires insurance as well.

Many equipment manufacturers will train and/or certify users to help lower insurance costs and reduce the possibility of operator errors.

Real-life examples of why you should insure are: A pump malfunction could cause a flood, or someone could get burned by a tint unit.

Also, lenses should have a waiver or patient acknowledgement form. To be effective, a waiver should be a standardized industry form.

Anything can happen anytime, and you should be prepared.

— Keith Cross, vice president,
Northeast Lens Corp.,
Newton Upper Falls, Mass.

COMPUTING AR

Q Is the best computer vision lens one with anti-reflection or without?

A Based on the experience of numerous doctors who've given us input, our strong view is that AR is extremely beneficial for computer lenses. Making computer patients happy and productive is the result of a number of factors, including Rx, lens design, and creating reasonable expectations for the patient. Any step we can take to positively affect any of those factors will move the patient closer to a great result.

While AR on computer lenses can't lessen glare from the screen itself, it has several other very important benefits.

Think about the patient's situation when wearing their lenses. In many cases, they will be in an office with lighting fixtures on the ceiling. If their lenses don't have AR, the lighting fixtures will be reflected on the backside of their lenses. They may be sitting with their back to a window.

Imagine the reflections on their lenses from those windows on a sunny day. AR on the lens' front and backside will minimize reflections and glare from any angle, making it easier for the patient to focus on the information on the screen. For this reason alone, computer lenses should always include AR.

— Jon Torrey, president & CEO,
PRIO Corporation, Beaverton, Ore.

Tint Treatment

Q I've heard there's a tint that, therapeutically, visually helps with Parkinson's Disease. Is that really the case? If so what should we be using for these patients?

A A number of diseases have been reported to be relieved by tinted lenses. However, tints have not been widely accepted by the medical community as a benefit. The general consensus from those involved with Parkinson's is that the brain becomes overloaded by visual data. Tinted lenses act as a filter and allow the brain to process visual data. We have provided tints for these purposes and there has been positive feedback, but we don't take a position on any benefit.

— Tim Rivet, member of the board of management, BPI, Miami

If you have a question you'd like to have answered in Ask the Labs, send it to Karlen McLean. Fax: 215-643-1705. E-mail: mcleank@ lwwvisioncare.com. An archive of past Ask the Labs columns can be found on the Eyecare Business Website at www.eyecarebusiness.com.