Positioning Poly & Trivex

Poly and Trivex are the strongest, safest lenses on the market today. But there are plenty of other reasons to increase your recommendations and sales of this dynamic lens duo

By Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC

Strong and beautiful: these lenses offer top performance and look good on the wearer. Photos courtesy of Hoya (top) and Polycore (left)

Poly and Trivex lens materials are, hands down, the number-one choice for children and active adults. They're safe and strong—fulfilling Duty to Warn requirements—and thinner and lighter weight than conventional plastics.

Improved scratch resistance, inherent UV protection, and AR compatibility make poly and Trivex ideal lenses to package and promote. Plus, there are nuances to poly and Trivex that can make recommendations and sales stronger.

POLY PLUS

Poly is available in an almost endless array of lens designs and powers, making it a fulfilling and cost-effective choice for many ECPs and patients.

"Poly is our number-one choice for children and adults," affirms Mel Berman, OD, of the Sports Vision and Contact Lens Center in Raleigh, N.C. "Today's poly is lightweight and less apt to scratch, plus available in photochromic for single-vision and progressive Rxs."

"New poly lenses tint very well as opposed to the poly of years ago that were only able to be tinted in a light or medium color," Berman points out. "Today's poly also accepts AR coatings with greater results."

Poly and Trivex lens materials deliver patient satisfaction at any age and in any lens design. Shown top to bottom: Shamir, Optima, and Essilor lenses

Poly has the reputation of being "not that great" for rimless drill mounts, although many ECPs and labs work successfully with rimless poly. The tensile strength of some poly lenses makes them better for drilling. Poly also reacts adversely to chemicals, versus Trivex which is more chemically resistant.

"Poly problems can also be patient-based," observes Xavier Arste, ABOC, manager of Dietz-McLean Optical in San Antonio. "I have a client who returned within a month or two with cracked poly lenses no matter what. I switched her to Trivex, and since, she's had successful wear for a year and a half."

Poly is extremely strong and generally holds its strength when coated. It is light weight and thin and can be surfaced to a center thickness of 1.0mm for extra thinness, as can Trivex. For additional thinness and lightweight, poly and Trivex materials can be made in aspheric and atoric designs that flatten the centers of plus-power lenses and thin the edges of minus-power lenses.

TRIVEX TERRIFIC

Because Trivex isn't a commodity product like poly, it can help differentiate a practice in an area where many don't work with Trivex, such as in Kingsport, Tenn., where Specks 'N Shades Vision Center is located.

"I recommend Trivex to almost all my patients," explains LDO-owner Bob Boles. "I won't recommend something I won't wear myself. I wear Trivex and have used Trivex since it first came on the market. Around 30 percent of our work is rimless and 100 percent of our rimless work is Trivex."

Many ECPs and patients cite Trivex's clarity as the feature they value most.

"I present optics, impact resistance, scratch resistance, UV protection, light weight, and thinness in that order," says Mark Clement, OD, of Gateway Eye Associates in Pittsburgh. "I mention safety with vehicle airbags and other situations that apply to patient lifestyle."

Because Trivex material is more chemically resistant than poly, Trivex is the safest recommendation when patients may be exposed to chemicals at home or in the workplace.

Trivex can provide the best vision available in a plastic lens material, especially when combined with AR. Seniors in particular can benefit from Trivex's superior optics. That can help combat the visual dimming that comes with aging.

PRODUCTION & PROMOTION TIPS

As always, the doctor's recommendation of a particular spectacle lens material and design is the best professional sales tool.

"One pediatric ophthalmologist we work with has poly printed on his Rx form and never fails to check the poly recommendation on the Rx," Arste says. "Not only parents, but kids also recognize that poly lenses are tough."

For active adults and kids, poly and Trivex are the lenses of choice for durability. Shown: Younger Optics (top), Vision-Ease (above), and PPG Industries (right)

Gateway Eye Associates keeps existing patients informed of practice promotions and events via their website and mailings, and in the store as well. "We have a great Trivex demo with a places for a poly and Trivex lens blank," says Clement. "When patients look through the demo's polarized filter they see the chromatic aberration in the poly lens, and they want Trivex for its visual clarity."

Additionally, Clement wears Trivex lenses himself in -4.50D and shows patients his own eyewear when discussing Trivex.

Boles packages Trivex, tells patients about it, and makes it cost effective. This combined effort has been successful. "I tell patients everything's included with Trivex, especially UV and scratch resistance," he notes. "I package Trivex with polished edges and brand-name photochromics and AR. There's no longer much difference in cost for patients. In fact, there's less cost overall with Trivex today." EB