ask the labs

Equipment Advice & Lens Logic

by Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC

PROACTIVE PREVENTATIVE

Q What kind of troubleshooting can you do with an edger to help prevent breakdowns and loss of production time?

A We don't have many edger problems. I believe this is due to proactive maintenance.

We clean our edger daily. We also follow the recommended periodic workups listed from the machine manufacturer. Under this program, a manufacturer's technician comes in every quarter to replace scheduled parts. Expensive, yes, but cheap in the long run.

We also plan on machine replacement every five years or so. Additionally, we have an employee who worked with several edger manufacturers for many years who does a great job keeping up equipment.

—Jonathan Jacobs, president, Superior Optical Labs, Inc., Ocean Springs, Miss.

HOLD THE R&P

Q When should I not do an edge roll and polish?

A Most lenses don't require a roll anymore, with the advent of high-index materials which can make high-minus lenses thinner and the edges less protrusive.

A rolled edge can make concentric circles more obvious, so when we do roll a lens, we're careful not to put too much roll on it.

We don't recommend roll and polish on thin nylor rimless eyewear because it causes too many mounting problems.

In addition, some patients complain about reflections as a result of roll and polish, particularly when it comes to high-myopes. If a patient finds reflections are a problem, the lab can reduce the luster to compensate.

We also generally recommend a satin polished edge, which gives a cosmetically pleasing appearance without the "icy" look or as many possible reflections as a high-luster polished edge.

—Dale Parmenteri, vice president, Balester Optical Company, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

If you have a question you'd like to have answered in Ask the Labs, send it to Karlen McLean. Email: karlen.mclean@wolterskluwer.com. An archive of past Ask the Labs columns can be found on the Eyecare Business website at www.eyecarebusiness.com.