BUYER’S FORUM

Frames + Lenses

Hitting the right formula for an inventory with the best of both worlds

this month, Eyecare Business focuses on lens technology and provides a peek at the future of vision, including the potential that a good part of our eyewear may feature interactivity with computers, such as Google Glass. But regardless of the tech upgrades, ECPs still have to think about frame and lens harmony for good vision as their primary concern.

Making sure that patients can see well and comfortably is a changing prospect. While patients opt for more complicated lenses and buyers have more options in what frames serve best, there are still working constraints.

BUYER’S OUTLOOK

Diving into the topic of making frames and lenses work together, we spoke with Marissa De La Mora, optician/manager at Contacts and Specs in Chicago about her experiences—and challenges—in successfully creating fully functional eyewear and how that impacts her dispensing and frame selection.

EB: Are there still specific frame types you need for particular Rx’s?

DE LA MORA: Full plastic chunky frames help camouflage complicated prescriptions. As far as a specific frame type style, I prefer full plastic frames for high prescriptions. Harry Lary’s by Thierry Lasry makes my favorite “special needs” frames. They are designed chunky, colorful, and angular, but have an extra slab of plastic at the top of each lens (see hinge images above). This detail helps hide edge thickness.

Images by Marissa De La Mora

EB: What’s your biggest frustration in making lenses and frames work in harmony?

DE LA MORA: Currently my biggest frustration in making lenses and frames work better together is the fact that most people don’t believe in paying for the better, premium products.

The fact that our industry is now saturated with online cheap frames and lens packages make it tougher to sell premium products. Patients will spend hours or even sometimes weeks thinking about a frame. But when they are finally ready to buy, they want to downgrade on better materials. I try to use my knowledge to let them know, “Yes, you are getting a very expensive frame, but why buy a Cadillac and then use cheap rims?”

Gaining the trust of patients when suggesting materials for their personal Rx is key. I don’t see myself as a car salesman; therefore, I won’t push materials and/or options unless I believe they are something that fits their needs.

— Amy Spiezio, Executive Editor

LINDBERG style 1014

Want to talk about what gives your frame buying flair? Please email executive editor Amy Spiezio, Amy.Spiezio@PentaVisionMedia.com