Making a Pal of PALs
Progressive addition lens (PAL) sales continue to play a significant role in the eyecare market, as the industry’s players expand and improve upon existing design portfolios with cutting-edge technology.
According to EB’s Vision Care Market Trends Focus Group, PAL sales make up 40% of lens business in eyecare practices nationwide, just behind single-vision lenses at 50% and way ahead of bifocals and trifocals (19%) and readers (13%). The same focus group revealed that 92% planned to increase progressive lens purchasing over the next two years, with the remaining 8% planning no change. Lenses for digital devices followed, with 77% of respondents reporting a planned increase in purchasing, with sun lenses (69%) and single-vision and blue-light-filtering lenses trailing behind, both at 54%.
Here, EB’s guide shares advancements in the PAL market to help you stay up to date on offerings.
ESSILORLUXOTTICA
Varilux XR track lenses address modern visual demands with personalized near-vision zones, achieved through the Near Vision Behavior Measurement, which EssilorLuxottica shares is designed to capture four parameters: gaze lowering, reading distance, lateral offset (position of reading materials relative to the body), and visual behavior (head or eye movement during reading). Varilux XR track lenses offer up to 25% more near-vision width compared with the Varilux XR design for comfortable close-up vision, shares the company.
The Varilux XR track lenses utilize the Eye-Ruler 2 measurement device, which takes all standard measurements, position-of-wear measurements, and the exclusive near-vision behavior measurement, EssilorLuxottica shares, to provide customized and personalized vision.
HOYA
Hoya Vision Care’s iD LifeStyle 4 with 3D Binocular Vision technology is engineered to reduce peripheral distortion by three times, facilitating faster adaptation for wearers, according to the company. This technology minimizes unwanted prismatic effects in near-range peripheral vision, providing more comfortable and stable vision, particularly for patients with different prescriptions for each eye, Hoya shares.
The iD LifeStyle 4 lens combines Hoya’s three patented binocular technologies to improve visual comfort and ease of focusing, shares Hoya, and is available in three designs: indoor, which places emphasis on near-vision focus; urban, which delivers equal focus on all main vision areas; and outdoor, which primarily focuses on distance.
ZEISS
The updated Zeiss SmartLife lens portfolio, designed for digitally immersive lifestyles, incorporates SmartView 2.0 technology across single-vision, progressive, and digital lenses.
Zeiss SmartLife Progressive lenses are tailored for individuals with presbyopia with digital lifestyles. The lenses are optimized for frequent changes in head and eye position that are common when using handheld devices, Zeiss shares. Taking each person’s unique visual habits and lifestyle, this design reduces perceived blur in the lens periphery, enabling smoother transitions and natural peripheral vision, according to the company. Learn more about this lens portfolio in the January/February issue of EB.
A Tale of Two Methods
When it comes to dispensing progressive glasses, eye-care professionals can’t seem to agree about keeping fitting cross markings on lenses at dispensing. The EB team polled our Instagram followers with the following question:
→ Does your practice (1) keep the fitting cross to ensure proper alignment at final dispensing, or (2) present the patient with clean, unmarked glasses, and only mark up if there’s an issue?
A clear preference was revealed: 34% chose option one, and 66% chose option two.
“I prefer providing glasses without markings to prevent confusion and maintain a clean appearance. I trust in my and my co-workers’ ability to take accurate measurements, eliminating the need for verification at dispense. Markings may also lead to misinterpretation by customers, causing unnecessary worry. I only add markings if there is a specific issue or if they return for an Rx check.”
—Jordan Foster, ABO, NCLE, of Wilson Optical in Jacksonville, FL
“Presenting a patient with a clean pair of glasses allows them to immediately put them on and check out the fit and the vision. It feels like a completed job versus opening up something with the markings on it, [which] gives it an unfinished feel—almost like someone forgot to clean the glasses. It also allows for a smoother dispensing process instead of the patient asking questions about the different markings, what they mean, and trying to verify on their own if everything is correct.”
—Erica Meltzer, O.D., of Spectacles in Great Neck, NY
