As 20/20’s lenses and technology editor for the past three decades, I have written or edited hundreds of articles. They covered a diverse range of topics, from ophthalmic dispensing to new products and technologies, to interviews with “artists of the lens.” My goal has always been to provide practical advice and valuable information to help readers manage their business and remain competitive.
These 10 articles from 20/20’s archives, mostly RxPertise features, exemplify that straightforward approach. They offer not only useful information but also thought-provoking ideas that illuminate and explain dispensing trends. I encourage readers to revisit not only these 10 articles, but many other L&T articles in 20/20’s online archives as well at 2020mag.com.
Finally, as I say goodbye after 37 years of covering the lenses and tech sector of this industry, I want to acknowledge the contributions of the talented writers I have been fortunate to work with, including Palmer R. Cook, OD; Barry Santini, the late Mike DiSanto, Sara Bonizio, Brian Dunleavy and Tim Herrick. Their insights and observations have enriched our L&T coverage immeasurably.
—Andrew Karp
A Rosetta Stone for Eyecare
Decoding the Issues of Index | March 2007
By Palmer R. Cook, OD
“The Rosetta Stone, an antiquity discovered in Rosetta (now el-Rashid), Egypt in 1799, allowed us to decode then unreadable hieroglyphics by comparing a hieroglyphic text with a known language. There is a multiplier known as the curve variation factor (CVF), which reveals the power of a lens in one material that would have the same volume and curvature as a lens of another power in another material. Clinicians can easily use this multiplier as a Rosetta Stone for selecting the best lens material.”
THE NEW 20/HAPPY
Optimizing the Separate and Unequal Aspects of Binocular Vision | March 2022
By Barry Santini
“In our day-to-day roles, eyecare professionals often give little additional thought about how a disparate prescription might impact that patient’s comfortable binocular vision (BV). Significant monocular Rx changes—such as those introduced by a maturing cataract—might occasionally get our attention. But in general, most ECPs don’t typically think: ‘What should I do to ensure optimal binocular vision with this prescription?’ Why? One reason is most people ‘appear’ to adapt to changes in a newly Rxed pair of glasses. Another reason is the old advice that’s continually whispering in our ear: ‘Don’t fix what ain’t broken.’ What’s common to both of these explanations is unfortunate: They rely on an ‘absence of complaint’ as a surrogate for more hard knowledge about the exact state of that person’s binocular comfort.”
Job Too Tough? Call In ‘The Specialist’
December 2013
By Andrew Karp
“Full service wholesale labs can usually handle about 99.5 percent to 99.8 percent of the jobs they are sent. The remaining 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent of work typically requires special tooling, special equipment, special knowledge or special care. That slender but profitable niche is where Quest Optical Specialty Lab operates. Based in Largo, Fla., Quest is known as a ‘lab’s lab’ that does specialty lab work for other wholesale labs in the U.S. and more than 17 countries around the world. Quest’s founder and owner Michael Walach is the driving force behind this unique enterprise. Walach’s vast knowledge of optics plus his extraordinary engineering know-how allow him and his team to tackle challenging jobs that often result in one-of-a-kind lenses. That rare combination of skills has made him the go-to resource not only for other labs, but for lens companies and lab equipment manufacturers as well.”
A Divorce That Changed Dispensing
January 2015
By Palmer R. Cook, OD
“For years, the ophthalmic industry rolled along using the Major Reference Point (MRP), a term that refers to the one point in every lens that gave exactly the prescription that the doctor wants for his or her patient. One way to think of this union of refractive power and prism power is that the refractive power was the extroverted, always-in-the-action partner, and the prism power was the shy, retiring spouse that only appeared as part of the prescription when its strength was greater than zero. Prism was an ever-present silent partner.”
Get Ready for Telehealth
What You Need to Know and Why | August 2018
By Sara Bonizio
Telehealth’s recent emergence in eyecare is part of a growing movement within the broader health care arena that is reshaping the way doctors and patients interact and expanding access to care. Ocular telehealth appeals to practitioners and consumers alike for the same reasons telehealth is gaining popularity in other fields of medicine: increased access for care, greater convenience and flexibility for both staff and patient, and the potential for cost savings.”
Crossing Abbe Road
Debunking Myths About Abbe Value | February 2009
By Michael DeSanto
“There are certain facts that are often misunderstood and frequently misstated regarding lens material qualities, in particular, Abbe value, and its impact on optical performance. The effect and importance of Abbe value, is often stated as the beginning and end of an acuity performance issue, but in reality the Abbe value is just one factor that should trail in only after dealing with the more significant design issues. By optimizing the lens material with aspheric designs and anti-reflection—Abbe value and other qualities of materials become minimal issues. There can be a number of factors that cause a patient discomfort. In many cases, more than one factor may be present to cause a problem. If one of the problems can be addressed, that may be enough to put the person back under their threshold of rejection. Let’s take what we have learned regarding gaze angle and link it to visual acuity. If optimized aspheric designs and anti-reflection are built into a lens, its Abbe value is of little concern.”
L&T Expo Scouting Report
March 15, 2017
By Andrew Karp
“The L&T Expo Scouting Report gives 20/20 readers an exclusive preview of the ever-widening array of new lens and technology products that will be unveiled at this month’s International Vision Expo East in New York. From spectacle lenses and lens treatments to lens processing equipment for in-office labs and high production labs, you’ll have a front row seat to see what’s new and noteworthy.”
Lenses BY the Numbers
New Data Spotlights Lens Sales and Dispensing Patterns | May 2019
By Andrew Karp
“L&T takes the pulse of the spectacle lens market with our 2019 Premium Lens MarketPulse Survey. This annual qualitative survey provides fresh feedback from independent eyecare practitioners about their spectacle lens sales as well as their approach to dispensing certain products. The results of this exclusive study indicate which types of lens products are most popular among the 347 independent optical retailers across the country whom we polled. This valuable data can help you benchmark your own lens sales.”
Cybersecurity for Lenses
April 2016
By Andrew Karp
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval last month of Triggerfish, a soft silicone contact lens with an embedded sensor that detects tiny changes or fluctuations in an eye’s volume, marks the start of a new era in vision care health in the U.S.
“As wonderful as these new technologies may be, the idea of having a wired device on my eye, or implanted in it, makes me a bit uneasy. What if somebody hacked it?”
I See It My Way
September 2021
By Andrew Karp
“Although I was diagnosed with colorblindness when I was a child, I never really paid much attention to it. I didn’t wear glasses and didn’t have regular eye exams. My music was my thing, and sound fascinated me more than sight.
“After I got married, though, my wife noticed that when I went to find a purple shirt, I usually chose a blue one. Those brown shorts I liked to wear were actually green. Red was usually red. Except when it was brown.
“Being colorblind didn’t bother me much. But I’d get annoyed when someone would test me by pointing to an object and asking ‘What color is this?’”
