Some 65.4 percent of independent ECPs currently dispense personalized progressive lenses manufactured by freeform, according to Jobson Research’s Wholesale Lab Usage Study 2010. The number of independent ECPs who do so has been climbing since 2008, when 45.9 percent dispensed personalized progressive lenses manufactured by freeform. In 2009, 60.2 percent reported dispensing these lenses.
It’s clear the future of lenses involves managing higher order aberrations. Each of the major lens companies have their approach to this issue. Your job is to understand the major differences so that you can prescribe the best lenses for the patient sitting in your exam chair or optical. This requires multiple conversations between yourself, your optical staff and the laboratories with which you work. It’s worth the effort because the end result is a patient with the best lenses and a practice known for providing the best care. In our book, that’s worth it!