WHAT'S NEW
For Your Patients And Practice

Essilor News
At the Optical Laboratory Association (OLA) meeting, Essilor unveiled its new Web site and the Varilux Air Mark.

The Web site, which you can visit at www.essilorlenses.com, is password-protected and lets Essilor lab customers view lens availability, product specs, and course descriptions and schedules at Essilor Laboratory University.

The company plans to unveil the recently beta-tested site to all Essilor customers in March 2002. The site will eventually integrate with VisionWeb, which is building "the world's largest online eyecare network."

Also unveiled at the OLA meeting was the Varilux Air Mark. The Air Mark is a machine that lets labs encode the right lens with the Varilux logo. The logo can only be seen when fogged, such as when someone breathes on the lens or when steam from a cup of coffee clouds it.

People at labs that purchase the Air Mark will receive training to help install and operate the equipment. However, Essilor describes the Air Mark as a simple "plug and play" machine requiring little or no maintenance.

Essilor
Phone: (800) 237-8725
Web: www.essilor.com

Zeiss Optical's LCS 550 AR coating system can produce the company's Super ET, Gold ET and Cool Blue coatings.

AR System
Also at the recent OLA meeting, Carl Zeiss Optical, Inc., introduced the LCS 550 anti-reflective (AR) coating system.

The LCS 550 can give an AR coating to both sides of 34 spectacle lenses in less than 1 hour. In addition, the LCS 550 has a touch screen and is set up for software updates via modem. You operate and maintain the LCS 550 through the Internet or on a company network.

Zeiss Optical
Phone: (800) 338-2984
Web: www.zeisslenses.com

Kids and Computers
The Prio Corporation says that 25% to 30% of children who use computers suffer from symptoms of computer vision syndrome. That's the reason why the company is selling the Prio Kids Complete Computer Vision Solution.

• The collection of products includes the Prio Kids Computer Eyewear Collection, which features a brightly colored in-office display with frames that come in the following "kid friendly" colors:
• bing cherry
• cotton candy
• rainbow blue bell
• red apple.

Kids can wear the Prio Kids eyewear for their everyday distance prescription and add a Prio computer clip-on for computer use.

The selection of products also includes educational materials for parents and the Prio Kids diagnostic instrument.

The diagnostic instrument displays words and images, which should help when you're prescribing computer eyeglasses for children younger than 10 years old.

The wholesale price of the Prio Kids Complete Computer Vision Solution is $995. The frames cost $26.95 to $29.95 and the clip-on lenses cost $19.95.

Prio
Phone: (800) 621-1098
Fax: (503) 574-2731
Web: www.prio.com

Patriotic lenses
In response to the tragedy of Sept. 11, CooperVision is now selling a new novelty contact lens, the American Flag lens.

From now through President's Day (February 8, 2002), CooperVision will donate net proceeds from sales of the lens to the United Way September 11th fund. This contribution will be made in the names of the eyecare practitioners who purchase this new novelty contact lens.

Like CooperVision's Crazy Lenses, the American Flag contact lens is made from methafilcon A (which consists of 55% water) and uses the company's UltraSync manufacturing system.

The contact lens has a 14.2 diameter, an 8.6 base curve and is available in plano only.

CooperVision
Phone: (800) 341-2020
Web: www.coopervision.com