instrumental strategies
An Artist's Eye for Edging
This new edger makes it easy to create customized eyewear and rimless frames.
J. MICHAEL HARMON, O.D.

At Sonoma Eyeworks, we take great pride in providing state-of-the-art eye care combined with the latest in unique and fashionable eyewear with a personal touch. We believe that our patients deserve the best; therefore we have invested in the latest technology in the lab and the exam room.

Moving up

Recently we upgraded our Briot Axcell CL-D edging system to the new Briot Alta. Sonoma Eyeworks is a high-end practice carrying unique and exclusive frames. We like to think that we are creating "wearable art" for our patients, and the Alta system truly allows us to do just that. Many of the frame collections we carry at Sonoma Eyeworks have sharp corners, angles and asymmetrical shapes that the average edger can't create. The advanced engineering of the Alta gives the operator greater control over each of the finishing steps necessary to ensure accurate and cosmetically pleasing results.

Briot Alta Edging System
TRACER/BLOCKER WIDTH: 13" DEPTH: 24" HEIGHT: 26" WEIGHT: 91 lbs. POWER: 115/60Hz, 80W	EDGER 26" 19" 21" 138 lbs. 115v/60Hz, 1,000W

Improved operations

The Alta edger allows you and/or your tech to utilize automatic settings as well as customize bevels, grooves, drill holes and safety bevels. The Alta edger also allows you and/or your tech to control the curve of the "V" bevel or groove, as well as the bevel placement on the lens by millimeters or percentages from the front or rear of the lens. It offers a wide range of depth and width options for grooving that can be adjusted quickly and easily on the touch-screen. These control options are essential in fitting the lens in the frame, especially with steep base curves and difficult bevels.

One particular frame line that we carry requires a wider and deeper groove than normally used. With the Alta, this is a breeze, as we can change the width and depth with the touch of a button. Additionally, the Alta edger's new design allows the drill to tilt up to 30Þ to accommodate higher base curve lenses. The angled holes come out perfect on the Alta edger, which creates the perfect fit on custom drilled eyewear.

Special features

With the popularity of drilled eyewear, the Digiform software in the Alta tracer/blocker is a must-have. This software allows us to modify rimless lens shapes specifically for each patient. We can extend the lower "B" measurement as well as any parameter quickly and easily. The software makes it easy to create custom, one-of-a-kind eyewear.

For Sonoma Eyeworks, the Briot Alta's ease of use and all-in-one capabilities made this investment a "no brainer." We have reduced our cost-of-goods while we continue to increase service to our patients. For these reasons, the edging system has made significant contributions to our successful practice.    

DR. HARMON IS IN PRIVATE PRACTICE IN SANTA ROSA, CALIF. HE IS CO-FOUNDER OF EMPIRE OPTOMETRY AND SONOMA EYEWORKS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.SONOMAEYEWORKS.COM.