Tag Archives : Transitions

Seiko Optical Products of America, the pioneer and global leader in digital ophthalmic lens technology, introduces Seiko Supernal, the first free-form lenses designed using an advanced 3D Virtual Reality System for improved lens design capabilities. Mike Rybacki, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing stated, “This new 3D Virtual Reality System is an evaluation method utilizing computer graphics technology which enables optical engineers to understand how patients view objects in numerous settings and improve PAL lens design performance by simulating vision through the wearer’s eyes.” Seiko Supernal offers seven (7) automatic semi-variable insets based on the prescription that range from 1.75mm to 3.25mm, in 0.25mm increments and also utilizes patented “Internal progressive and Internal Aspheric design” to reduce blurriness and distortions. The width of clear vision around the fitting point has been increased by approximately 50% by utilizing Non-Linear Progressive Power Change. This technology maintains a broad near field of vision while expanding clarity around the fitting point and distance area. Advanced Aspheric Compensation and Multi-Polar Astigmatic Correction...

In an effort to aspire students to help others see Life Well Lit™, Transitions Optical is excited to announce the extended deadline for their Students of Vision Video Showcase.  Actively enrolled optometry and opticianry students can enter for a chance to win a $500 scholarship and an all expense paid trip to the Worldwide Headquarters of Transitions Optical to receive a day of world-class education and leadership training from industry experts. To enter, students are asked to create a one to three minute video describing creative ways they desire to enhance vision for their patients, and help them see Life, Well Lit™.  Next, they share the link to their video with everyone they know via social media so they can earn votes. “We’re excited to share a new, non-traditional and fun opportunity with the students to help them earn money for school,” shares Cheri Guy the professional development manager for Transitions Optical. Transitions Optical will select finalists from the video submissions.  Video submissions will not be judged based on production value, but on the creativity and the delivery of the student’s message. Video submissions will be accepted through the extended...

Today, Signet Armorlite is pleased to announce the launch of KODAK Unique DS Progressive Lenses. Available for order immediately, KODAK Unique DS Progressive Lenses incorporate the features and benefits of the original KODAK Unique Progressive Lens into a dual-side lens design. The KODAK Unique DS Lens is a technology-driven evolution of the KODAK Unique Lens design. For years, Signet Armorlite has been exploring the advancement of the KODAK Progressive Lens and has accomplished this goal by integrating dual multifocal technology. The result is the KODAK Unique DS Lens, a fully digital dual-side progressive lens that offers significant improvement in the reading area for many prescriptions, while providing excellent visual performance in the intermediate and distance viewing areas. The KODAK Unique DS Lens also introduces the next generation of Vision First Design™ Technology – Vision First DS™ Technology. This technology uses reverse optical engineering to leverage both sides of the lens. Vision First DS Technology offers ultra-smooth lens power and minimal “swim effect,” which results in faster patient adaptation and improved patient satisfaction. “At Signet, we have...

Local area optometrists and opticians will join VSP® Vision Care and Transitions Optical in their fully stocked 40-foot mobile vision clinic, nicknamed Eyenstein, to visit four elementary schools in the Chicago, IL area. Guggenheim Elementary will receive a visit from Eyenstein, and Bess the Book Bus (April 10), followed by Morgan Elementary (April 11), Richmond Elementary (April 12), and Central Elementary (April 13). Prequalified children will receive free comprehensive eye exams on board the complete mobile clinic and will be able to select a free pair of glasses if needed. All glasses will be outfitted on site with HOYA Phoenix Transitions® lenses and anti-reflective treatment, provided by HOYA Vision Care. “The work we are doing in our communities this week is vital to the future of these children,” stated Jayne Kulhanek, Executive Director of United Eye Care Providers of Chicago, “The lack of eye care for many families isn’t just economic, it is also a lack of education. Even with public aid, for some it is a choice between an eye exam and food. For others they just don’t understand the importance and impact of vision on the future success of their children. Through...

DALLAS (Jan., 2012) – Airwear®, Essilor’s lighter, safer and greener brand of polycarbonate lenses, and iconic artist and healthy vision advocate Mary Engelbreit presented Michele Zeblisky of Northwood, N.H., grand prize winner of the “Breit Eyes” Facebook photo contest, with an original, autographed sketch in the likeness of her 11-year-old son, Jack, as well as a tour of Engelbreit’s St. Louis studio and a $200 general use gift card. Fans of Airwear Lenses on Facebook may recall Essilor and Engelbreit asked parents to visit the page to enter the “Breit Eyes” contest last September. By submitting a photo of their child being “lighter, safer or greener” – the key benefits of Airwear lenses – while wearing glasses, parents had a chance to win one-of-a-kind prizes from Engelbreit. One lucky grand prize winner, Zeblisky, received an original sketch by Engelbreit in the likeness of the child in the winning photo plus a trip to tour Engelbreit’s St. Louis studio and a $200 gift card. One runner up, Anna Caudill of Franklin, Tenn., received a collection of Ann Estelle children’s books authored and signed by Engelbreit. Like her most beloved and bespectacled...

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan., 2012 – Nike Vision and Transitions Optical, Inc. showcased new Nike® MAX Transitions® adaptive sunglasses at the PGA Merchandise Show. Available in two colors, the lenses are responsive to changing light and specifically engineered for sport performance including golf, hiking and trail running. “Quite simply – these sunglasses are a game changer,” said Grady Lenski, global director, Transitions Sunwear. “By combining the best-in-class brand leadership of Nike with Transitions adaptive sun lenses, athletes and sport enthusiasts now have another important piece of equipment to help them up their game.” “Eyewear is a key piece of Nike’s incredible repertoire of equipment to help athletes perform their best,” said Steve Tripi, marketing manager – global, Nike Vision and Marchon Eyewear. “With Transitions Optical’s advanced photochromic lens technology and Nike Vision’s patented Nike MAX Optics, patented engineered tints – such as Max Golf Tint and Max Outdoor Tint – these are the new must-haves for anyone wanting to see sport better, without having to think about it.” COLOR SCIENCE It can seem cosmetic, but color is actually one of...

NOV 2011. MAHWAH, NJ—Seiko Optical Products of America, the pioneer and global leader in digital ophthalmic lens technology, extends its free-form product offering with new SEIKO Surmount Ws (Wide & Short), 100% internal free-form progressive lenses. Mike Rybacki, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing stated, “SEIKO Surmount Wide & Short is a new addition to our vast free-form product line, the most advanced in the U.S. market, and the first to incorporate recently patented technology in internal free-form design. This new technology places a complex convex surface onto the concave side of the lens. This lets us use lower base curves than ever before, creating much flatter, more cosmetically appealing lenses.” New SEIKO Surmount Ws is a hard design progressive lens offering a 42% wider reading area with clear distance vision to the periphery. Mr. Rybacki continued, “Progressive lens wearers who rely heavily on their eyewear for near vision tasks will find SEIKO Surmount Ws lenses easy to wear and use. This advanced design features an automatic variable inset of the corridor and reading areas based on patient distance Rx and PD. ECP’s can also specify the...

October 2011, MAHWAH, NJ—Seiko Optical Products, the global leader in digital ophthalmic lens technology, announces their Surmount Internal Free-Form lens is now available in 1.50 plastic and 1.59 polycarbonate materials. Mike Rybacki, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing stated, “Seiko Surmount is the first lens in the U.S. market to incorporate recently patented advancements in internal free-form design (No. 7,341,344). This new technology allows the lab to process convex curves on the concave side of the lens, which means that Surmount lenses can be produced on lower base curves than traditional back-surface free-form designs, resulting in much flatter, more cosmetically appealing lenses, especially in high Plus Rx’s. Surmount lenses are currently available from select independent optical laboratories in Trivex, as well as in 1.60, 1.67 and 1.74 materials. We are pleased to extend the availability to include 1.50 plastic and 1.59 polycarbonate materials.” Surmount availability in 1.50 includes polarized (gray & brown) lenses and gray and brown Transitions VI lenses. Surmount polycarbonate availability includes polarized, Transitions® VI, Transitions XTRActive™...

September 2011 Mahwah, NJ – SEIKO Optical Products of America, the global leader in digital ophthalmic lens technology is pleased to offer a new product in the free-form single-vision lens category. New Wrap Tech Thin, in 1.67 index clear and polarized (gray & brown) lenses utilizes advanced SEIKO free-form technology to create lightweight and thin high-base lenses for wrap style eyewear. Michael J. Rybacki, Seiko’s Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing stated, “The demand for highly curved prescription frames in clear and sunglasses is increasing, as wearers look for high tech fashions along with comfort and advanced optics. Conventional high-base designs induce asymmetry, which can cause eye fatigue and visual discomfort. Our new Wrap Tech Thin lenses use a free-form panoramic, aspheric and asymmetric design that corrects power error and astigmatism, creating a 50mm wide ‘sweet spot’ of comfortable, natural vision centered at the fitting point. Advanced free-form style-thinning technology is then incorporated to produce the thinnest lenses possible.” Wrap Tech Thin lenses are available clear & polarized (gray & brown) in 6.00 and 8.00 base curves in...

INNISBROOK, Fla.—Transitions Optical, The Copperheads and Innisbrook Resort announced details of next month’s Transitions Championship, the week-long PGA Tour golf event that focuses on the importance of healthy vision and the critical role vision plays in sports performance and a healthy lifestyle. The Transitions Championship will kick off with the “Think About Your Eyes Family Walk” benefiting Prevent Blindness Florida on Sunday, March 13, during which participants will have the opportunity to walk the course the pros play and enjoy a family BBQ and entertainment for families with children by Radio Disney. New to tournament week this year is the renaming of the former “Live Your Vision Pavilion” to the “Think About Your Eyes Pavilion,” based on Transitions’ affiliation with the Foundation for Eye Health Awareness and its “Think About Your Eyes” campaign. The pavilion, which will offer information, education and hands-on experiences, including sports-vision demonstrations, meet and greets with the pros, health and wellness screenings and more, will be located behind the 18th green in an area called the “Healthy...

PINELLAS PARK, Fla.—Transitions Optical has announced that Brian Hauser has been promoted to the position of general manager, U.S. and Canada, effective immediately. He succeeds Dave Cole, who now serves as chief operating officer for Transitions Optical. In his new role, Hauser will be responsible for the North American region including strategic planning, business growth and organization leadership, reporting to Cole. Hauser will continue to serve as director lens manufacturer and trade channel sales until his successor is named. “Brian’s extensive optical industry experience, coupled with his ability to build strong relationships internally and externally, makes him an ideal choice for this role,” said Cole. “His leadership of the North American region will ensure we continue to create synergies and customer alignment across all levels of the channel to accelerate business growth.” After seven years with PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) as a research chemist and then manager, architectural/engineering services for PPG Architectural Finishes, Hauser joined Transitions Optical in 2004 as a project chemist. In 2006, he moved to the position of manager, business development,...

PINELLAS PARK, Fla.—Transitions Optical, Inc. has announced that it will once again support a Spanish-language education track during International Vision Expo East, to be held March 18 to 20 at the Jacob J. Javits Center in New York City. This is the second year that Spanish-language courses will be offered to event attendees. Six new courses—all approved for ABO credit—will be delivered on Friday and Saturday as part of the Vision Expo East conference program. The track is open to all eyecare professionals who speak Spanish, either fluently or conversationally, from both the U.S. and Latin America. Course topics will range from incorporating the latest eyewear technologies, to practice-building and dispensing tips. “With the Hispanic population estimated to comprise one-fourth of our nation over the next two decades, more eyecare professionals are choosing to become bilingual—or are hiring a bilingual staff—and appreciate the opportunity for education in Spanish,” said Manuel Solis, multicultural marketing manager, Transitions Optical. “We are pleased to provide this opportunity by supporting the Spanish-language track at Vision Expo East for a second...

ORLANDO—Nearly half of U.S. employees are not taking full advantage of their company’s vision benefit, according to the second-annual Employee Perceptions of Vision Benefits survey conducted by Transitions Optical. Overall, 24 percent of employees do not elect to enroll in their company’s vision benefit, the survey said; in addition, 32 percent of those who do enroll do not utilize their benefit to receive a comprehensive eye exam. The survey identified even lower utilization of vision benefits among covered children (46 percent) versus their parents (35 percent), as well as lower enrollment among employees with voluntary plans (50 percent) compared to those with employer-paid plans (86 percent). In the latest survey results, “not having vision or eye health problems” was the most commonly cited reason for not enrolling in a vision plan (36 percent), up from 22 percent in the previous year’s study. The online survey was conducted last October among 2,046 full-time, adult U.S. employees whose employers offer vision benefits. This most recent survey indicates that “employees are still less likely to enroll in vision than in medical and dental benefits—and...

ORLANDO, Fla.—Transitions Optical has named Toledo Optical Laboratory its 2010 Transitions Lab of the Year. Making optical industry history, Toledo Optical is the first U.S. lab to earn the Transitions Lab of the Year title three times. The 20th annual award was presented before an international audience of more than 1,400 industry professionals Tuesday night during the 15th annual Transitions Academy at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla. The Transitions Lab of the Year award is presented to an independent lab that has shown the highest level of commitment to growing its business with Transitions Optical’s Family of Products and programs over the past year. In recognizing Toledo Optical again, Transitions Optical said the lab, located in Toledo, Ohio, has consistently incorporated the Transitions brand into all of its messaging, from education to its staff and customers, to promotions and special events. Lab of the Year finalists Central Optical and Walman Optical were also recognized for their year-long efforts. Additionally, Transitions Optical named Unilab Soluções Ópticas as its 2010 Brazil Lab of the Year, and Servióptica-Superlens Ltda, Colombia as its...

ORLANDO, Fla.—The Foundation for Eye Health Awareness announced yesterday that Transitions Optical has joined as a partner in the Think About Your Eyes campaign, a public awareness campaign designed to educate Americans about the importance of vision health and comprehensive eye exams. Transitions Optical will contribute to the effort through a donation from the Transitions Healthy Sight for Life Fund, an in-kind donation of incorporation into existing consumer outreach initiatives and strong visibility of the Think About Your Eyes message at the Transitions Championship. The announcement was made during Transitions Academy held at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla. “We are thrilled with this donation from Transitions Optical,” said Mike Daley, the Foundation’s president and executive director. “Throughout the past year, we have seen the impact the Think About Your Eyes campaign is having on the public by raising awareness of comprehensive eye exams. Transitions Optical’s mission of supporting healthy sight aligns with the campaign messages. We are confident that with their support and the combined effort of the vision community, we will reach...