|
 Eyecare
| Brad Childs
The trendy, yet
professional merchandise of Eyetique is epitomized by the style
and approach of Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Brad Childs. Brad, a 1997 graduate of the University of South
Florida, has enhanced his natural flair for the optical industry
by acquiring a degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing and certification
by both the American Board of Opticianry and National Contact
Lens Examiners. He has also won several national sales awards
during his career.
Tackling
Great Uncle Chuck’s Prejudices
I'd love to start
talking about, “How in this industry you come across so many
different types of people.” On one end of the spectrum are the
seven-year-olds being dragged into the optician’s because the
teacher felt that Little Stevie wasn’t paying enough attention
to a multitude of things and this could probably be due to an
optical disorder. But it’s not Little Stevie that I’d like
to talk about this time around; it’s his Great Uncle Chuck.
Great Uncle Chuck
is well into his late ’70s, perhaps his ’80s. And it’s not
his age that results in hurdles, but that he is at full capacity
and absolutely not willing to budge. Set in his ways defines him
best.
His admirable
characteristics, however, are also our most challenging
obstacles. Steadfast and absolute on what kind of metal aviator
style frame he needs, he is just as certain on the flat top 28
glass lenses which have donned his face since Dwight E.
Here are some of
the issues that crop up when dealing with the ever-reluctant to
change Great Uncle Chuck. He is a creature of indissoluble habit
and in all probability not likely to be introduced to new
technology that has been launched in the last five or even 10
years.
This technology is
represented in both the frames as well as the lenses themselves.
There are frames that are now made with tubular titanium that
are several grams lighter than comparable metal frames. The
process that companies use to paint these frames now makes them
almost unchipable. The plastics now utilized allow for certain
frames with the blending of an infinite array of colors and
pattern combinations. This is achievable without the loss of
color that once occurred due to oxidation of early plastic
spectacle frame wear.
Now putting Great
Uncle Chuck into a fashion-forward, heavy rectangular, chocolate
brown and azure zylowear frame may be not easy, but the second
half of the dilemma is attempting to excise him from the glass
lenses.
Lens technology is
always changing. Despite the dozens of frame designers and their
multitude of diverse eyewear models which seem to be going in
every direction from the outlandish to the throwback styles of
the Kennedy brothers (by the time you read this our supply of
horn-rimmed frames will be depleted, I’m sure), the constant
for better lenses is to see continuous improvement. Simply put,
lenses are becoming lighter, thinner and more resilient to
scratching.
Great Uncle Chuck
carries his mantra on his shoulder - if it ain’t broke, don’t
fix it. The most challenging patient to fit Progressive lenses
(the multi-focal lenses without the visible line) is the current
bi-focal wearer. The relationship is simple — the longer a
patient has been wearing a lined bi-focal, the more difficult it
will be to get someone to change. This is precisely why a
patient with the onset of presbyopia must be fitted with a
Progressive lens and not an antiquated lined bi-focal. This is a
lifestyle change, not simply an adaptation. The human eye can
see at several depths of fields continuously and infinitely
throughout the day. Limiting oneself to only two depths is
ridiculous and unnecessary.
The one salvation
of these characteristics is Great Uncle Chuck’s patience and
willingness to first listen to his optometrist, before he sees
his professional Board certified optician, who may actually have
a greater understanding of the technology of new lenses. The
words of the optometrist may mean a lot more to Great Uncle
Chuck. At this point the hope is that the optician can introduce
Great Uncle Chuck to fantastic advances in both lens technology
and frame wear. |
'Tis
the Season
