Crazy Optical Idea? Or Genius? 141 = one for one

Everett Style

I first heard about 141 on the NW Optical Professionals Facebook site, and what I saw prompted me to search out their booth at the recent Vision Expo West. Founders Shu-Chu Wu and Kyle Yamaguchi were there displaying their wares in a small booth in the Galleria with a clean and simple presentation.

First – 141? One for one? That's right, that's the premise of their entire business – when you buy one of their frames, they commit to buy one pair of glasses for someone in need. They went on a mission to Taiwan in January, 2010, and gave away – for free – 200 pair of glasses to people recovering from a massive typhoon in 2009. They also recently partnered with the Lions Club, Hoya and others in Portland to give away free glasses to people with no health insurance, and a demonstrated need for health care.

Portland has a bit of a reputation on the west coast, and even has it's own humorous TV show, “Portlandia” that lampoons what may be the greenest little big city on the I-5 corridor. The truth is that it truly feels like the majority of the citizens of Portland care about each other, about the place they inhabit, and being intentional about the choices they made. They value small, local, and real. Neighborhoods exist in reality, in the way people care and interact, not just in a name of a few geographically proximate blocks.

So it seems only natural that a company like 141 would spring forth from such a setting. Shu-Chu is the genuine article, the passion for her product, her company and her mission creating this entirely new concept – as they say “No portions of proceeds. No percentages. You buy one, we give one.” Simple, classy, elegant and fabulous!

Ok, so what about the products? Right now they are fully immersed in zyl frames, funky, chunky with a nod to retro. Classic but original colors made just for them. Lots of great styles, with more new designs on the way. While they appeal to all ages, my bet is that these frames will fly off the shelves of shops whose clientele is 20 – 40, and socially conscious.

Whether you are looking to sell these frames, or looking for a place to buy them, check out their website at www.141eyewear.com

Disclaimer: I have received no compensation in any form from 141 eyewear for this review, nor do I sell them (at this time).  Photo used by permission. 

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Copyright 2011

Stylish and Amazingly Comfortable - Silhouette 7759

I remember when my Silhouette rep brought their first rimless frame out, and tried to talk me into carrying it. We had just ended an era of rimless frames that had been more or less held together by nuts and bolts, and I was very happy to never see another rimless frame again in my life. No more chipped lenses, no more nuts falling off, and glasses spontaneously disassembling themselves to be brought in by mightily disgruntled wearers. Well, Della finally won me over, and I’ve been a huge fan of Silhouette frames ever since. The Model 7759 from the Essential Collection is the latest evolution from that initial design over 10 years ago.

As with all Silhouette rimless frames, this is starting with eight colors and lens shapes. It has the characteristic thin line bridge, which is so simple, efficient and durable that it seems doubtful that it can ever be improved. Of the eight shapes, two are distinctly masculine; two are gender neutral, with the rest being feminine in appearance.

The simple endpiece uses a typical Silhouette screwless hinge to attach the temple. The temple portion of the hinge is a vertical cylinder of colored plastic that accents the color of the temple, and allows the temple to pivot smoothly throughout the range of movement. Starting from a wide “V” at the hinge, the temple narrows down until it connects at an elongated zyl temple tip. Utilizing a two-tone presentation, the temple tips have a smaller area of contrasting color on the very top portion which becomes a slim angled line to the bottom, where it again presents itself with a larger area of impact.

The color palette ranges from fresh and fun black with yellow to dark chocolate with orange and dark burgundy with a soft, pastel sky blue. Black with grey, brown with cream, grey on black and ivory with taupe round out the colors, each with matching or contrasting metal frame colors.

While this frame is not going to start any styling trends, it is a solid addition to an already stellar line-up. After many years of experience, Silhouette is the only totally rimless frame line I carry, as it is exceptionally well made, has a great warranty, and remains in the lineup of the lightest frames available. If you are looking for perhaps the most comfortable frames made with a nice touch of fashion, find the Silhouette dealer closest to you and try on a pair!

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Copyright © 2011 All Rights Reserved

DISCLAIMER: No promotional consideration was given by Silhouette for this review. My place of employment sells Silhouette frames, but was not compensated in any way for this review. All the opinions in this review belong solely to the author.

Hoya InStyle Progressive Lens Review

Can a person fall in love with a lens? Just wondering, because I’ve been in love with this lens since the day I put it on, about 10 days ago. Despite my favorable first impressions, I decided to wear the lens for several days, in lots of different settings to see how it performed.

If you’ve worn a progressive lens, you are probably aware that peripheral aberration – that bit of blurriness at the outside edges of the lenses – has always been the bane on this type of lens. While it was troublesome for most everyone, professional drivers who turn their eyes instead of their heads to view their mirrors, and people in building construction, who have trained their eyes to detect lines that aren’t perfectly straight were especially aware of the shortcomings of previous designs.

The Hoya InStyle lens is a double surfaced lens, with the horizontal powers on the front, and the vertical powers on the pack produced by digital surfacing, so the lens is completely custom fabricated for your prescription. This design and method of production also allowed Hoya engineers to correct the aberrations that caused blurriness and field distortion. The result is a truly remarkable design.

The first thing I noticed when I put my new glasses on was the overall clarity. It truly seemed like I was wearing single vision distance lenses – I mean, absolutely no detectable peripheral aberration, blur or distortion! I grabbed some reading material, and I could read the smallest print on the page with no problems. And, as I sit here at the computer, the intermediate section of the lens is performing well – no need to grab my computer vision lenses unless I am sitting down for a couple of hours or more of extended computer use.

Since these lenses are surfaced on both the front and back, Transitions changeable tints are not an option. Hoya does offer SunTech, which can be applied after surfacing. I ordered SunTech on my lenses, both because I love the functionality of changeable tints, and also to compare the performance of SunTech vs. Transitions. Living in the great, gray Pacific Northwest, I’ve only been able to try them out in the sun a couple of times, but I’ve been impressed with how fast they darken, how dark they get, and how quickly they lighten up. I won’t hesitate to recommend this tint to my patients.

What are the downsides to this lens? First, it is not available in CR-39, so that can be a trifle limiting. Secondly, it is probably not for cost-sensitive patients, as it is a top-tier product. None-the-less, I expect our sales of this premium lens to soar due to the exceptional vision it delivers.

To find the nearest Hoya distributor near you, click here: http://www.hoyavision.com/FindAHoyaExpert.aspx

To learn more about the InStyle lens, click here:

http://www.hoyavision.com/Products/Designs/ProgressiveVision/Instyle.aspx

Disclosure: as the manager of an optometry clinic, I try every lens and evaluate it for suitability to recommend to our patients before we offer it for sale. These lenses are provided for me to try at no charge by various lens laboratories. If you’ve read my previous blogs, you will see that I do my very best to honestly and accurately review the pros and cons of each lens I try.

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Copyright © 2011 All Rights Reserved