Glasses

[500E]

I am having problem with getting SmartSeg lenses in the UK.

My optician says they appear to have disappeared from the US Companys that they deal with, & are having trouble sourcing them.

Does any one know where they can be obtained, (not retail supplier) manufacturer, commercial supplier, so my ophthalmic person can order

[Gomer Pylot]

I'm looking, too. I used to get them mail order from Hidalgo Supply Co, but I can't get an answer from them now. I know Jim Hidalgo is getting on in years, and already retired from this business once, and went back part time due to demand. They may have taken an extended holiday during the summer, or it may be more serious. Barring that source, I don't know. I need a new pair, as my current ones are getting scratched after many years of hard wear. All I need are the lenses, the frames are still good, so I really want Hidalgo Supply to answer my emails.

[500E]

GomerP

 

Real bad news not made any more, posted on PPRUNE as well as here,

this link takes you to a optical web site

www.optiboard.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=lastpost&t=9605

This is the reply I received from Darryl

"Yes, I regret to confirm the passing of SOLA's SmartSeg into the annals of Optical History. SmartSeg was indeed a novel product. Unfortunately, it was a product that never really seemed to "fit" into the traditional lens market, especially given the rapid transition into progressive lenses subsequent to its launch. It was both ahead of its time and a few years too late.

The posts in this thread really sum up the issues that led to this decision. Many dispensers have had a great deal of success with SmartSeg, though few dispensers actually think to recommend it any more. Consequently, although it was the ideal alternative to conventional flat-top bifocals and trifocals, the demand for the product just fell below the levels necessary to warrant its continued production.

 

Best regards,

Darryl

Technical Marketing Manager, AO*SOLA"

[Gomer Pylot]

Very bad news. If you find anything comparable, please let me know.

[Optigirl]

Try Opticraft they are a complete inhouse mgf.

I have had such good luck in the past I no longer need to look beyond there websight.

 

Opticraft and Essilor labs (same company)

made me some face shields and they fit my helmet perfectly !

 

try sending a email and ill bet they can make and in a few cases repair anything-

~LD

 

Link->

Edited August 28, 2007 by Optigirl

[joker]

I know absolutely NOTHING about glasses! So purely and 100% just for interest, what was so great about SmartSeg lenses ?

 

I mean, if they were really good, wouldn't other companies have copied the concept by now? Or were they really uniquely better?

 

Joker

[Gomer Pylot]

You will learn, joker. Senile presbyopia is coming your way, eventually, so be prepared. Standard bifocals focus at only one distance, and look a little geeky, so no-line variable-focus bifocals were invented. They look, to others, like regular glasses, but they focus at different distances in different places on the lens. The drawback is that fairly large areas are simply a blur, and can't focus anywhere. For a helicopter pilot, needing peripheral vision for hovering, etc, that blurry area is in exactly the wrong place, making those lenses worse than useless. SmartSegs look, to others, like simple bifocals, with the line and everything. The bifocal area, however, has graduated focus distances, from ~18" at the bottom to several feet at the top, like the no-line variety, but the area outside the bifocal is exactly like the top of the lens, and there is no blurry area. Thus it's ideal for a pilot, letting me focus on very close objects, such as checklists, charts, etc, and also at a distance, such as the copilot's instruments if necessary. I went from bifocals to trifocals, and those were a little better, but still a PITA, because there were distances at which I couldn't focus, and in a 412 I really needed to see at those distances. The SmartSegs work perfectly for this. I think the main reason they were discontinued was that the old (not bold) helicopter pilot market is simply too small to be worth catering to. Most people seem willing to put up with only being able to see directly ahead, and having everything else blurred. I can't do that.

[500E]

Gomer P

 

Still hunting but no luck.

It would appear that they stopped making in 2004, and have been using up blanks there now appear to be only a few odd ones left in peoples stock.

Have mailed Opticraft, awaiting reply.

 

When talking to my optician they said there are a large proportion of people that cant get on with bi\tri focal, or flat tops as they appear to be called in the US, so there should be a niche market.

I had not heard of them until last year even though I had talked to numerous opticians regarding vary focal distortion & focal lengths of the trifocals I wear never covering the distance required.

It appeared to be a lens opticians did not offer, so no sales, no demand, no lens.

[Optigirl]

Gomer P

 

Still hunting but no luck.

It would appear that they stopped making in 2004, and have been using up blanks there now appear to be only a few odd ones left in peoples stock.

Have mailed Opticraft, awaiting reply.

 

"500E" let me know what they say, I have a few friends who work there.

~Lana

[500E]

"500E" let me know what they say, I have a few friends who work there.

~Lana

Emailed them same day as your post, with on responce at all.

[Optigirl]

My friend called me today and told me what I had to do,

Opticraft a division of Essilor labs gets all work orders I guess from Essilor.

 

I have emailed Essilor labs of America In hopes that they will respond soon.

 

My friend says the more people that email them the better Essilor labs of America »link«

 

I think this is what I would do.

 

I only wish I could of helped more. ~LD