What’s New in Short-Corridor PALs
Sidebar to cover story of VisionMonday December 19,
2005
What’s New in
Short-Corridor PALs
As the
short-corridor product category has matured, just about every lens manufacturer
has a short-corridor product in its line-up. Last year, VM presented
“Who’s Who in Short-Corridor PALs” (Dec. 18, 2004, page 29).
This year, some new short-corridor lenses have entered the market, while
established product lines have added new
options.
Carl Zeiss
Optical
Zeiss introduced the
short-corridor Brevity lens, with 16-mm fitting heights, available in 1.50 and
1.67 high-index plastic. This year, the company now boasts a full range of
powers covered by the Brevity brand, and has added 1.67 high-index and
Transitions materials.
The
company, which merged with SOLA Optical, also offers the AO Compact, the
original short-corridor lens, with a full range of add powers. The SOLAOne
features an 18-mm fitting height that works in smaller
frames.
Essilor
The
Varilux Ellipse, introduced a year ago, features a minimum 14-mm fitting height
with a wide field of vision, in standard plastic, 1.56 high index, and
polycarbonate. Recently, the company added 1.67 high-index and Transitions
photochromic materials to the
brand.
Essilor also offers the
Nikon Presio i13, which offers wide near vision with a short
progression.
Essilor also
acquired the Definity PAL line from the Spectacle Lens Group of Johnson &
Johnson Visions care. The Definity short-corridor product, with fitting heights
as low as 16 mm, features “groundview technology” that helps wearers
recognize stairs and other ground-level objects more clearly. The Definity also
offers patients Essilor’s only polarized short-corridor
option.
Excelite
The
company’s X-PRO Minuo features a fitting height of 16-mm fitting height
and is available in standard plastic, 1.50, 1.60 high-index Abbe 42, and Trivex
materials. The lens, available only through wholesale optical labs and buying
groups, features a reading area of 4.5
mm.
Hoya Vision
Care
The Summit cd short-corridor,
with a 14-mm fitting height and an 11-mm corridor, is available in Hoya Phoenix
(Trivex) and Hoya Transitions, as well as in 1.50 Hilux, 1.60 Eyas high-index,
and 1.70Evy ultra-high-index
materials.
INDO
Lens US
The Micra short-corridor
features a 16-mm fitting height, but Indo claims that for low add powers (2.00 D
and below, a short 14-mm fitting height can be used. Micra uses the company's
proprietary hard-resin Superfin material, available in base curves 4.00 through
7.00 with a -6 back
curve.
Optima
The
14-mm Resolution Response was introduced in January, featuring Vue Point
technology, which balances the optics over the entire surface of the lens,
according to the company. The birefringence-free polycarbonate PALs are
impact-resistant and feature 100 percent ultraviolet protection. The company
recently introduced Resolution Response with Transitions V photochromic
material.
Polycore
Optical USA
The Micro Progressive
features a 16-mm fitting height and an aspheric soft design. Initially available
in semi-finished mid-index 1.56 SunSensors Gray and Brown, this year, the
company added lens options in standard plastic and LiteAire
polycarbonate.
Seiko
Optical Products of America
The
company has recently introduced the Proceed III Super Short, with a fitting
height of 16 mm and a corridor length of 12 mm. It is available hardcoated,
uncoated, and in Transitions gray and brown, and the company said it is an ideal
lens for drilling.
Seiko also offers a
“retina forward design” in the Pentax AF mini, with a corridor
length of 14 mm and a minimum fitting height of 17 mm. The AF mini comes in 1.50
index, 1.60 and 1.67 high-index materials; the DiamondClear is a 1.59
polycarbonate
lens.
Shamir
Insight
The Piccolo lens from
Shamir Insight deˇbuted in 1999 and is currently available in plastic,
high-index 1.60, next-generation Transitions, and glass. This year, the company
added 1.67 and 1.67 with Transitions to its Piccolo brand. Also available is
Piccolo with Attitude, for sports
users.
Signet
Armorlite
The Kodak Concise, which
debuted in late 2000 with a 14-mm corridor and a 17-mm fitting height in a soft
design, was initially available in semi-finished 74-mm hard-resin
scratch-resistant lenses; it is also now available in plain standard resin, and
with scratch resistant coating, and in PolyClear, 1.56 and 1.60 EvoClear, 1.67
high-index, and Corning SunSensors mid-index and InstaShades gray and brown 1.56
EvoClear photochromic materials.
This
year, Signet Armorlite added Trivex and photochromic InstaShades in 1.56, and
1.66; it will add polycarbonate in
2006.
Tokai
Optical
This Japanese lens
manufacturer entered the U.S. market in 2004 with its 1.70 ultra-high-index
lenses, which are available in 13-mm and 15-mm corridor heights. The 13-mm lens
is also known as the Beluno Deseo, and is only available frome wholesale
labs.
Vision-Ease
Lens
The Illumina lens was
launched this year, featuring a 17-mm fitting height and an ultra-wide reading
area. The lens is available in clear polycarbonate and standard plastic,
Transitions polycarbonate gray and brown, and SunRx polarized polycarbonate gray
and melanin
brown.
---Compiled by Seth
J. Bookey
Volume
Number: 19:14 Issue: 12/19/2005
Posted: Mon - December
19, 2005 at 01:27 AM