Diagnostic Equipment
New Portable Autorefractor
If space in your exam lane is hard to come by or you do a lot of clinical exams at various locations in and out of the office, the new SVOne autorefractor from Smart Vision Labs might help. The handheld device, which measures refractive error using a wavefront sensor, connects to an iPhone and uploads information to a HIPAA-compliant cloud. Its open-field design reduces instrument-induced myopia, the company says. The device also allows for instantaneous smartphone-based digital prescriptions. The portability and long-lasting battery—which is said to last through 56 hours of continuous refracting—helps optometrists work  in limited space and non-clinical conditions.  

Visit www.smartvisionlabs.com.

Ophthalmic Lenses
Next Generation of Unbreakable Lenses
Athletic and other outdoorsy patients will appreciate hearing about new photochromic lenses called ImpactX-2 that provide faster color transition and enhanced contrast in an unbreakable lens, according to manufacturer Rudy Project.

ImpactX-2 lenses have the ability to automatically lighten and darken from a semitransparent tone to a specific color according to lighting conditions. ImpactX-2 comes in five variations that transition from clear to either black, laser black, red, laser red or laser brown.

These lenses offer a wider photochromic range of up to 65% light transmission difference, Rudy Project says. This photochromic activation occurs in all natural light within seconds, including behind surfaces that screen UV rays such as windows or car windshields. 

For patients with refractive error, ImpactX-2 can be crafted with their specific correction parameters; backside surfacing applies the prescription to the back of each lens. 

Visit www.e-rudy.com. 

“Change Your View” Sweepstakes
Want to win a sightseeing trip to Alaska, or other fun prizes like a GoPro camera or a Microsoft Surface tablet? You can enter the “Change Your View” sweepstakes from Essilor of America, running through April 30, 2015, to register. Doctors who complete a training session on the use of Transitions photochromic lenses are eligible for the contest. 

Prizes are awarded weekly and monthly. The grand prize winner will receive round-trip airfare for two to Fairbanks and Anchorage, accommodations in both cities, an expedition to the Spencer Glacier and a rafting adventure in Anchorage. The winner will also receive a digital camera, photography classes and a voucher redeemable for a pair of Transitions lenses and frames.

Monthly prizes include an HD camera, a 32GB tablet and an airlines gift card. Weekly prizes include Amazon, Teavana and iTunes gift cards.

Visit www.essilortransitions.com.  

Eyewear
Spring 2015 Collection
Shauns California recently debuted its Spring 2015 collection, which includes five new sun styles and four ophthalmic styles.

The women’s Rona frame and Spey optical style have a metal temple design with recessed enamel color fill. The women’s Tacit boasts an asymmetrical front with a raised right brow, and the unisex More style has a front-on silhouette. Featuring a high metal bridge frame between two separate pieces of acetate, the absence of a traditional nose bridge brings a completely new perspective to a timeless shape.

Spring 2015 offers a selection of tortoise shell acetates (Rona, Hoy, Annan and Luss styles). Gradiated acetate in a deep black cherry makes its debut in this collection as well, flowing from a near black to a cherry color (Carron, Hoy and Spey styles). This gradation technique is also used in a Bistre to topaz blue (Spey, Annan and Hoy styles). The popular mirrored lens is back in multiple colors, as well as in two different treatments. The “Super” family of mirrors is a multi-layered mirror for a strong, highly reflective effect (seen in blue and silver in the collection). A lighter “flash” application is used for a subtle mirror effect with a greater degree of translucency.

Visit www.shaunscalifornia.com.