Last week, our forum delved into the technical and practical aspects of being an optician. Members shared experiences on preventing AR coating damage during frame adjustments and debated the best handheld magnifiers for demonstrations. There was also a lively discussion about reliable tools for measuring scleral lens fit, and a curious exploration of the origins of CR-39 plastic. These conversations highlighted both the technical challenges and the historical nuances of our profession.
This Week’s Hot Topics
Preventing AR crazing during frame heat
This thread explores methods to avoid damaging anti-reflective coatings when adjusting frames—a common yet crucial aspect of frame handling. Read more here
Best LED handheld magnifier for daily demos
Members are weighing in on which LED magnifiers perform best during patient interactions. A must-read for anyone conducting frequent demos. Read more here
My edger thinks PD is a suggestion
This light-hearted complaint about equipment quirks touches on a serious issue: precision in lens edging and the sometimes unreliable nature of technology. Read more here
Pupilometer stage fright at 2:15
The struggle with pupilometers malfunctioning at inconvenient times is real. This discussion shares troubleshooting tips and alternative solutions. Read more here
CR-39 name origin
A deep dive into the history of CR-39, revealing fascinating insights about its development and naming. Read more here
Tools you trust for scleral sagittal height
Opticians discuss their go-to instruments for accurately measuring scleral lens fit, a critical component for ensuring patient comfort. Read more here
Soft toric rotation quick-check
Efficient techniques for checking toric lens rotation are shared, helping to streamline fitting processes. Read more here
Why your near PD is smaller
This topic unravels the reasons behind varying pupil distance measurements, offering clarity for those encountering patient queries. Read more here
CE plan that cut remakes 18%
A success story where continuing education plans significantly reduced lens remakes. Practical insights for improving practice efficiency. Read more here
Looking forward to another week of valuable exchanges. Here’s to learning and growing together.
Anyone else notice AR glare throwing off the corneal reflex on the Nidek pupilometer? When it starts jumping, I have the patient lift the frame off the nose pads and slightly tilt — then re-zero and switch to near mode for seg marks; , bright room lights make auto readings lie. @SamirK a quick coin-cell swap and cleaning the viewing windows usually fixes the rest, since tiny smears act like prisms.
Quick fix that’s saved me: on the Nidek I dim the overheads, switch to small-pupil mode, and take monocular readings with the fellow eye occluded — cuts AR flare and stops the jump, @jwong50. If you do tilt the frame, keep it tiny so you don’t change vertex and end up chasing PD like a cat with a laser pointer.
On my Nidek, I get steadier reflexes by setting the vertex distance to about 13 mm and having the patient raise their chin a touch so the reflex clears the AR bounce. Building on @csanders10, I ask them to blink, then “freeze” on a 20‑ft target before I hit measure to keep accommodation from pulling the dots around. If it still jitters, I take monoculars twice and sanity‑check with a PD stick to catch an outlier.
I get cleaner corneal reflexes by a slight ‘off-axis’ tilt and having the patient fixate a real 6 m letter on the wall in distance mode — cuts the internal window glare on AR (that glare drives me nuts) and takes maybe 5 seconds. Caveat: on big wrap frames or strong plus, that tilt can bias a millimeter, so I sanity-check with a PD stick before I lock it.
Quick fix that’s saved me: I slip a black microfiber sleeve over the forehead rest so the patient’s brow doesn’t light the viewing window — cuts stray glare and steadies the reflex in seconds; costs nothing and takes under a minute. Just don’t cover the little emitter on some Reichert/Topcon units; , learned that the hard way. @Guide your polarizer idea pairs nicely with this — anyone else wrap the rest?
On the Nidek, turning off “auto-acquire” and dimming the fixation LED to minimum cleaned up the corneal reflex on mirror ARs because the finder pulse isn’t blasting the window. If the overheads are cool-white, I switch to a warm task lamp bounced off the wall — faster than adding covers and works with CR-39 demos too. Small trade-off: it adds about 10 seconds per patient.