The Self-Righteous Housewife: THAT DRAWER and BAND POLOS

The Self-Righteous Housewife: THAT DRAWER and BAND POLOS

Great essay from our friends at Laramy-K

This is from from one of our suppliers. Just a great essay and certainly one that needs repeating. 


For some back history, please understand that one company, Luxottica, owns;


Lenscrafters, Pearle Vision, Every leased optical in department stores, Sunglass Hut, Optique, Eyemed (vision insurance) and produces most of the name brand eyewear today (Prada, D&G, Oakley, Ray-Ban, Polo, etc.). This company has thus far never been challenged by the US Government for Anti-Trust laws.

The State of the Industry…In My Opinion.


Dear Friends and Valued Customers,



First, let me say that I have never been a political junkie. However, in recent years I have been forced to pay attention. There is a situation that affects not only the optical industry, but, in fact, all small businesses in America. I have listened to our government. Every administration has talked about how small business is the backbone of the US economy, and is collectively the largest employer in our country. Why, then, does it feel like we are being served up on a plate? As the government allows foreign entities to come in and monopolize the business world, the ones who suffer are the very people that are supposed to be the “backbone” of the economy. Is it any wonder that we’re in the mess we are facing? It makes for a crippled country and economy when pieces of the core structure are being sold off bit by bit. The unemployment line is filled with people who have been left in the wake of these administrative decisions. Here is what I’ve seen in our specific industry:

In conversations I have had with many people in these past months, it is obvious that some of our vendors have been very effective at one thing in particular. They have taken prescription eyewear out of a healthcare related field and moved it into a retail commodity. There is, in fact, a concerted effort to eliminate the Independent, in the wholesale, retail and even in the optometry divisions. Vendors and insurance companies have offers flying around wildly in an effort to control the optical industry completely.

As we see vertical integration progress, the victim will be your patient. The gift of sight is irreplaceable, and they are playing with it. Just a few facts that are accessible on websites such as PreventBlindness.com and others:

■Approximately 75% of all learning is acquired through sight.
■33% of school children in New York City alone have vision problems which could affect behavior and learning.
■86% of people with an EXISTING eye disease do not have access to routine eye exams.
We tend to take for granted such things as reading a book, ordering from a menu, driving, crossing a busy street and even navigating our own homes. Corrective prescription eyewear changes people’s lives. I have been honored to witness this with a 14 month old child seeing his mother for the first time. It is not something I am about to forget.

How important is accuracy in prescription eyewear? The American National Standards Institute, known as ANSI, has guidelines, or tolerances, for fabrication. They have changed rather dramatically over the years. When I started in this industry, the tolerance for a cylinder axis on a +/-.25 was 3-5 degrees. The new standards that took effect in 2010 relaxed that to a new tolerance of 13-15 degrees. Pretty radical. In the area of power allowances, with a lens measuring plano to +/-.25, we used to be held to .06 of a diopter. The new ANSI more than doubled that allowable error.

In today’s laboratory, we have access to equipment (some manufactured and sold by our “competitive” vendors) that can produce a prescription to a hundredth of a diopter. Essentially, this equipment produces perfect product. Why, then, have ANSI standards been relaxed rather than tightened? While I am not suggesting that relaxed tolerances could result in blindness, it can certainly create discomfort, mild to severe headaches, inability to read street signs, and avoidance of certain activities or hobbies.

It appears that the attention to detail in the manufacturing of prescription eyewear, as a general rule, has taken a back seat to the corporate bottom line. All businesses have a right to make money, but in my opinion, not by using confusing marketing, misrepresenting product, selling certain products only as a package deal with high cost add ons required, or at the expense of an unsuspecting patient. Cash incentives are offered to dispensers for using certain products. Some are being offered cash or credit to remodel with contracts to use specific labs or product. Vendors are even offering 3 months free after committing to the first 3 months, again for using that vendor's lab or product.

Molded progressive lenses are quickly becoming a thing of the past. This presents a problem for vendors with outdated inventory. To combat this, in steps the marketing department…What are HD or Enhanced lenses, anyway? Is this new product or a spin to reduce stagnant inventory? I assure you, it is the latter. They take a molded lens, run it on the more precise freeform generator, and ta-da! A molded lens with a very accurate prescription! Many misleading adjectives are being used and creating mass confusion when it comes to defining product coming in on the coattails of true freeform technology.

Despite these turbulent times in our industry, or perhaps more accurately, because of these times, I want you to know that Laramy-K still believes what my late husband and co-founder, JB, taught us many years ago: ANSI is for amateurs. We will continue to produce way above those standards for you, your patient, and for our own integrity. Our original mission statement declared, “By providing you with our best, and our attention to detail, we are ultimately honoring God.” That is important to us. We will continue to serve our customers with the same personal service, concern for detail and the desire to provide the most accurate product we can produce…regardless of the direction the rest of our industry might choose.

In closing, I want to reassure you of who we are, and impress upon you how very important you are to us. I also want to thank you for allowing us to be a part of your small business. Laramy-K is still here because of each and every one of you, and we continue to appreciate your support. That’s what it will take to reclaim our industry: Supporting the Independent. Is it too late? I sincerely hope not.


From my heart to yours,



Janet and the entire Laramy-K gang

For the original post go to www.facebook.com/laramyk

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