Varilux
Varilux is a brand of Essilor International , the world's leading supplier of prescription lenses. This brand name is a term of from Bernard Maitenaz invented, the first progressive lens for the correction of presbyopia . Typical of the Varilux progressive lens is its ability to correct vision at close, medium and far distances. The first version of the glass was launched in 1959.
history
The idea
Bernard Maitenaz followed in his father's and grandfather's footsteps and began his professional career as a research engineer at the Société des Lunetiers (later Essel and now Essilor) in 1948, after having previously completed a double degree at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers and the Institut d ' Optique had graduated.
He got the idea for progressive lenses while trying out his father's bifocal glasses . The abrupt change in the effect of these glasses seemed anything but natural to him and he was convinced that it would make more sense to use a lens that enables far vision in the upper lens area, medium distance vision in the central lens area and near vision in the corrected the lower part of the lens.
On March 2, 1951, Bernard Maitenaz deposited an envelope with the French patent office INPI that contained four drawings and mechanical data that should enable the manufacture of a progressive lens. On November 25, 1953, Essel applied for a first patent for his invention.
The first progressive lens
According to the calculations, the progressive lens seemed conceptually feasible, but still had to be technically made ready for production. Maitenaz and his team had started to manufacture progressive lenses using a wide variety of improvised techniques, and by 1958 Essel had developed mechanical systems that were able to manufacture the lenses in series.
After testing the result on 48 people in January 1959, the number of extremely positive reactions was 5, the number of good reactions was 29, the number of average reactions was 2 and the number of negative reactions was 10.
The "Varilux" brand
As the product launch date approached, the number of pricing strategies grew. Ultimately, the price of the Maitenaz invention was to be positioned between Essel's bifocal glass , the Diachrolux, and its three-thickness glass, the Trilux. In the course of this, the progressive lens was christened by Bernard Maitenaz with the name Varilux, which would later also characterize the other products. The glass was officially launched in May 1959 at the Hôtel Lutetia in Paris, France.
International expansion
After the launch of Varilux, Essel defined a strategy to secure Varilux's market presence outside France. On the basis of numerous partnerships and distribution agreements, the Varilux progressive lens was introduced in the 1960s in Holland , Germany , Great Britain as well as in the USA , Canada , Brazil and Japan .
Sales of lenses rose from 6,000 lenses in 1959 to 2 million in 1969. The industry still had concerns about the time it took to get used to progressive lenses. Maitenaz and his team therefore continued to work on the improvement of the first version using new technologies and calculation methods, which led to a new progressive lens with fewer aberrations and greater comfort.
Varilux 2
At the beginning of 1969, the French lens market was dominated by two companies: Essel and Silor . Although both companies produced their own innovations ( Essel with Varilux and Silor with the plastic Orma 1000), they were not among the main players on the world market. On January 1, 1972, Essel and Silor merged to form Essilor.
In the course of the company merger, Essilor introduced Varilux 2 across Europe, which combined an optimized design with a lower glass weight and thus offered greater overall comfort. Compared to the first product, Varilux 2 is considered a significant improvement.
A new Varilux generation
With new technologies and manufacturing processes, the research department developed the Varilux Multi-Design or VMD in 1988. The multi-design concept is the first step in personalizing the progressive lens; it provides a specific, optimal design for every age group of the presbyopic spectacle wearer. By the end of the decade, Essilor was to become the world's leading manufacturer of optical products.
In 1993, Varilux Comfort was launched on the market and it became the best-selling progressive lens in the world. Varilux Comfort embodied a fundamentally new concept of varifocal lenses, it was the first progressive spectacle lens that combined the advantages of a "hard" design (type Varilux) and a "soft" design (type Varilux 2). The new grinding processing techniques developed by Essilor brought a noticeably shorter time to get used to the previous varifocal lenses and conveyed comfortable vision regardless of the posture of the wearer.
In the 21st century, Essilor introduced the products Varilux Panamic (2002), Varilux Ellipse (2004), Varilux Physio (2006) and Varilux Ipseo (2008).
Research and Development
Essilor's research and development team employs 500 scientists in four locations: France , Japan , Singapore and North America .
The Essilor R&D team develops an average of 100 new patents per year on top of the 2,600 patents.
Over the years Essilor has also built up an international network of partners, namely universities, industrial groups and medium-sized companies such as PPG Industries (developer of Transitions ) and Nikon .
The design loop
With the introduction of Varilux Comfort in 1993, Essilor developed the design loop method, which enables the satisfaction of the spectacle wearer to be assessed: This methodology includes an iteration process that is continued until a result that is acceptable to the spectacle wearer is achieved. The design loop is divided into five phases:
- Acquisition of the physiological data of the spectacle wearer
- optical design
- Development of glass prototypes
- Measurement controls
- clinical tests.
Virtual reality
Essilor's research department primarily focuses on the progress made in two complementary disciplines, optics and physiology, with special use of virtual reality. A simulation tool enables multi-sensory perceptions and interactions in 3D mode. Thus, virtual reality opens up potential in optical research and makes it possible to influence the design of more powerful spectacle lenses.
Today, the scientists use a virtual visualization system with algorithms and modeling that was developed by Essilor to research new optical solutions that can then be tested directly on the carriers. This simulator makes it possible to change the optical properties of the glasses tested, analyze the optical effects and immediately assess wearer satisfaction. A magnetic sensor records the head movements and images of a test person, which show the exact focus of the eyes 120 times per second. After the test phase, the results are used to fine-tune the lens performance.
In 2008, Varilux Ipseo New Edition was developed using Essilor's virtual reality system.
Varilux Experience
In the same year, Essilor developed the Varilux Experience, a virtual simulation concept that uses various optical solutions for presbyopia.
Varilux Experience demonstrates the technologies used to manufacture Varilux varifocal lenses, which are very similar to those used in research laboratories. This means that opticians and their presbyopic customers can benefit from an effective communication aid.
In a 3D movie theater, the spectators wearing polarized glasses are put in the position of a young, presbyopic man. Step by step, this person experiences vision with single-vision and bifocal lenses, then with standard varifocal lenses and finally with Varilux varifocal lenses.
The Varilux Experience was presented for the first time on the occasion of the 50th birthday of Varilux as part of the SILMO optical trade fair, which took place from October 30th to November 2nd, 2008 in the Paris Port de Versailles exhibition center.
Varilux designs
1959: Varilux
As the first progressive lens, Varilux gave presbyopic glasses wearers comfortable vision at any distance.
1972: Varilux 2
The merger of Essel and Silor to form the Essilor Group had a significant impact on the development of the Varilux 2. This progressive lens offered greater comfort and easier getting used to. Process improvements enable a constant improvement of the glass quality.
1988: Varilux Multi-Design
The Varilux Multi-Design was an innovation for higher prescription values, as it offered the possibility of maintaining the width of the near field of view regardless of the addition value.
1993: Varilux Comfort
As the best-selling progressive lens in the Essilor Group, Varilux Comfort has been the subject of several studies. Ergonomic visual criteria were taken into account for the first time in its design. This progress led to faster habituation and increased posture comfort for those who wear glasses.
It is also important that the Varilux Comfort marked the introduction of the design loop method - a research tool that enables wearer satisfaction to be assessed. This methodology is still used today.
2000: Varilux Panamic
The Varilux Panamic progressive lens is based on so-called global design management; a technology that brings the parameters of central, peripheral and binocular vision under control. It therefore offers wider fields of view and makes getting used to it easier.
2004: Varilux Ellipse
With Varilux Ellipse, the presbyopic wearer has the option of choosing small-rimmed glasses frames with excellent visual comfort at the same time.
2006: Varilux Physio
The Varilux Physio varifocal lens is characterized by an improvement in contrast vision by 30% and wider fields of view. Its performance is based on a patented innovation, the so-called WAVE technology - a combination of a wavefront management system (calculates the optical target function using the wavefront) and advanced digital surfacing (point by point processing and coordination of the surface).
The progressive lens is also available as the Varilux Physio f-360 °, which takes personal wearing conditions into account and is therefore tailored to the wearer's visual requirements.
2008: Varilux Ipseo New Edition and Varilux Experience
The Varilux Ipseo New Edition is the first progressive lens that has been developed and tested in a virtual simulator. In addition to the wearing parameters, the Varilux Ipseo also takes the wearer's personal visual behavior into account. These parameters are measured with Visioffice, the first integrated adjustment and advice system that includes flexible functions for the entire sales pitch. In the same year, Essilor developed Varilux Experience, a virtual simulation concept that uses various optical solutions for presbyopia.
Varilux Activity
The varifocal lenses Varilux Activity take into account the special visual requirements at work, during sport and in leisure time. For example, Varilux SunMax Sport is specially designed for athletes.
2012: Varilux S series
Using Nanoptix TM technology, the lens is divided into tiny segments, which leads to a balanced view even when moving.
2014: Varilux E series
Complex technologies reduce the swimming effects and make it easier to get used to it.
2017: Varilux X series
The near vision area has been redesigned so that the visual point for the arm-length distance is found spontaneously.
literature
- Jean-Charles Le Roux: The Varilux Epic . Perrin, 2008, p. 187, ISBN 2262026041 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 16.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 17.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 29.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 49.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 51.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 58.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 108.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 111.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 168.
- ↑ a b Progressive Memories & Calculus
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 146.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 163.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 169.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 171.
- ↑ Le Roux 2008, p. 171.
- ↑ Paddy Kamen: Innovation Extraordinaire is Essilor ( Memento of the original from July 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Vision Magazine. March-April 2004, seen October 25, 2009.
- ↑ a b Varilux celebrates its 50th anniversary ( Memento of the original from July 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Company press release
- ↑ Varilux Comfort on the company's website (English)
- ↑ Essilor launches Varilux Ellipse 360 ° ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Company press release of March 23, 2007 (PDF)
- ↑ Varilux Physio and contrast sensitivity ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Company press release of March 23, 2007 (PDF)
- ↑ Essilor continues success with Varilux Ipseo ( Memento of the original of May 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Company press release of January 5, 2007 (PDF)
- ↑ a b c Personalization at the highest level. - THE EYE OPTISTOR . In: THE EYE OPTICIAN . July 4, 2017 ( der-augenoptiker.de [accessed December 4, 2018]).
