After recently taking and passing my LDO certification test I am feeling like I am readyto take the next step in to the professional world of optics by opening my own optical dispensing storefront. Sadly for my family my uncle Hugo has passed away, but to my good fortune he has left me his entire estate which included a beautiful storefront right in the heart of downtown Spokane, more than enough money to get myself started, and a strangely large collection of pink flamingos. With this great location and financing I will be able to complete my dream of being my own boss. With the location of the sop being right in the heart of downtown Spokane I will be able to service a large and very diverse group of people. In the honor of my late uncle Hugo I will call the shop “Hugo’s Optical Emporium” we will service people with having a large selection of glasses and be able to conduct contact fittings there on site.
Right off the bat I will need to set up an eye exam room so that my staff or myself will be able to check basic VA’s and confirm proper contact fitting. I will need to purchase a examination chair with all the normal accessories that are put with the chair in an exam room. These items would include a slit lamp for the examination of the contact lens fit, phoropter for verifying the Rx and to make sure the right power of contact is given, and a retinascope so that there is a way to confirm the Rx of a individual that is mentally impaired or is to young to give a good response to the use of the phoropter. Also I would like to have the “Stimuli Visual Acuity System” in my office as well, this is the newest of tools used in the refractions tools. (Haag-Streit USA , 2010) Another useful tool that I would add to my location is the “Zeiss Eye Terminal” it is said that, “Every aspect, however minuscule it may seem to human eye, is taken into account. Slight head tilt, true distance between eyes and lenses, frame angle, amount of wrap and even lens type; all are carefully examined and interpreted with unrivaled precision to guarantee the best possible acuity in the final product.” (Spectacles For Humans) Some of the other items that I will need for my office are an auto-refractor, NTC, Snellen chart set for a distance of ten feet, topographer, pupilometer, distometer, lensometer, and an auto and manual ketatometer. I will get the examination equipment from Armstrong Optical. (Armstrong Optical Service Co, 2008)
Now on the glasses front I have decided after careful consideration to carry a fairly large selection of brands at my store, these brands are Cutler and Gross, Derapage, Deromebrenner, DITA Select Optics, Linda Farrow Vintage, M.A.D.E., Martin x Martin, Meyer Eyewear, Mykita, Oliver Goldsmith, Onkel, Orgreen Optics, Propodesign, Reiz Augenspiel, Salt Optics, Sutro Vision, and Zero G Eyewear. I have decided to carry these different brands because they first off are a nice price range from some very high-end frames to the lower price economy frames. With these different brands I am also able to supply the newest fashions that are currently coming into the optical world.
As far as my tools to repair, adjust, and modify frames such as a large assortment of pillars, screwdrivers, nose pad, and heating tools for adjustments I will be purchasing all of this from Western Optical supplies. (Western Optical Supply, 2009) I have decided against edging my own lenses in house due the amount of equipment that I would have to buy, along with all the tinting and other things to be able to set it all up. Instead I have decided to go with Essilor for the company to do all my edging, tinting and finishing, their labs offer a one-day turn around on their lenses. I have found that their different tints they offer such as the transition lens tint, and just their new developments in optics makes them the perfect choice for my type of store. (Essilor, 2009)
Lastly for my hydroygel contacts I have chosen to take get them from Diversified Ophthalmic Inc. they are a major supplier here in the states, and better yet they have a lab located right here in Spokane making the retrieval of my supplies much less expensive without having to ship everything. (Diversified, 2008) Now knowing that RGP have to be custom made and I will need a lab that can supply those for me. After careful consideration I have landed on a California based company called Carter Contact Lens, they are able to meet all needs with toric, bitoric, bifocal, trifocal, keratoconic and decentered optic zone lenses. (Carter Contact Lens Inc, 2010) I feel that with these choices of companies and with the hiring of a complete staff, I will be able to own and operate a successful business here in Spokane.
Work Cited
Armstrong Optical Service Co, AOS. (2008). Ophthalmic & optical equipment supply source. Retrieved from http://www.armstrongoptical.com/
Carter Contact Lens Inc, CCL. (2010). Carter contact lens inc. Retrieved from www.carterlensbcglobal.com
Diversified, D. (2008). Welcome to diversified ophthalmics, inc. Retrieved from http://www.divopt.com/
Essilor, E. (2009). Essilorusa welcome. Retrieved from http://www.essilorusa.com/Welcome/
Haag-Streit USA , HS. (2010). Ophthalmic equipment. Retrieved from http://www.haag-streit-usa.com/
Spectacles for Humans, SFH. (n.d.). Spectacles for humans . Retrieved from http://www.spectaclesforhumans.com/home
Western Optical Supply, WOS. (2009). Products. Retrieved from http://www.westernoptical.com/products/index.html
