COMPANY & PRODUCT PROFILE
Innovation, expertise and service
Hans Sunassee writes on the evolution of one of the UK’s leading contact lens manufacturers and its expanded portfolio
The current UK headquarters of Menicon are located in Northampton, where we also manufacture and distribute our specialist lenses – a business built on decades of expertise. This location is also our distribution point for frequent replacement contact lenses, supplying eyecare practitioners the length and breadth of the UK.
Figure 1: Fitting the irregular cornea
Figure 2: Menicon supports topography image understanding
David Thomas Contact Lenses (DTCL) was a family run business for more than 40 years, founded in 1972 by David Thomas in an old silent film studio in Croydon. The company relocated to Northampton in 1976 so it could expand its manufacturing capability to include soft contact lens production. Due to increased demand, it became necessary to move again to larger premises in 1985.
to online retailers, has been key for a long time, and Menicon provides the tools to do just this. The Menicon package offers the support practitioners need going forwards. It is a six-stage programme, which can be fully adapted to practice needs. It can be delivered in-house or remotely, on an individual branch basis, an NEG group basis or at our Northampton educational facility.
toric, back toric, bi-toric, toric periphery lenses with the Ledaperm multifocal including toric forms. A custom (empirical) design service is also available to help practitioners achieve the correct fit and vision correction.
Having acquired a number of smaller specialty contact lens companies to expand the product range, and invested in new and improved manufacturing systems, by 1988 DTCL had rapidly become the go-to supplier of rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses. In 2005, the company purchased Nova Contact Lenses – manufacturer of the Rose K contact lens. This brought DTCL into the orbit of those practitioners who were prescribing contact lenses for the irregular cornea. In 2009, DTCL was acquired by Menicon, becoming part of the Menicon Group of Companies. It was later renamed Menicon Ltd.
The six stages of the programme are as follows: • Stage One: Patient selection, patient education, patient journey • Stage Two: Taking and understanding topography (Figures 1 and 2) • Stage Three: Lens design, design limitations, Easyfit or/and software aids • Stage Four: Adjustments, toubleshooting, Menicon support • Stage Five: Payment options, lens ordering • Stage Six: Implementation into practice, front-of-house support, point-of-sale materials, etc
TOOLS FOR PATIENT RETENTION Celebrating its 70th anniversary next year, the Menicon Group was established in Japan in 1951 and is one of the largest contact lens manufacturers in the world, with a presence in more than 80 countries. The company’s highest priority is eye health, using precision craftmanship to help people see life in wonderful detail. Menicon has always combined traditional values of quality, expertise and service with innovative contact lens designs. Understanding contact lens options and how these can be utilised to help keep patients within your practice, rather than losing them
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Vision Now DECEMBER 2020
STANDARD RGP CONTACT LENSES Ledaperm GP design The Ledaperm gas permeable (GP) contact lens is a blended multicurve design, which has been supplied in this form for many years and, as such, has become our most popular GP design ordered. Ledaperm lenses are available in a wide range of base curves, diameters and powers. The wide choice of parameters and materials allows the practitioner to select the best combination to meet their patients’ clinical requirements in GP lens wear.
Profile aspheric design The Profile aspheric design incorporates a spherical optic zone, an innovative and progressively flattening aspheric periphery, and a uniformed edge thickness design generated by advanced computerised lathes. The lens contour makes fitting easy and reduces chair time for the practitioner, whilst increasing lens comfort and wearing time for the patient. The Profile aspheric design is available with various options, which can be manufactured in front toric, back toric, bi-toric and toric periphery lenses – with the Profile aspheric multifocal including toric forms. A custom (empirical) design service is also available to help practitioners achieve the correct fit and vision correction.
IRREGULAR CORNEA CONTACT LENSES Rose K2 design The Rose K2 keratoconus lens design is the most widely prescribed RGP keratoconus contact lens in the world. It has a multispherical posterior design with aberrationcontrol aspheric optics across the back and front optic zone diameters, and is available in any toric lens design. Rose K2 NC design
The Ledaperm design is available in various options and can be manufactured in front
The Rose K2 NC (nipple cone) primary indication is for advanced and moderate
