- A: Optical Power to the People: Offering consumers the opportunity to have customized reading glasses with the correct magnification (self-measured) for each eye (169 unique power combinations) rather than having to settle for current limited same-power options (9 preset options). We will also offer no and low power Screen Hawks for Computer and TV watching for those who don’t normally need glasses for magnification but do need them for eye protection.
- A: To offer everyone the ability to accurately test their own needs for vision enhancement in a number of different scenarios (reading a book, working on a computer, reading from a tablet or watching TV) with optical tools, rather than using the inconsistent and inaccurate “if you can read this you need…” printed charts currently employed by brick and mortar retailers and online versions that offer on-screen or print out versions.
- A: Increasing consumer knowledge by offering information about frames, lenses, coatings, vision enhancement and Computer Vision Syndrome as well as exposing the failure of current reading glasses to address the need for different magnification for each eye, just as in prescription eyewear. Non-Prescription eyewear Consumers should be able to determine the correct magnification they need for each of their eyes individually with a system more closely aligned to determining prescription eyewear needs, and, rather than having to settle for the current same-power-for-each-eye options, should be able to customize their eyewear selections so each eye is properly accommodated. Computer glasses to prevent employee eyestrain discussed by an ophthalmologist on video will be used to get in front of the HR department/Perk buyer at the company to offer Visilution Seeing Glasses for employees of Silicon Valley companies (Google, Facebook, Apple, etc.), as customized perks or simply discounted by us or underwritten by the company. The publicity generated by this “in your face" traveling SeeMobile®, and customer building through social networking and guerrilla social media plans Visilution has developed, will bring results and build our brand. First In!
- A: Through education, increasing the demographics for magnification lensed eyewear (currently marketed to only those 40 or older) and thereby greatly increasing the potential customers for our Seeing Glasses to include 13 to 40-year-olds who are not aware of the strain they are putting on their eyes through using smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers by offering “no to low” magnification options with 15 vision enhancement, eye protection and convenience features we can offer a solution to the eye strain they experience while using digital devices. Additionally, with children 5 to 12 years old averaging 6 hours a day in front of digital screens, we will offer a Screen Hawks® collection in kids’ sizes with no magnification but all 15 lens features to help protect their eyes from cumulative damage. Together our demographic reaches over 90% of the population.
- A: Expanding the Optician partnered or company-owned Seeosk® concept for those adverse to home TryOns. Seeosks will be stocked with 144 frame/color choices and a complement of lenses in 169 Power options plus two no magnification sun lenses providing in excess of 24,336 potential frame/lens combinations, compared to typical reading glass displays with 180 prefabricated options. We will be able to reduce SKU inventory by including a lens edger and polisher for a “while you watch, while you wait” made-to-order experience: Bespoke and Befitted
- A: Through our SeeMobile® lab on wheels concept, we will be able to approach high tech companies that offer employee perks to offer their workers productivity-enhancing and protective eyewear for use while spending endless hours in front of HEV Blue Light-emitting computers. The SeeMobile will also be a strong advertising and PR tool as we do parking lot “PopUps” in conjunction with retailers including Game Stop and others to be determined.
- A: To partner with 100 premier Optical shops (who have edgers) and provide (consign) or sell them Seeing Glass kits (Frames and Lenses, POP materials) and then lead customers to their doors from day one to maximize the PR impact of simultaneously launching Seeosk®, SeeMobile® and our Website with Home TryOn. If the Optician feels unsure but likes the idea they can keep the product in presentation cases under the counter and show to those that come in from lead generation, thus letting them know the effectiveness of our marketing effort. It can earn its way on to the exposed selling floor.
- A: To set up a Home TryOn system first with 2 power, low SKU count Screen Hawks, thus allowing a buildup to Seeing Glasses for Home TryOn. As each glass selected by the consumer, and tried on virtually, will arrive with no or low power lenses to demonstrate their effectiveness and will enable the customer to buy from the package, reducing shipping costs
- A: To develop a Hosted TryOn "Party Plan" to afford groups of people an opportunity to learn about Computer Vision Syndrome, try on styles with a group of people who will give them immediate feedback and buy. Can also be a good building point for kids Screen Hawks
- A: To be the non-prescription eyewear company for the mid to upper-level consumer while disrupting the business of those in the low-end market
- A: In retrospect Warby Parker, considered the great eyewear disruptor wasn't the Chinese emperor who had lenses cut from gemstones as the first sunglasses or Ben Franklin creating the first bifocals was not that unique or really disruptive, though they have been often credited with both. Beneficiaries of social media hype, PR and lifestyle marketing rather than earning accolades for vision enhancing optical technology they are now one of those large billion-dollar eyewear companies they complained were monopolizing the world of eyewear. And, they were going to cut out the middleman but since they don't own a factory to manufacture their own frames and lenses they are now the middlemen. And they charge 7 times their cost for the “privilege” of buying direct.
-
A. And don't get us started on the quality of their lens material. Let's just say Prop 65 in California requires all companies that use Polycarbonate lenses or frames to carry a warning about potential cancer-causing chemicals like BPA used in their production. This, and the fact that mass injection molded Polycarbonate lenses are less clear (by as much as 50%) than lenses made using special optical resins individually cast on stainless steel molds. For The Everything Lens®... our choice was clear.
- A. Their disruptive innovation of home TryOn while making it easy to touch and try on the frames didn't change people’s vision, didn't make them see more clearly or protect their eyes more than Zenni.com selling glasses for as low as $5.95 a pair including your prescription. And home TryOn spawned over 25 copycat prescription eyewear companies and turned out to be very unprofitable... so Warby Parker is now quickly building the brick and mortar stores they eschewed and said they never would build. And even in their stores you will still have to place your order on a computer in the store and wait a week or two to receive your glasses. Visilution® will have 100 locations where partner Opticians will make your Seeing Glasses® while you wait. And it is a win-win for the brick and mortar Optician who gains new customers through our website for non-Rx eyewear that won’t cannibalize their prescription business and we gain locations without the expense of building our own stores.
-
A. We give Warby Parker props because they do donate a part of their sales to people in other countries who need glasses, and, are hopefully making their lives better... but people right here in the US could benefit just as much… and charity is supposed to begin at home. That's why we chose to contribute to Seeing Eye Dogs who help vision challenged kids, adults and veterans live a more normal life and overcome their disability.
-
A. No. Too tame a concept. We think we are the revolution in the evolution of resolution. We have a true David vs Goliath story on two fronts...
First - One company controls over 80% of the Reading Glass market and while the owner and name has changed several times it's been the same company since readers were first sold over-the-counter in 1977 — and not legal nationally till the late 80's.
And
Second... due to antiquated laws and rules that were agreed to in a back room — before they were legalized — agreements were made and statutes were passed so that their sale is still restricted to matched power lenses. While optometrists freely admit that over 90% of us have a different magnification strength for each eye, if we don't want to pay for prescription magnifying glasses we are forced to wear matched power lenses that cause eye strain, blurriness, dry eyes and headaches... all of which lead to reduced reading enjoyment and decreased productivity at school and at work. And the American Optometric Association likes to hide behind these rules to limit personal choice.
-
A. Yes. Disruptive is being first to speak out publicly about the failure of the existing Reading Glass industry and lobbyists that got government statutes passed long before the technology of eyewear lenses had advanced to today's quality and have failed to address each of your two eyes separately and allow companies to provide proper individualized quality close up vision enhancement at a reasonable price.
-
A. Yes. Disruptive is being first in to suggest that — due to smaller font sizes, brightness, glare and HEV blue light emanating from our phones and tablets, our laptop and desktop computers and our big screen digital TVs —eye protective and magnification eyewear is needed by a larger demographic than ever before. While reading glasses are marketed to those 40 and older... Today everyone 5 to 80 is in Visilution’s broad demographic and just like we need sunglasses outdoors to shield our eyes from brightness and invisible UV radiation we are all now in need of Seeing Glasses a new category of eyewear that offers even those who don’t wear corrective eyewear either excellent eye protection to avoid the symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome or the combination of eye protection plus vision enhancement, measured for each eye individually, to keep our vision safe and clear.
Measured with our specially designed VisiWands® by the consumer in a number of different scenarios (reading in a chair, reading in bed, using a tablet, sitting at their desk in front of a computer or binge watching the big screen TV) will result in Seeing Glasses® as close to prescription eyewear as is legally allowed.
- A. Disruptive is taking our 60 plus years of combined eyewear experience, and knowing that we found a better way to offer non-prescription vision protective and enhancing eyewear and knowing that battles lie ahead, we are going to fight the fight to bring Optical Power to the People
- A : There are no US Government regulations that require the glasses to be the exact magnification level stated on the product. They can be as much as +/- .25 from the power stated. The Everything Lens is tested for accuracy after being cut, edged and polished. Some states restrict the sale of Reading Glasses with strengths over a certain power. We will have a system in place to be sure we stay in compliance with any regulations. There will be “battles” to be fought where Ophthalmologists and Optometrists who will use statutes to attempt to equate our self-measure different power for each eye magnification glasses with prescription glasses. We welcome this battle as it will give us publicity and pull back the curtain on an industry that looks out more for their own wallet than the public’s needs.
- A: The lower “cost of entry”, the ability to locate in higher traffic areas, a unique proposition for mall managers/owners and 360 degree viewing by consumers will expose our concept to many more customers. While many kiosks are unattractive and can look unprofessional, we will design and build a custom 10’ x 20’ store presentation with furnishings and entertaining and engaging equipment that will enable customers to try on frames and measure their eyes in varying conditions – reading, computing and TV viewing – thereby encouraging multiple sales for different reading needs. In addition to the Seeosk model, we will also be selecting 100 Optical stores in key locations throughout the country that are already equipped with custom lens cutting equipment to carry our collection of Seeing Glass® frames and The Everything Lens allowing us to come “out of the gate” with a national presence without the build out expense. Customers will be able to find their nearest Seeing Glass Optician through our website and Opticians will be able to take advantage of our PR and Social Media to add new customers to their client base.
- A: Having the soft whirring of the lens edger and large screen monitors showing the process and smaller screens showing customers trying on frames, will engage those passing by. This will be an immersive experience that a potential customer will want to investigate. The design of the booth will be attention grabbing as will the method of displaying frames. This will not be a low-cost rented cart staffed by uncaring salespeople but a 360-degree store managed by an Optician partner.
- A: There will be high acquisition costs while we ramp up our Social Media campaigns and get our first customers to evangelize our business model but we have confidence that our “First In” positioning and entertaining educational PR will get press, leading to page views, which will lead to TryOns which leads to sales and social media growth. The circle.
- We will get additional free press from the first Seeosk and SeeMobile introductions. A dedicated Social Media supervisor will run blogs and postings of our customers (with permission) showing off their “Special Powers”
- A: Drugstore readers and any readers that have the same magnification power in each eye are not truly meeting your needs. Eye doctors would not prescribe the same correction for each eye.
- A: The majority of drugstore reader frames are made of injection molded plastic (petroleum based) or polycarbonate (which California has determined to be a cancer-causing agent and labels them as such). Seeing Glasses are made from Optical Cellulose Acetate (an earth friendly material derived from Wood & Cotton Fibers colored with vegetable and mineral dyes) and handcrafted in small runs.
- A: Their lenses are typically inexpensive Acrylic, injected into multi-cavity molds, making as many as 50 pairs at a time. Depending on the factory conditions (mass production vs optical crafting) this process can lead to lens pitting and mold markings that lead to visual aberrations and distortion. The Everything Lens® is made from a costly optical resin that is individually cast on stainless steel lens tooling and then layered with all 15 Vision Enhancement, Eye Protection and Convenience features. The lenses have both a high ABBE rating for clarity and a low level of chromatic aberration (distortion around the edges that effects peripheral vision). The Everything Lens then goes through 3 separate quality control stations to ensure they are defect free before being delivered to our frame factory.
- A: Yes. People own multiple pairs already, typically purchased in multi-packs at warehouse stores or individually at Drugstores and Mass Merchants. Each pair in the multi-pack however, is the same power, and each pair has the same magnification for each eye. We will encourage that everyone have different powered pairs for different uses. The distance between the eye and the reading or viewing material dictates the correct magnification strength. For example, books are typically read at 14"-16” from the eyes. Tablets are closer to 18”, Desktop Computers 20"-28” and TV’s 8 to 10 feet. And with each eye requiring a different magnification, the custom vision enhancement Seeing Glasses will offer strain free vision for every different close-up scenario.
- A: Customers are being “sold” progressive lenses to answer their Reading, Computing and Distance Vision problems all in one lens. Unfortunately, each of the 3 specific needs as determined in a doctor's office and the close up parts of pogressives aren’t measured where you actually use them. Most progressive lens wearers complain about a blurred corridor in the lens on each of the sides, effecting peripheral vision. It is important to have the right glasses for the right reason.
Your eyes are worth it.
- A: Manually adjustable glasses, by nature of the technology used to float the lens in liquid or allow the lens to be bent to different degrees, are not fashionable. One version says to set them and then break off the adjuster, which means they can only be set once. The Everything Lens system gives you the correct power for each of your eyes, without the odd shapes and tuning knobs for fashionable and classic frame shapes designed for seeing and looking good.
- A: Easy answer we don’t have to. The quantity of combinations is exponential
- A: Lenses are typically ordered pre-inserted into glasses. Our lenses will be shipped separately from the frames and custom cut, edged and inserted here in the US. We do not buy precut lenses so each lens can be used in either the left or right position... and in any of our frames.
- A: To have 169 lens combinations per frame you need only stock 13 lens powers. With only 24 frame styles in 6 colors each, totaling 144 frame choices the number of custom combinations Seeing Glasses can offer is 24,336. Plus 288 Everything Under the Sun sunglass combinations and 36 Screen Hawks styles in 2 powers each.
- A: Lenses are ordered separately from frames so more lenses can be ordered than frames at a ratio of approximately 3 to 1. Lenses are less costly to ship from overseas than frames with preset lenses stock, less costly to cut edge and polish than frames with lenses and can be stocked in a smaller area.
- A: We prefer to consider ourselves so much lower than prescription frames that are identical in creation. No need to compete for the customers who are willing to have eye strain and headaches from Dollar Store $1.00 Readers, 3 for $19.99 Warehouse Club glasses or the up to $30 Foster Grants
- A: In every product category, there are premium products. Think Apple quality not competing with Zenni
- A: Consider Zenni vs. Warby Parker vs. Fetch vs. EyeBobs vs. Luxottica vs. “Designers”
- A: Our Handmade, Earth Friendly Optical Cellulose Acetate Frames vs. Injection Molded Spray-Painted Petroleum based Frames prevalent in Drug, Discount and Mass stores
- A: Where possible. we use multi-layer laminates, even on black and tort... that are more expensive to make and richer than solids
- A: Lenses Custom Fit under the guidance of a licensed Optician
- A: Optical Quality high ABBE (clarity ranking) lenses are clearer than PC or Acrylic
- A: Lenses that are properly matched to your needs. Existing lenses are not regulated and not as clear. Can have bubbles and waves that strain the eyes
- A: We are offering all 15 layers of Vision Enhancement, Eye Protection and Convenience without an upcharge
- A: Branded outer box, inner frame tray with space for 5-6 pairs that the customer selects online, 2 Self-Measurement VisiWands, a packing slip with pictures of the sampled styles and printed sample return policies, try on instructions including suggestions of the places the customer should try using the VisiWands (bed, reading chair, desk at the office), frame construction and lens accuracy and protective quality info, ordering instructions and a Return Form. We will use the best practices of all the Home TryOn prescription eyewear companies, most of whom we have purchased product from, to make our process simple and enjoyable.
- A: On the TryOn Order Form, website Instructions and the packing slip, it will clearly state that the glasses are being sent for try on purposes only. If they are not returned within 7 days the customer will be charged on the credit card they provided. There will also be charges assessed for trays, VisiWand measuring devices and other component parts of Visilution eyewear Home TryOn Kits... but only if they are not returned.
- A: The style/color will be removed from the website and Try-On availability. We will add a new style while awaiting a reorder from the factory if warranted by sales velocity. We will always have a couple of pairs hanging around for replacements of favorite frames that you might have lost.
- A: Any leftover frames of a slow turning style still have no set power. While others in the Reading Glass business are almost sold, they have only a few powers available in each “dog” which is frustrating to customers and to inventory control functions. We can still offer one of 169 lens options, (though no home TryOn), until sold out. We will remove the style from Home Try On availability and may decide, at any time to donate real barkers at any time.
- A: We are so confident in the clarity, quality and durability of The Everything Lens® that we offer a one-time Unconditional Lifetime Lens Replacement Guarantee. That is Optical Power to the People.
- A: We will be sure our warranty will be equal to or better than our competition. Currently in addition to the Lifetime Lens Replacement Guarantee, if the customer is dissatisfied with the product in any way, they can return it within 7 days of receipt for a complete refund.
- A: While it is unlikely to issue, there is a Utility Patent Pending on the Home TryOn Reading Glass system that specifies a unique process and tools for the measurement of each individual eye and offering reading glasses with custom fit lenses. 169+ lens options vs. 9 options offered on typical reader Internet site and providing a YouTube link of their pair being made to order.
- A: There is also a Utility Patent Pending on the “Custom Cut Lenses While You Watch" Reading Glasses process. By cutting our own lenses in a Seeosk we can offer over 169 lens combinations. The pending Patent can be expanded to create a transportable unit for offering lenses custom cut to order while you watch (or in a back room if the company doesn’t want the distraction). Computer glasses to prevent employee eyestrain discussed by an ophthalmologist on video will be used to get in front of the HR department at the company or reading glasses for employees of Silicon Valley companies (Google, Facebook, Apple etc.) as perks or simply discounted by us or underwritten by the company. The publicity and customer building and social networking that results will be from the right place and build our brand. First In and national rollout will discourage copycats.
- A: Companies that currently sell to Clubs and Drug chains cannot carry the complete selection of lens options, with the space allocated for their product. By changing their method of sales, they would have to invalidate the “same power for each eye” foundation their business relies on. They also could not staff all of their locations with someone to custom edge lenses.
- A: Companies that sell Prescription Glasses for a higher price than our Reading Glasses (like Warby Parker as well as LensCrafters and specialty optical stores) would be shooting themselves in the foot to offer lower prices on Reading and Computer glasses made with the same or better frames and better lenses than they use for prescription glasses – for which they charge 3 times the price of Seeing Glasses. They have established high retail prices and we will be offering frames made of the same material with the same or better lenses custom measured to a customer’s needs in a variety of usage situations – Reading in a den, working on the computer at work, lying down in bed, reading on a tablet – encouraging multiple sales because healthy eyes require the correct magnification for different situations... plus our egos demand a variety of fashion styling.
- A: Online reading glass stores would have to entirely change the way they do business. To enable customers to properly measure their eyes (individually), the online “chart” system they currently use will fail… and as their current business model is to buy premade frames and lenses direct from the factory. To set up for cutting lenses to accommodate different powers for each eye would require all new equipment and trained staffing at every location. Since they are not as experienced in that part of the business, they are better off continuing to offering the same magnification power in each eye, directly off the shelf. When they do a special order for a customer they are robbing a lens from a frame and making the remainder unsalable. When people learn that they are potentially harming their vision with the same power in each eye Visilution® will be the place to turn to. We will give the consumer the power to choose the special power they need.
- Optical Power to the People!
