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Introduction
This document provides instructions for specifying base curve ranges for Rx ranges.
The base curve table will control some of the cosmetic appearance of your finished product by selecting your desired base curves for various Rx's.
Lens manufacturers, laboratories, and even your customers are placing more and more demands for flatter base curves. By configuring the base curve table to select lens bases for particular Rx’s, you, too, can provide your customers with optimal cosmetics in a flatter base curve range. While many lens manufacturers provide the lab with specific lens grinding and base selection charts, the base curved table in Optifacts allows you to follow the recommended base curves.
With the Base Curve Table editor, you can specify different base curves for the same Rx under different materials, progressive types, aspheric types, or even just for single vision!
General Procedure
From the Optifacts main menu:
Type 8 - Blank Selection and press enter.
Type 1 - Base Curve Table Editor and press enter.
The Base Curve Range Editor displays.
Type the material code and press enter.
Type the type code and press enter.
Type the style code and press enter.
Type the color code and press enter.
Note: If you use an ( * ) asterisk in any of the fields, the system will consider all records.
If a record does not exist for the specified entry, the following message will display.
Press enter to begin.
The following screen displays.
At the bottom of the screen various prompts are identified. Type the first letter of any of the following to perform an action:
(A)add - Creates a new row at the bottom of the existing entries. After each row it is necessary to type A to add a new row.
Enter the Spherical Equivalency Range and press enter. (Start from high minus to high plus)
Enter the Nominal Base Range and press enter. (Use nominal bases)
Note: When entering ranges in the Spherical Equivalency Range, the "to" entry must be entered as the "from" entry on the next row. When entering ranges in the Nominal Base Range, the "from" entry must be entered as a value higher than the "to" entry on the previous row. Common practice is to use entries such as shown in the following example.
(I)Insert - Inserts a new row between 2 existing records at the cursors current position.
(R)Remove - Deletes the row at the cursors current position.
(U)Up - Moves the cursor up a row from it's current position.
(D)Down - Moves the cursor down a row from it's current position.
(E)Edit - Moves the cursor to the first field of the spherical Equivalency Range from it's current position.
(S)Save - Saves the data.
(Q)Quit - Exists the screen without saving the data.
Once all the data has been entered:
Type S to save the data.
The following message will be displayed:
Type Y to continue.
Type N to cancel.
Type Q to exit the screen.
Base Curve Range Editor
The base curve table editor is yet another powerful feature of Optifacts. It is shipped with a default configuration for most materials and lens products, but you always have the option to change this data if need be.
The diagram below shows the beginning of the base curve table editor. First, enter the material code you wish to edit, and then enter the type code you wish to edit. Note that the type code you enter can be for a progressive type, aspheric type, ’SV' for normal single vision, or ’NA' to specify any type not separately defined.
Aspheric lenses must have an entry in the base curve table if you want to blank select them. You must also have at least one entry for each material and type 'NA' for each material you wish to be blank selected. Progressive lenses and single vision lenses will use the type ’NA’ entry if you do not have an assignment specific to the material and progressive/single vision lens. Aspheric lenses must have a separate entry for their specific lens type code.
The diagram above is showing us a default entry for material P (CR-39) and the type of NA. The leftmost portion is relating to the Rx power, and the right portion selects the base curve range for the Rx portion. The sample shown allows Optifacts to determine the base curve, within the nominal base curve range of a - 30.000 to a 30.000 for any Rx with an effective sphere power falling within a -30.000 to 30.000 Rx range. This is the simplest entry you can make.
Notice the bottom of the screen in the diagram below\ lists a few commands. If you add an entry, a new, blank line appears under the current row. If you insert an entry, a new, blank line appears above the current entry. Pressing ’U’ or ’D’ will move your cursor up or down one line, pressing ’E’ will allow you to edit the current line. Pressing ’S' will save your entries to the database; ’Q’ will simply quit the editor. Pressing Q will not save your work. Pressing ’R* will immediately remove the current line.
The screen shot in the diagram below shows a more complex entry for general plastics. This entry is stating specifically what base curves to pull for a given Rx. Notice the continuation of entries under the spherical equivalency range. Each line begins with the last spherical equivalency listed. It is very important to do this to eliminate gaps in your power ranges.
The entries for the nominal base range do not always start with the last base range. This is not as important for base curves as it is for the spherical equivalency since manufacturers are only breaking base curves down incrementally, such as a 6.00,7.25, or 8.50. As long as the required base curves are included in the range, blank selection will work.
Another item to note is that the ending value of either range is non-inclusive. This means that in the example shown below, an Rx with a spherical equivalency of -2.50 will pull a lens in a base curve range of 4.000 to 4.999. Blank selection will not pull from the base curve range of 2.000 to 2.999 because the -2.50 sphere power in not within the 'inclusive' range of the corresponding spherical equivalency range.
If you look carefully at the base curve ranges listed on the right side, you will see that there is absolutely nothing listed that will choose a 5 or 7 base curve. If you look at the spherical equivalency ranges, you will see that there are no gaps. During order entry, the operator can override base curve selection by placing the desired base curve in the base field. This will force blank selection to use that base curve for the job. This exact technique can be applied to the diameter of lenses as well. If the customer wants a 70 mm lens blank, the operator can place ’70’ in the diameter field of order entry and let blank selection pick a 70 mm lens in the best base curve available. The lens is considered 'forced' by the operator and will be calculated regardless of excessive or not enough lens blank for cutout.
You may have entries in the supplier editor but still restrict the usage of these entries with the base curve table. An excellent example of doing this is with plastic single vision and the 5 and 7 base lenses. A lab may want these lenses to be able to get blank selected, but only when it is asked for by the account. By adding these lenses to your supplier priority list, and then adjusting the base curve table selection charts accordingly, you can accomplish exactly this.
The diagram below shows the recommended base curve selection chart for an aspheric lens. The selection chart provided from the manufacturer lists base selection based on sphere and cylinder power. The base curve table allows for only the spherical equivalency to determine base curve. In cases such as this, you must use your best judgement when setting up the ranges. Our example shown below took the base curve ranges for sphere powers with an average of a -1.00 cylinder.
Base Curve Table Reports
Reports are available for all areas of Blank Selection, Some of these reports will make the job of maintaining Blank Selection much easier, and help you track down errors in your supplier list.
This report is accessible directly from the blank selection menu. Choose Base Curve Table Report. (menu 8-9)
You can print this report to the screen or a printer. You can customize this report by reporting on selected materials and/or styles. The report to screen function in will prompt for a response after the screen is filled, the printed report shown below will simply list the items until the report is finished.
Click here to view Section 5 Color Exceptions.
