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Introduction

This document provides instructions for specifying base curve ranges for Rx ranges.

The base curve table controls 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 curve 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:

Select Option 8 - Blank Selection and press enter.

Select Option 1 - Base Curve Table Editor and press enter.

The Base Curve Range Editor displays. 

• Enter the material code.
• Enter the type code.
• Enter the style code.
• Enter the color code.

• Press enter to begin.

The following screen displays.

At the bottom of the screen, you can view the various prompts that are available. Type the first letter of any of the prompts to perform the selected action.

• ‘A’ Add - Creates a new row at the bottom of the existing entries. After each row, it is necessary to press ‘A’ again to add another row.
• Enter the Spherical Equivalency Range. (Start from high minus to high plus)
• Enter the Nominal Base Range. (Use nominal bases)

• ‘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 its current position.
• ‘D’ Down - Moves the cursor down a row from its current position.
• ‘E’ Edit - Moves the cursor to the first field of the spherical Equivalency Range from its current position.
• ‘S’ Save - Saves the data.
• ‘Q’ Quit - Exits the screen without saving the data.

Once all the data has been entered:

• Press ‘S’ to save the data.

The following message displays:

• Press ‘Y’ to continue.
• Press ‘N’ to cancel.
• Press Q to exit the screen

Base Curve Range Editor

The Base Curve Range Editor is yet another powerful feature of Optifacts. It uses 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.
• Then, enter the type code you wish to edit. 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 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 shows us a default entry for material P (CR-39) and the type of NA. The leftmost portion is related 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 type of entry is the simplest entry you can make.

Notice that 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’ moves your cursor up or down one line, pressing’ E’ allows you to edit the current line. Pressing’ S’ saves your entries to the database;’ Q’ quits the editor. Pressing Q does not save your work. Pressing’ R* removes the current line immediately.

The screenshot 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 imperative 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 you include the required base curves in the range, Blank Selection works.

Another item to note is that the ending value of either range is non-inclusive. For example, an Rx with a -2.50 spherical equivalency picks a lens within a base curve range of 4.000 to 4.999. (shown below) Blank Selection won’t pull from the base curve range of 2.000 to 2.999 because the -2.50 sphere power is 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 see absolutely nothing listed that chooses a 5 or 7 base curve. If you look at the spherical equivalency ranges, you 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. The override forces 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 as ‘forced’ by the operator and calculates regardless of excessive or not enough lens blank for the cutout.

You may have entries in the supplier editor, but you can still restrict usage of these entries with the base curve table. An excellent example of this is with plastic Single Vision and the 5 and 7 base lenses. A lab may want these lenses to get 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 a base curve. In cases such as this, you must use your best judgment when setting up the ranges.  Our example 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 do the job of maintaining Blank Selection much more straightforward 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 Option 8-9)

You can print this report to the screen or a printer. You can customize this report by reporting on selected materials and styles. The report to screen function prompts for a response after the screen is populated. The printed report, as shown below, lists the items until the report finishes.

Click here to view Section 5 Color Exceptions.

To view and download these instructions as a PDF file, click on the following document image.

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