Custom Clip-Ons: Functionality When You Need It
Clip-on lenses offer a clever solution to a common problem: you don’t always want every feature permanently built into your primary glasses. Attempting to integrate too many features into one frame can result in a “spork” effect – a single item that attempts to do everything but isn’t great at any one thing.
With custom clip-ons, you maintain a highly functional base pair of glasses and simply clip on the added functionality (like a specific tint, filter or intermediate power) only when you need it.
Four Pathways to a Custom Clip-On
Chadwick Optical offers various clip-on systems, each designed to balance security and convenience.
1. The Chemistrie Clip
This system relies on magnets for its secure, sleek attachment across both lenses.
- Mechanism: A small, discreet magnet is embedded in the edge of the lenses of the primary eyeglasses.
- Attachment: The custom-made lenses attach directly onto the frame via the embedded magnets.
- Advantage: Since the magnets are in the lens itself, the frame material doesn’t matter. This design is highly adaptable and can be used to create a magnetic clip-on for virtually any frame.
2. The E-Clip (E-Z Clip)
This custom solution uses a mechanical attachment for a secure hold across both lenses.
- Mechanism: The clip-on is manufactured with four small teeth along its rim.
- Attachment: You slide the teeth over one side of the frame and secure it over the other side.
- Trade-off: While custom-made and secure, it requires slightly more manual dexterity than the Chemistry Clip to attach and remove.
3. The Chadwick Clip-On (Shape Library System)
This method prioritizes speed, affordability, and convenience by eliminating the need to send in the patient’s frame.
- Mechanism: The lab creates a lens that is precisely cut to one of 17 standard templates in our Clip-On Shape Library.
- Attachment: The finished clip-on is designed to snap securely onto the patient’s existing glasses.
- Advantage: This is the most affordable and quickest option. Practitioners can match the patient’s frame to a template remotely, meaning the patient never needs to part with their primary pair of glasses for manufacturing.
4. The S.L.A.M. Lens System (Single Lens Attached by Magnets)
This innovative system focuses on single-eye attachments for highly specific needs.
- Mechanism: SLAM is a lightweight, compact, and easy-to-use removable lens that attaches securely to a single lens of the patient’s glasses via a magnet system.
- Primary Use: It was originally designed to provide a temporary, detachable mount for the specialized Peli Lens™.
- Versatility: Beyond the Peli Lens™, this technology can be applied to any situation where a person needs a temporary, single lens attachment. This includes optical occlusions or mounted loupes. Even if the patient’s prescription changes, the SLAM lens can often still be used in the same frame.
Beyond Sunglasses: Feature Functionality
Clip-ons are versatile tools that can provide significant functionality beyond standard sunglass tints:
- Specialized Tints and Filters: Clip-ons are the ideal medium for adding specific light-management features, including:
- Low Vision colors for contrast enhancement.
- TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) colors to help mitigate light sensitivity.
- Intermediate Power: A clip-on can be manufactured with a specific plus power (e.g., +1.00 or +1.50) to create an intermediate working zone. This allows a patient to easily achieve temporary magnification for tasks like computer work without needing a separate pair of prescription intermediate glasses.
- Prism: Small amounts of prism correction can also be incorporated into a clip-on design to manage temporary or situational vision issues.
By offering features like temporary intermediate power and specialized tints, custom clip-ons ensure patients have the exact visual aid they need, precisely when they need it.
