With construction and equipment installation recently completed, Art Optical initiated their new onsite Technical Training Center on October 15, 2013, by hosting members of the West Michigan Optometric Association.
The practitioners in attendance learned about the capabilities of the new training facility, which features the latest diagnostic assessment equipment including a Topcon SL-D2 Video Slit Lamp and digital camera, a Medmont E-300 Corneal Topographer, a Topcon KR-800 Auto Kerato-Refractometer, dual 60” Samsung smart monitors, and a digital line vision chart. With custom sound and lighting and seating capacity for up to 75, the Training Center will be used for customer-focused events like educational lectures and focus groups, as well as hands-on specialty lens fitting workshops for individuals and small to medium-sized practitioner groups. To complement the training facility, Art Optical has also refurbished a dining/banquet services area to accommodate dinner meetings and lunch and learn style events.
“Specialty lenses are becoming increasingly important to fitters, and as our portfolio of complex design options has grown, so has the demand for hands-on training,” noted Michael A. Johnson, FCLSA; Director of Consultation Services at Art Optical. “Having exclusive and immediate access to a training facility of this caliber will allow us to readily meet that demand.”
When combined with the extensive custom lens manufacturing technologies employed in Art Optical’s soft and GP lens laboratories, the additional capabilities in the new Technical Training Center will further aid the company’s internal research and development efforts, and enhance associate training experiences as well. Art Optical President, Jill Anastor, is excited about the opportunities the new Technical Training Center presents.
“We look forward to providing first-hand lens fitting exposure for our customers,” said Anastor. “The training center will foster customer collaboration, ensure our R&D remains vibrant, and make it more efficient to keep our large staff ahead of new developments in the industry,” she continued.
The next practitioner event scheduled at the Art Optical Technical Training Center will be December 5, 2013, when Dr. Paul Rose, inventor of the ROSE K family of GP lens designs presents an interactive workshop on his latest design, the ROSE K2 XL Semi-Scleral lens. Registration information is available at http://artoptical.com/register/
About Art Optical Contact Lens, Inc. – Art Optical Contact Lens, Inc. is an independently owned and operated company serving ophthalmic professionals world-wide with custom contact lenses made to exacting standards for the correction of refractive errors including myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia, as well as the management of a broad array of irregular corneal conditions. Originally founded in 1931, Art Optical is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is widely recognized as a world-leader in the design, production, and application of custom contact lenses.
MICHAEL A. JOHNSON, FCLSA, DIRECTOR OF CONSULTATION SERVICES AT ART OPTICAL, PRESENTS AN OVERVIEW OF THE LATEST SPECIALTY LENS RESEARCH AND DESIGN ADVANCEMENTS IN THE ALL-NEW TECHNICAL TRAINING CENTER TO PRACTITIONERS FROM THE WEST MICHIGAN OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION.
© 2013 – ART OPTICAL CONTACT LENS, INC. – GRAND RAPIDS, MI – 800.253.9364
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH LAMAN-REED
