Dr. Noeh Fernandez Jr.

 Curvature
 Surfaces of revolution
 Relationship between Curvature and refracting
power of a surface
 The lens measure
 Lens Form: Spherical lenses
 Lens form: Cylindrical and toric lenses
 Lens Blanks and Base Curves
 Specification of cylinder axes
 The angle through which the surface turns in a
unit length of arc
Latin for “arrow”
The distance between a
point in the circle and the
midpoint of a chord of a
circle
 Calculate the sagitta of a glass surface
having a refracting power of +15.00 D, 42 mm
in diameter and having an index of refraction
of 1.523
 Calculate the sagitta of a glass surface
having a refracting power of -10.00 D, 30 mm
diameter, and having an index of refraction of
1.586
 Most surfaces placed on ophthalmic lenses are
surfaces of revolution, which are formed by
rotating a plane curve about an axis within its
plane
 Spherical surface – generated by rotating about
one of circle or an arc about one of its diameter
 Plane surface – zero curvature and may be
considered as a special case of a spherical
surface, having an infinite radius
 Cylindrical surface – generated by rotating a
straight line about another straight line that is
parallel to it
 The axis meridian (the meridian of zero
curvature) and meridian of maximum curvature
are always at right angles to each other and are
known as Principal meridians
 Toric Surface – generated by rotating a circle
or an arc about an axis that lies in the same
plane but does not pass through the center of
curvature of the arc
 Refractive power of a surface depends on both
the curvature and the index of refraction of the
material forming the surface.
 Aka lens clock
 Calibrated to index 1.53 (geneva lens)
 Black values – power of the convex
 Red values – power of the concave side
 When the clock is rotated and the hand does
not move – the surface is spherical
 When the clock is rotated and the hand
moves – the surface is cylindrical
 The lens clock has three pointed probes that
make contact with the surface of the lens.
 The outer two probes are fixed while the
center one moves, retracting as the
instrument is pressed down on the lens's
surface. As the probe retracts, the hand on
the face of the clock turns by an amount
proportional to the distance.
 The lens clock physically measures the
sagital height/depth.
 The reading is in power (diopters)
 The lens clock assumes that n is in air and n’
= 1.53 (crown glass)
Where:
F = power of the lens
R = gauge reading (F1 + F2)
n = index of the lens
c = calibration of the gauge (1.53)
 Example: the power of the front surface is
+12.00 and the power of the back is -6.00 D.
Determine the gauge reading as well as the
true power of the lens if the index of the lens
is 1.49
 Example: the power of the front surface is
+12.00 and the power of the back is -6.00 D.
Determine the gauge reading as well as the
true power of the lens if the index of the lens
is 1.586
 Form – refers on the relationship between the
front and the back surface curvatures of the lens
 For a lens of given power, an infinite number of
forms are possible.
 Modern ophthalmic lenses have convex front
surfaces and concave back surfaces (bent
lenses)
 Earliest bent lens – Periscopic lens ( has a back
surface lens power of -1.25 for plus lens or a
front surfac epower of +1.25 for mimus lens
 Meniscus lens: has a -6.00 D back surface
power for plus lens or a front surface power
of +6.00 D for minus lens
 Cylindrical and toric lenses – used for the
correction of astigmatism (or more often, for the
correction astigmatism combined with myopia
or hyperopia)
 For a patient with astigmatism with no myopia or
hyperopia = plano-cylinder
 For patient with either myopia or hyperopia in
addition to astigmatism, a spherical surface is
ground on one side of the lens and a toric
surface on the other.
 In recent years, the standard procedure is to grind
the toric surface in the back and the spherical
surface on the front.
 Rough blanks – relatively thick, molded piece
of glass that must be ground and polished on
both sides
 Semifinished blank – when one of the surfaces
of a rough blank has been ground and
polished
 Finished uncut lens – when both the front and
back surfaces have been ground and
polished and is ready to be cut, edged, and
mounted in a frame
 Base Curve – refers to a standardized curvature
ground onto a lens by the manufacturer for a
grouping of lens powers
 May have two (2) meanings base on definition:
1. A lens designer may specify a +6.00D base curve for
every lens in a series of lenses
2. A designer may specify a different base curve for
each lens in the series and thus have, in effect, an almost
infinite number of base curve
 Selection of base curve is made when the lens is in
the semifinished stage
 Monochromatic lens aberrations can be minimized
by the careful selection of base curves
 A lens designed to minimize these
aberrations a are called corrected curve, or fs
lens
 Made up of a group of Base curves, each use
over a range of prescription powers.
 Flat Transposition
 Sphero-cylindrical to Sphero-cylindrical
 Sphero-cylindrical to Cross-Cylindrical
 Cross-Cylindrical to Sphero-cylindrical
 Toric Transposition
 Fused Bifocal Toric transposition
 Unfused bifocal toric transposition
 When writing the prescription for an
ophthalmic lens, the spherical power of the
lens is given first, then the cylindrical power
and the cylindrical axis
-2.00 -3.00
-1.00

-2.00 -2.00
0.00
 Optometrists routinely use minus cylinder refractors
or phoroptors and therefore write lens prescription
in the minus cylinder form
 When a lens is to be made in the form of a front
surface cylinder, it is necessary for the laboratory to
transpose it to a plus cylinder form
 Ophthalmologists routinely use plus-cylinder
refractors or phoroptors and therefore writes their
prescription in a plus-cylinder form
 When lenses is to be made in a form of a back
surface cylinder, it is necessary for the laboratory to
transpose the prescription in the minus-cylinder
form
1. Add the Sphere power and the cylinder
power algebraically, to obtain the new
spherical power
2. Change the sign of the cylinder (from
minus to plus, or plus to minus)
3. Rotate the cylinder axis 90

EG -0.50 S -1.50 C x90 is -2.00 S +1.50 C x 180

 Two general types:

 SINGLE VISION TORIC TRANSPOSITION

 BIFOCAL TORIC TRANSPOSITION
 The sphero-cylinder form sign must be the
same with the sign of the base curve
 If in case in the given the sign of the cylinder
is not the same, there will be a need to
transpose to the other sphero-cylinder form
 The base curve will always carry the cylinder
in the equation
 The purpose of the transposition is to ensure
that the base curve will remain to be the
spherical surface for the reason that the inset
(add) / button/ segment is on it.
 Two types: (1) Fused Bifocal Toric
Transposition; (2) unfused bifocal toric
transposition
 Transposition involving fused bifocals or
bifocals whose segments are located in the
front surface of the lens. Thus the base curve
is always positive (+)
 Examples of positive base cuve bifocals are:
EXECUTIVE OR STRAIGHT ACROSS, FLAT-
TOP OR D-SEGMENT, KRYPTOK OR ROUND
SEGMENT, BLENDED OR INVISIBLE
SEGMENT, AND CURVED TOP
 Transposition involving unfused bifocals
whose segments are located in the back.
 Only one type of bifocal is unfused - ULTEX
 The sign of the base curve must be
OPPOSITE that of the cylinder power (flat
transpose if needed)
 The base curve should always be spherical
because it carries the segment. Should be in
the front if the sign is plus, should be at the
back if the sign is negative.