OPTICAL PRISM | FEATURE bathe each pair of eyeglasses in powerful UV light .
The result : the device kills up to 99.5 per cent of common viruses and bacteria on the surfaces of eyeglasses .
“ We wanted to provide the industry with something that was designed specifically for eyeglasses . That was really the caveat because there was nothing out there when we started talking about this that was designed for eye care professionals by eye care professionals ,” Robert Spirito , senior director of product marketing at Carl Zeiss Vision , said in an interview with Optical Prism magazine .
From a timing perspective , there was a lot of pressure to get it done because we knew the industry was suffering and experiencing fatigue .
It was also “ incredibly important ” for the company to develop an effective frame and lens disinfecting device that was also affordable for ECPs , he said . Each unit retails for less than $ 1,000 USD .
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic , Spirito said Zeiss had developed technologies using ultraviolet C light , which has been proven to effectively deactivate viruses and other pathogens .
The company had teamed up with Voxelight before to develop the Zeiss C-UVProtect tablet , a point-of-sale device that allows users to see the level of UV protection provided by various optical lenses .
After the pandemic hit , Zeiss quickly identified a need to design a product to disinfect eyewear that would enable ECPs to spend less time and resources cleaning and more time engaging with their patients .
Zeiss says other disinfectant options at the time were poor at best . Cleaning each frame with soap and water is slow and labour-intensive and frames may not be dry enough to be tried on right away by the next patients . Alcohol-based solutions or hydrogen peroxide can potentially damage frames over time and come with an unpleasant smell . And most re-purposed industrial and consumer UV-C boxes are costly and bulky .
“ We started to talk about the opportunity and whether there was a possibility to create something specifically for eyeglasses that could harness the power of UVC in a dispensary ,” Spirito said .
Designing the box for the UVClean came about within a few weeks , he said , and it took a few months to determine the best placement for the UVC bulbs .
Rigorous testing , at both company and external laboratories , followed to ensure the device was not only effective at killing bacteria and viruses on all parts of eyewear , but also safe on frames and lenses , he said .
Zeiss then created prototypes and sought further feedback before beginning production .
“ From a timing perspective , there was a lot of pressure to get it done because we knew the industry was suffering and experiencing fatigue , so we wanted to get it done as quickly as possible , but still keeping in mind it had to be effective and it had to do what it said it was doing ,” Spirito said .
In January , the Zeiss UVClean technology was selected as a CES 2021 Innovation Awards Honouree in the health and wellness category at the first-ever , all-digital CES 2021 , the world ’ s most influential technology event .
“ Our selection as an Innovation Awards Honoree is a testament to our design and production teams ’ ability to respond quickly and efficiently to the COVID-19 pandemic ,” said Jens Boy , president of ZEISS Vision Care North America .
“ Frame and lens disinfecting became an overnight challenge for eyecare dispensaries and the ZEISS UV- Clean met that challenge with an efficient , affordable , and space-saving device .”
More information on the Zeiss UVClean is available at zeiss . com / vision-care . OP
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