Lens Study Benefits BFIT Prof and Opticianry Program

September 29, 2020

When California-based glasses-maker EnChroma began testing a new lens series designed for people with low vision and age-related eye conditions, its Chief Operating Officer, Mark Mattison-Shupnick, reached out to an esteemed colleague and a longtime friend: Blair Wong, Associate Professor and Director of the Opticianry Division at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT).

“We’ve worked and collaborated on a variety of things over the years,” Mattison-Shupnick said. “I was telling Blair about the lenses and I suggested he become a real-life trialing individual.”

Wong was uniquely qualified to provide feedback. In addition to being a nationally recognized lecturer and educator in the optical field, he suffers from late-stage retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited retinal disease that causes a progressive loss of night and peripheral vision, as well as an extreme sensitivity to glare.

“I was amazed when I put them on,” said Wong, who was diagnosed with his eye condition at age 26 and now at age 62 is almost fully blind. “Right away, I could see things I didn’t think I could see anymore. These glasses have really helped me. It’s been fascinating to be involved in this study with Mark.”

The low-vision lenses filter out excess glare, but they also boost color contrast and color vibrancy using proprietary technology that EnChroma developed for its line of glasses that treat color deficiencies and color blindness. Mattison-Shupnick said the combination of glare reduction and color boost can serve to “take advantage of” any residual vision that a person still has.

“It allows the wearer to be comfortable in all lighting conditions and also find useful any residual vision they might have,” Mattison-Shupnick said. “People think of blindness as black, a void. But for Blair and people with the same condition, it’s white and it’s extraordinarily uncomfortable.”

Wong said the EnChroma Lx technology low-vision glasses allowed him to once again see the lane lines on the high school track where he and his wife often walk and also to make out the outlines of his own handwriting for the first time in years. Wong’s feedback helped EnChroma understand and refine their series of four different low-vision glasses—each designed for a different lighting condition—that became publicly available for sale earlier this month.

The lens trial was also a learning opportunity for students in BFIT’s Opticianry program.  Wong said students asked about his new glasses—and his improved handwriting on the board—which led to discussions about changes in lens technology and what new technologies might mean for the students’ future patients and customers with challenging vision issues.

“Students are not only learning Opticianry from me,” said Wong. “Their most challenging patient in their careers is going to be someone who has received the bad news that they have a disease that leads to blindness. They’re really comfortable with that because they are so used to being around a professor who is losing his vision.”

The low-vision trial also sparked an idea for a special program involving the entire BFIT campus. Dubbed The True Color 2020 Vision Project, it entails the Opticianry students conducting screenings of every BFIT student for color vision deficiency. Those who show a deficiency will be able to participate in a trial about the effectiveness of EnChroma color correcting glasses in their daily tasks during class, as well as for their everyday issues with color. In exchange for responses to a series of questionnaires, BFIT students will receive a pair of EnChroma Cx glasses. The glasses will be fit and dispensed by the Opticianry class.

“There are so many departments at Ben Franklin where the students rely on good color perception to perform their tasks, whether it’s automotive or electrical or HVAC [Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning],” Wong said. “This could help students perform their jobs better.”

Via a remote training session, Mattison-Shupnick taught the Opticianry students how to conduct a color screening, including a demonstration of what the dialogue between the customer and the optician should be like while conducting the screening. Thanks to this EnChroma program, up to 50 students will receive a pair of free glasses in either prescription or non-prescription versions as needed. The Opticianry department has already received EnChroma fitting kits. (The Opticianry division already operates a full on on-campus Optical Shop that provides low-cost glasses to the community.) The Opticianry students also plan to conduct follow-up surveys after 2-3 weeks to see if the students felt the glasses had an impact on their learning.

Unfortunately, The True Color 2020 Vision Project had to be shelved when the COVID-19 pandemic closed the BFIT campus in March. Wong said he will get the plan back on track after the campus and the Optical Shop fully reopen. He hopes to expand the project to include dispensing prescription safety glasses to BFIT students for their work in the various labs and perhaps prescription protective eyewear for student sports teams.

“We’ll go ahead whenever we return to campus,” Wong said. “We want to do these kinds of eyewear programs as a way to unify the Ben Franklin community and the students and help everybody learn what opticians can do for them and their profession.”

About BFIT’s Opticianry Program

Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT) is the only college in Massachusetts that offers a degree in Opticianry and 95% of our graduates get a job in this high-demand field. Visit BFIT.edu/OP to learn more or apply today