Specs by Kyla has entered the lens-shaping game

The Specs by Kyla family has added a new member to their team. This time, it comes in the form of an optical edger made by Santinelli. The machine will not only make the process of getting you your glasses quicker but also allow a more hands-on experience with your frames.

“I’m excited to have it [the machine], and it’s always been a goal that I’ve had to cut lenses, and none of the jobs that I’ve worked at have ever done it. So it feels like this dream that I’ve had is finally coming true,” stated Kyla Skinner, owner and optician at Specs by Kyla. “I’m proud that my business is able to support that, and it also feels very complete. Instead of me just doing the frame portion and measurements, this is kind of the full circle, and it’s bringing all of my knowledge in the optical field and completing it.”

Before owning the edger, Kyla would have to send her customer’s chosen frame after ordering their prescription and sending it electronically to her chosen lab. Then, the frame would head out to the lab in the mail, where the lenses would be made, edged, and placed in the frame before being sent back to Specs. Kyla said that that process would normally take around two weeks for people to get their new glasses.

“This will speed up the process. Usually, I can get lens blanks within a couple of days, cut them in-house, and have them ready, hopefully, within a week,” added Kyla excitedly.

Your prescription still goes out to the lab, and the lenses, which Kyla says look like hockey pucks with thick edges. But now, with their own optical edger, Specs can make your lenses fit inside the fantastically fun and one-of-a-kind frames that you picked out in Kyla’s store.

“We pick a frame, we put the frame in what’s called a tracer. Its little robot arm comes out, traces the shape of the frame digitally, and then it transfers that information to the edger, that actually cuts the lens down to the exact shape of the frame and will polish the edges. Make everything look nice and finished, and then we can take the lens out of that machine and snap it into the frame that you selected,” Kyla added about the process.

Kyla also told me that she’s excited to be able to minimize the shop’s environmental footprint and make sure everything is done to her standards when handing you the finished product. It also means that Kyla’s husband, Jeff, has become a bigger part of the business, as he is now in charge of running the optical edger.

Jeff started working at the shop one day a week in January, helping Kyla with accounting, and now he’s been working the majority of the week. The husband-wife team is hoping that with the purchase of the edger, Jeff will be in the shop full-time sooner rather than later.

“He’s a contractor, and he’s very good at woodworking. That’s his passion, and so it’s amazing watching him behind that machine. It’s like he gets it because he’s done so much of that with wood. I like working with people. I want to be out front helping people, just trying on frames and connecting with people. He can get back there and tune everything out, dial into that machine and that prescription, and just focus on it,” said Kyla. “It’s pretty cool to watch how instintually he understands what needs to be done, even though he’s fairly new to optical. Between the two of us, we’re going to be a good pair, as far as me helping people and him doing the backend [stuff] and making it happen. So that’s exciting, and I’m glad that my business has grown to this point where we can work together and the business can help support our family.”

For anyone who’s looking to get new glasses for the holiday season, Kyla added that even though she doesn’t take vision insurance, both flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts can be used to purchase glasses from her. She can also submit out-of-network claims for insurance benefits. So, go snag a pair of new glasses and see what that machine can do for yourself.

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