By: Peter J. Murphy, Partner, Design for Vision

Designs for Vision, Inc. has a proud heritage, a contributing responsibility today and an exciting future.

The proud heritage begins in the back of a small doctor’s office in New York. Here, William Feinbloom O.D., PhD, began his career as a specialist in eye care for the partially sighted. Dr. Feinbloom’s original mission was to design specialized optics to give vision and mobility to visually handicapped people. He was soon joined in his laboratory after school every afternoon by his son Richard, aged seven. They worked together through Richard’s education developing well over 30 original patents in optical design. On return from three years service in the U.S. Army, Richard joined his father at Designs for Vision, Inc. and the company was moved to New York City.

Dr. Feinbloom was soon asked by the State University of New York to found The College of Optometry in New York City. The task became quite daunting and Richard was handed the reins of Designs for Vision, Inc. Richard continued Designs’ developmental program, creating several new products for partially sighted patients over the next several years.

In a short period of time Richard recruited Peter J. Murphy, an ex-paratrooper with a background in Implantable Pacemakers, as a partner in Designs for Vision. “Hearing Richard’s plans for the company’s future made being left out of it unthinkable,” says Peter.

Meanwhile, doctors from many leading institutions were clamoring for Designs’ help so they could improve their microsurgical results. “Quite a responsibility and quite a challenge!” remembers Richard.

The partners say Peter traveled the world to learn the problems of the dental and medical professional and then turned the problems over to Richard and engineering to seek optical solutions.

“Richard had quite a task. There were a great number of optical design problems all of which had to be integrated into a whole,” Peter said. “We could not just consider how to help our professional market see better—but to see the very best possible.”

This included attention to the doctor in addition to optics. Good optical design includes the physiology of the user as well as the accuracy of the magnification. “We found the most important feature was a personalized and precise measurement of the distance from the eye to the working field. Without this, the telescopes cannot be ergonomically correct. The natural downward angle of the individual’s neck and eye are simply that individual. One Doctor–One Telescope,” continued Richard.

In 1984, Life Magazine put Designs for Vision on its front cover. A small virtually unknown company on 23rd Street in Manhattan became a world-wide entity overnight. Immediately following, in May of 1985, CRA Newsletter published on Designs for Vision’s Dental Telescopes—the rest is history. In a matter of four years, Designs grew from 20 employees to 100 employees and relocated to its own building in Ronkonkoma, New York. Today the 30,000 square foot facility is home to approximately 150 employees.

By 1985, the company was producing a complete line of both Galilean and Keplerian Dental Telescopes. In the dental area the telescopes undergo constant testing and constant redesign to ensure the optics are always the best they can be. The search is never ending. As Peter states, “Our job is to always act and never to react. We understand the nature of our business, which is to be an assistant to the professional. In this capacity we have a great responsibility to tell the doctors the truth and to provide them with what they need so that each doctor can see as well as he/she possibly can. At the same time, engineering the most ergonomically correct systems, reducing eyestrain and back pain, is essential. We are the only company that manufacturers custom glasses to each individual doctor. To design ergonomically correct telescopes you must have the doctor’s exact working distance. As such, you cannot be ergonomically correct unless each pair of telescopes is individually manufactured by hand to fit the doctor.” Designs also uses precision coatings, greatly cutting down on reflection and of course, with the least possible reflection, doctors see better.

In 1992 the partners found themselves in need of a third hand due to the continued growth. Without having to look very far, the partners named Herb Schwartz, then vice-president of finance, to become the third partner at Designs for Vision. “It’s quite exciting,” says Herb. “In all the years I’ve been here, not a quarter has gone by when Designs for Vision has not grown. My big challenge now is to get us into 50,000 square feet as we have outgrown our present facility. The community we’re in is business friendly and our employees have located around the company, so we feel we would like to stay if possible. In the meantime spending a career managing the finances and administration of a company this dynamic, is rewarding.”

Designs for Vision has grown to represent 95 percent of all medical surgical sales and has just been named the number one loupes in the Magnification section of the Dentaltown Townie Choice Awards’ survey. “To be number one is important to us but it is more important to have the professionals, the wet-gloved dentists, tell us. It is an honor. I would have to extend a million thanks to Dentaltown which conducted the national survey, and to those doctors who responded,” commented Peter.

Another reason Designs believes it has achieved such success in its markets is due to its employees. It has what it considers to be the best possible employees in the optical industry in every area from optical bench person, machinists, assembly personnel, electrical technicians, engineers, office staff and executives. The average time of service over the entire company is approximately 14 years. Quite an accomplishment—it certainly says a lot about Designs for Vision, and explains why Designs for Vision is the only company that manufactures surgical and dental telescopes in the United States. “American productivity and quality control more than make up for the greatly increased labor costs,” exclaim the partners. “You cannot replace those essential graces that taken together make up the quality of life we all enjoy by simply being American.”

Designs for Vision understands its responsibility to its market place, and there can be no compromise. The telescopes include precision optics, are custom fit including a custom working distance, and provide excellent infection control. They provide the greatest brightness, depth of field and size of field of any comparable telescope on the market. “Always be careful you are comparing similar magnifications. The rules of optics are simply not changeable. I would be especially careful of those companies that might tell you that they don’t use magnification but rather some other kind of measuring device. You may rest assured that something is being concealed,” states Richard.

Designs for Vision was the first company to introduce a return privilege order to the industry. Under the plan, the doctor has 45 days to decide if he/she wants to purchase the telescopes or if he wishes to return them. No restocking fees or return merchandise authorization numbers are required, it’s simply a free trial. Additionally, Designs for Vision offers a six-month testing program during which time the doctor can change the magnification of the telescopes, the position of the telescopes, or the focal length until he/she is completely satisfied. This is an offer that has never been duplicated and has always been a part of Designs for Vision. “I was simply amazed to see a major evaluating company report that Designs for Vision did not offer a trial, when in fact we have the first and still unsurpassed trial period,” remarked Brent Downs, Vice President, Sales.

Designs for Vision offers a series of durable titanium and metal designer frames in addition to their familiar yeoman frames. The company introduced SafetyScopesTM in 1996, incorporating protection from both UV and blue light (500nm and below) emitted from curing lights. This not only provides protection but eliminates the need to be continually changing protective devices. Additionally, Designs for Vision Dental Telescopes are easily sterilizable and water resistant, and can be placed under running water for rinsing.

During Designs’ dynamic growth it developed the first Fiberoptic Headlight for use in surgery. Their newest light is the BFLTM which offers white light to filtered light that will not cure composites, with the flick of a switch. It has a soft start providing 75 hours of bulb life, a quick change bulb and comes in four colors. “ Seeing the best you can,” says Richard, “ requires more than the best magnification but the best possible and safest illumination as well.”

Through the years, the company has highly developed its service capabilities. It is now able to replace any product in any doctor’s office within 24 hours of notification of an emergency.

As part of Designs for Visions’ on going efforts, the company has decided to concentrate on a series of new products. During the research phase Peter met with Doctors Stanley and Gary Kitzis of Woodbury, New York. The Kitzis family has been involved with Designs for Vision for over 25 years. Peter and Dr. Stanley Kitzis have been friends for the same amount of time. During the meeting Dr. Stanley Kitzis said, “Peter, I think Designs for Vision should challenge itself more with equipment the doctor needs everyday. I have a closet full of devices, instruments and machines I have purchased over the years from companies that are in business one day and out of business the next. Here’s Designs for Vision, your company, with the best reputation in the business and with a term of life that’s just outstanding. Why don’t you concentrate on building the products the doctors need?”

That conversation has changed the direction of Designs for Visions’ research and development program in dentistry. The partners first looked at what dentists need day to day behind them to treat the patient in front of them. Thus began the future of Designs for Vision in the area of dentistry.

“With the expertise Designs has in optical and electrical design we are now looking at providing separate systems, together which give the doctor one manufacturer, one service call—Designs for Vision,” says John Walsh, Corporate Vice President. “From this we hope to grow a totally integrated system that will function in every application that the doctor requires. The plan is to integrate them into one single operating system thereby meeting everyone’s needs. We as a group are excited about moving in this direction.”

“The attitude of the company as a whole can be boiled down simply to one of synergy,” says Brent. “Throughout the company everyone is always happy, always hard working and Designs for Vision is truly best described as synergistic.”

The marriage of micro-circuits, optics and digital technology is the future of Designs for Vision and truly an exciting future,” says Richard.

Designs for Vision: Research on the edge of the envelope—products always ahead of the curve. Making a Visible Difference.

Designs for Vision, Inc. is located at 760 Koehler Avenue, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779. They can be contacted by calling TOLL-FREE 1-800-345-4009 or (631) 585-3300. Their fax number is (631) 585-3404 and email address is info@designsforvision.com. Visit their website at www.designsforvision.com.