NORTH LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Most eyeglasses are made outside the country, but one North Las Vegas couple is working on breaking that trend.
Dr. Nataly Gammoh and her husband, Luis Flores, noticed there was a long turnaround time when they ordered glasses for their patients, so they decided to take matters into their own hands.
Most eyeglass lenses found in the U.S. are made outside of the country. About 90% of them are made in Mexico. But in North Las Vegas, one couple decided to do things differently.
“With turnaround times for the lenses taking three to four weeks, so we’re like, ‘we need to take initiative and start our own thing’,” said Gammoh, a doctor of optometry and owner.
Advanced technology speeds production
Gammoh and Flores own The Eye Doc Lab, where they manufacture glasses from start to finish and then ship them locally and across the world.
“We had a lot of successful people in the industry telling us or asking us, ‘Why are you not doing this in Mexico? You can do this very easily for way cheaper in Mexico’ and we were very strong-headed, no, we want to do it here, and we want to represent the Latinos in America,” said Flores, owner.
Behind the walls of their North Las Vegas facility, machines now do most of the work. Flores said the lab uses state-of-the-art technology and robotics.
“We are the most advanced lab in the U.S., so you’re going to see a whole bunch of automation going on,” Flores said.
Five-step manufacturing process
Every pair of glasses goes through a precise five-step process inside the lab.
First comes blocking, when each lens blank is attached to a base so machines can hold it steady through every stage of production. Then the lens is generated, where diamond-tipped tools carve the back of the lens to match each prescription.
During engraving, machines add a unique signature. After that comes a polishing process. Finally, deblocking, where the base is removed and the lens is complete.
The whole process can take less than an hour compared to several weeks when lenses are made overseas.
“So really, if you wanted your progressives done in the same day, in an hour, we could make that happen for you,” Gammoh said.
From special tints to custom coatings, every lens is completely customizable to a patient’s liking, and it’s all done under one roof in North Las Vegas. The Eye Doc serves customers in English and Spanish with a fully bilingual team.
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