BUSINESS: Labs Custom Eye Lab Brings High Tech Service to Alaska By Sarah McGoldrick, Contributing Editor Sunday, July 21, 2024 1:59 AM Robert Wiktorowicz, along with business partner Dr. Charles Vojta (not pictured), wanted to create an optical lab that addressed the unique social and economic challenges of eyewear dispensing in Alaska.Alaska has beckoned innovative and strong-minded individuals to set up businesses for centuries. Renowned for its outdoorsy ruggedness and beauty, in recent years it has also become a hub for technological advancement and an entrepreneurial-friendly place to start a business. With a keen understanding of an underserved Alaskan eyeglasses market, Robert Wiktorowicz, chief operations officer at Anchorage-based Custom Eye Lab Inc., and his business partner, optometrist Charles Vojta, set up the only full-service, independent prescription lab in the state. Wiktorowicz, an optician who has had experience in the contact lens industry, appreciates the importance of having accurately made lenses and glasses that fit properly. Soon after moving to Alaska from the Atlanta area, he realized that the process of getting a pair of glasses, particularly in remote areas, was long and tedious. Glasses orders were sent to the U.S. mainland and could take weeks to be completed. If there were errors that required a redo, it could take even longer, leaving people in need of vision correction devices vulnerable and lacking adequate eyewear. Wiktorowicz and Dr. Vojta knew they could help make this process easier and began planning to build an optical lab that could provide the surfacing and anti-reflective technology that was lacking within the state. Following several years in a comprehensive, multi-doctor practice, Dr. Vojta began traveling to remote villages in Alaska to provide essential eyecare. Realizing the importance of a dedicated freeform surfacing lab in Alaska, he partnered with Wiktorowicz to develop Custom Eye Lab, to improve the delivery of eyewear, particularly in remote areas away from a road system. For many communities, eyecare arrives via bush plane, and the wait times between visits can be significant, presenting unique logistical challenges for an optical lab that is dedicated to speedy manufacturing and delivery. With so many remote communities scattered around nearly 700,000 square miles, it was important to factor these challenges into the framework of the optical lab. “We realized there was a huge need for this,” Wiktorowicz said, adding that from a business perspective, it made sense for both him and the underserved people of Alaska. “Who is my competition? There is no competition in Alaska, and no one is fulfilling this service. Opening a lab would resolve all that and help the Alaskan community,” he said. A secondary challenge was how to best serve the diverse communities that exist within Alaska. According to a study published in Ophthalmic Epidemiology titled Visual Impairment and Eye Care among Alaska Native People https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2768352/, only two studies have been conducted in Alaska on vision impairment and eye diseases. The studies primarily looked at glaucoma among the Inupiaq people (Inuit/Eskimo) of the northwest regions. The results showed that there was a high prevalence of angle-closure glaucoma among Alaskan Native people, at a rate of 2.7 percent and 3.8 percent of those aged 40 years and older. The highest rates were among women at 3.0 percent and 5.5 percent, compared with men at 0.8 percent and 2.1 percent. Further data showed that Alaskan Native people were also at an increased risk of eye cancer, diabetic eye disease and glaucoma. Many Native communities do not have immediate access to eyecare, making it vital that glasses made at the lab be accurate, with little chance for redos. It was also important that delivery time remain on par with urban areas, to ensure that underserved communities get the same quality care, with minimal wait times. Wiktorowicz’s small team understands the needs of the community they work within and has developed a manufacturing line that is nimble while offering the latest in lens processing technology. He has worked with his team to develop a lab that offers quality eyeglasses lenses at a price that doesn’t create a barrier to entry and allows anyone who requires glasses to have access. “Alaskans work in harsh environments, and when a pair is lost or broken, a replacement is needed fast. We understand how high-quality lenses and vision correction contribute to the well-being of our fellow Alaskans,” he said. “We treat every pair we make as crucially important. We have a team dedicated to the highest quality manufacturing who loves helping people.” Located in the heart of Anchorage, the 2,400 square-foot state-of-the-art lab features a Satisloh surfacing line added in 2023, allowing for the production of up to 120 lenses an hour, running on an eight-hour schedule. The line includes a VFT Macro Lens Generator, Satisloh Film Lamination AR Coating System with AR Film-Pod technology and Satisloh ART Blocker. The lab utilizes an edger system from National Optronics, featuring 3D edging and finishing. Unlike other labs that took delivery of new equipment via transport trucks, many of the new units arriving at Custom Eye Lab started their journey on a barge in Washington State. This required a week-long journey to reach the Anchorage shore before being transported to the lab site. Anyone who visits the lab will most likely find Wiktorowicz on the production floor, where he feels at home. He believes in being connected with each job to ensure the highest level of customer service. “We try to establish not just a professional relationship but a friendship with our customers,” he said, adding his team works with clients to figure out what the best lens technology is for patients, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution. With such a large geographic market, Custom Eye Lab offers remote support for practices and an online ordering platform to cut down on wait times and improve accuracy. The lab carries a selection of branded and proprietary digital freeform lenses priced based on the needs of the customer, to “significantly improve margins” for the eyecare provider, Wiktorowicz said. He has also devised a pricing structure that is transparent so that the cost of lenses is understandable. Wiktorowicz’s goals for Custom Eye Lab are straightforward—to make it as easy as possible for eyecare providers to stay independent and challenge the big guys. “We didn’t create this lab to get super rich. We did it because it was needed,” he said, adding that the company is extremely competitive and focused on due diligence. He said Custom Eye Lab is there to support their customers, which in turn supports the Alaskan community as a whole.