Cool places for cool kids?

As a new(ish) business we're keen to make sure that we are progressing and growing. One thing that is incredibly important for any optometry business is to ensure that they have a loyal patient base who like to come for their eye examinations. The reasons for this are relatively obvious, it is the solid foundation on which a business can be built, giving repeat business and a collection of advocates for your businesses and services (assuming you do a good job).

One of the hardest things to do when getting going is to create your "own" patients, people may already have a place that they go to for their eye examinations. Perhaps they have gone to their family eye doctor, which they have gone to for years; maybe they shop around from place to place with no real loyalty to any particular optometrist, seeking convenience when necessary.

To this end, as a new optometry clinic, we need to make sure that we are promoting our availability, the skill and dedication of our optometrists (Dr John Wilson and Dr Euan McGinty) and the range of services we offer.

You can perhaps imagine our disappointment, then, when we heard a friend of a friend asked, "but they don't see children, do they?". Errh ... YES!!

It would appear that the confusion came about because of the chic, cool, trendy, cutting edge, funky design of our office (enough superlatives, I think).  Apparently, though, it didn't come across as being child-friendly.

Child friendly space - read on ...

Both John and Euan are dads and know how important it is that children have regular eye examinations.  So much of children's learning is done visually that it good eyesight is integral to good quality childhood development.

Paediatric optometry is of particular interest Euan and as he's our resident uber-geek who does our website, it was one of the reasons that very early on we had a page dedicated to children's eye examinations: http://www.oceanoptometry.ca/index.php/children-s-eye-examinations.

Sometimes people are surprised when we positively advocate for regular eye examinations from a very young age, as young as six months old.  It is crucially important to assess the vision early and regularly to ensure that if any intervention is required then it can be done at the correct time and followed up accurately.  There is no doubt that we all want the best for our children, at this is true of Ocean Optometry as well.

When it comes to glasses for children, we also wish to excel at that as well.   We didn't want to just have adult glasses which have been made smaller, we wanted exceptional eyewear for our exceptional children.  As with all our collections it was important for us to research the ranges available and to select something which we felt best met the criteria.

There is no doubt that ic-berlin has really created something truly special when it comes to children's eyewear.  Their collection is designed by children and their designers to create a complete product by children, for children.  In their own words:

"For children, there are 15 models at ic! berlin. There are eyewear designs by children for children, but also crackers designed by our designers. ic! berlin glasses are lightweight, strong and beautiful. Children should have something like this.

Anyone who has children knows they can be very challenging and very very accurate ..

This challenge we glady accept. The cooperation with them makes us much fun and the kids are "stolz wie Bolle" (Berlin speak for proud). We have children badges for all of our glasses."


As we find more ranges which meet our demanding criteria we will be further expanding the selection of children's eyewear available.


A couple of final thoughts come to mind.

Firstly, why shouldn't children choose an optometry office which is cool and trendy in their outlook?  Soon enough these children will be the cool and trendy ones, as parents we will no longer be hip or groovy, we won't get their music, their fashion sense ... their friends.  As parents, though, we will always be there for them!

Secondly, having a cool and trendy optometry office with a polished concrete floor is great for children - it's incredibly easy to wipe clean and is fantastic for remote control cars!

So ... yes ... bring in your children and your families, we'd love to see them!

Ocean Optometry is definitely a cool place for cool kids of all ages!

Seeing Red?

Last week we took a peek at some fabulous blue eyeglasses that may have made you rethink what colours will work for you.

This week it's reds turn...

ic! berlin - Nameless

A true vibrant, bold red - ic!berlin 'Nameless' combines a powerful colour and shape. Not for the faint of heart this frame is a real head-turner.  Very often when choosing glasses people may shy away from the bolder and more vibrant colours, thinking "I can't wear that".  It is not until you try the frame on, though, that you get a real sense of how the colour works for you.  The bold and dramatic Nameless completely works if you are brave enough to try it on:

Another way that the brightness of the frame can be altered is with the finish of the material, take Dasha for example:

SALT. - Dasha

Precise finishing, a soft matte tone and a combination of red and black makes this SALT. frame  perfectly wearable as either an ophthalmic frame or sunglasses.  The warmer colours incorporated in this frame natural complement many skin tones and creates a bold, yet professional, look.

Rock Optika - Blue Note

Solid style, solid construction Rock Optika knocks it out of the park with 'Blue Note' in Red Zeppelin. How to make a statement without saying a word. 

The strong angles complement the fiery colour of the Rock Optika model.  Release your inner rockstar when you choose this model!

Claire Goldsmith - Wing

Not ready for a full on set of red? This pair by Claire Goldsmith combines subtle architectural details with just a whisper of red throughout the inside of the frame.

Classic, elegant lines, married together with the finest quality Italian acetates and timeless craftsmanship.  A timeless model like Wing manages to be modern, while capturing a vintage spirit of bygone Hollywood glamour.

ic! berlin Boombox!

BOOM!

There you have it, explosive styling, intricate details and an attitude as fierce as the wearer.  Here red takes centre stage in the lenses, proving its versatility and vibrancy.  Big and bold this frame is completely wearable ... if you dare!