Struggling with reading or schoolwork? You're not alone, and Neurolens offers a solution to improve reading and academic performance for all ages. Imagine reading effortlessly, free from eye strain, and gaining confidence in class. In this post, we’ll explore how Neurolens, supported by scientific study, enhances reading efficiency and relieves eye strain, transforming learning experiences.
Understanding Neurolens Technology
What is Neurolens?
Neurolens is innovative eyewear that addresses eye misalignment, often causing headaches, eye strain, and neck pain. With 80% of adults facing these symptoms, Neurolens emerges as a solution with contoured prism technology for proper eye alignment and relief. Starting with a simple questionnaire and precise N3 device measurement, Neurolenses are prescribed to realign eyes and improve comfort, productivity, and vision. Experience life with fewer headaches and less eye strain with Neurolens.
Scientific Study on Neurolens
Neurolens's effectiveness is backed by scientific research, showing improved reading rates and decreased eye strain in users. By correcting eye misalignment, Neurolens alleviates visual discomfort that impedes reading efficiency and comprehension, leading to better learning. This scientific support confirms Neurolens as a reliable visual aid for students, gaining recognition for enhancing visual health and academic success.
Benefits of Neurolens for Students
Improved Reading Rate
Neurolens significantly boosts students' reading rates by aligning their eyes, reducing breaks, and enhancing focus. This leads to faster information processing, aiding academic performance and confidence. By relieving visual discomfort, students engage better with materials, offering a promising strategy for educational growth.
Eye Strain Relief
Increasing demands on digital screens heighten eye strain for students. Neurolens reduces symptoms like headaches and dry eyes, enhancing comfort and focus. This leads to better academic performance and overall well-being, making education more accessible and less exhausting.
Enhancing Academic Performance
Visual Aids for Students
Neurolens addresses visual challenges like eye misalignment, improving focus and reducing fatigue. Visual aids help students concentrate better, engage with materials, and enjoy a more accessible learning experience, supporting academic growth.
Reading Enhancement Strategies
Aside from Neurolens, students can enhance reading by taking breaks, using good lighting, and practicing active reading. Creating a distraction-free study environment and setting realistic goals also boosts focus and retention. By combining these strategies with Neurolens, students enhance their reading experience, boosting confidence and success.
Next was the Shocking bath. This isn’t what you think! There are no unscrupulous hygiene practices afoot at the TD Factory. This was a vat of oil, maintained at a specific temperature, to enable the setting of any adjustments made to buffalo horn frames. Originally when Tom was experimenting with horn frame production he had used an old ice-cream freezer for this. Want not, waste not!
Adjacent to the “shocking freezer” was an almost “steam-punk” looking pneumatic ram. This was the temple-shooting machine. This fired the strengthening core, which for all TD Tom Davies frames is high grade titanium, into the acetate temples. On the same desk was the silver solder apparatus and titanium pulse welder.
Behind this row of equipment, the underneath of the mezzanine is efficiently used. No part of the factory is free from Tom’s innovation and this area is no exception. Housed here, the tumbling and polishing drums. In mainstream spectacle frame production, the pieces of each frame are tumbled in large drums, often filled with bamboo pellets.
Due to the individual nature of the TD Tom Davies eyewear, this just wasn’t up to Tom’s exacting standards. He has both varied the sizing of these drums to enable individual and multiple frames to be tumbled efficiently, but also uses different types of wooden pellets to achieve different levels of desired finish. Tom doesn’t believe in “one size fits all!”
Adjacent to the tumbling is the “elves grotto!” Here the state-of-the-art laser engraving is conducted and stock ready to be shipped is housed. Tom was excited to say they have in excess of one million UK pounds (C$1.7million) of ready-to-wear frames ready for customers drastically reducing wait times and improving shipping efficiencies.
The polishing machine consisted of two industrial polishing wheels, controlled by way of a foot pedal allowing the operator safe use of both hands, and numerous different grades of polish blocks. Too harsh a polish at the wrong stage would spoil the final result. Alternatively, too fine a polish, too early in the process, would lengthen the time taken to achieve the end result, thus rendering the final completed frames more expensive to manufacture.
Perpendicular to the polishing station was the hand sand-blaster. This resembled a piece of lab equipment from the film “Outbreak.” A transparent fronted box with two entrance holes attached to thick, rubberized, internal, self-contained gloves used to hold the apparatus being treated (sand-blasted). Tom explained that doing this by hand required proper training, but well worth it, as the finish achieved was far superior to a mass-produced product.
Behind us was a couple of work benches where an experienced spectacle maker was hand-finishing the ready-to-wear frames ensuring all edges and joints where “square” and smooth when running your finger across it. “It’s what all Opticians expect when they’re selecting their frame stock. The better the joint, the better the finished spectacles.”
Around the corner to the next set of benches was the lug insertion machine. Tom had pioneered the use of a low melting-point metal alloy to cast a die to hold the frame front in the correct position in order to heat-sink the lug into the acetate front of the spectacles if not riveted. The alloy die could be produced in minutes, unlike the previous method of machining the die. This again allowed more cost-effective production of bespoke frames. Tom was proud to say that this method has been adopted by most of the spectacle industry.
First point of call was a large expanse of shelves with adjacent machinery. These shelves contained the banks of acetate material in varying sizes for the spectacle frame fronts and temples. Tom explained how each acetate sheet has a natural curve which dictates the front and rear of the material. “If you go against the curve that frame will continually loosen as it ages” Tom explained. “So if you’ve ever wondered why your sample colours can only be used one way, this is the reason.”
Next to Tom was a large industrial jigsaw to cut the plates into usable sizes and a shaper machine to reduce the thickness of the plates for various designs. Behind him stood a large industrial looking, stainless steel box fronted by a hefty looking steel door. This was his acetate oven. Once the acetate had been stored for a period it was then pre-aged to reduce shrinkage. Excess water was removed from the acetate so that once crafted into the final spectacle frame it maintained it’s design as closely as possible. Tom expressed that when this care is taken the finished eyewear is much improved in its quality and requires less adjustment after dispensing by the Optician. “It’s part of the reason you pay for quality over quantity. “Tom continued.
Next on the agenda was a high rendered wall with a rather solid, heavy looking locked door. We all waited patiently as Tom revealed this was his champagne tasting experience. The door opened with a small muted fanfare and we all eagerly edged forward to discover a large empty store room. Tom elaborated that the room would be filled with stock once the factory was running at full capacity, hence the champagne experience, and we were getting a taste of what was to come.
Our next introduction was to what Tom referred to “as our first real machine on the tour.” This was “TD Bespokeanator 6.” A very sophisticated one of a kind, custom-made, programmable CNC machine. Unlike other CNC spectacle machines, this one had Toms magic bestowed on it. It has enhanced programming and Tom has “bespoked” the tool to his own design.
This enables its tools to be changed efficiently and programming altered frequently to produce bespoke, one-of-a-kind product with a minimum of down time. “This enables a much more affordable bespoke experience for our customers.” Tom enthused. Side by side with “Bespokeanator 6” was a second CNC machine set up to produce the “ready-to-wear” frame fronts. These would produce Tom’s stock supplies and would run with only the change in colour palette required after each set up.
Throughout the tour Tom emphasized his ambition to grow the talent in his business introducing us to his three new apprentices. One of these, John, had started just three days earlier and his first job was learning how to hand-polish the spectacle frames. John elaborated that it was expected to take a minimum of three months of training before Tom was confident an apprentice was competent at hand-polishing to his exacting standards.
We were over in London, UK, in January, visiting our
homeland for 100% Optical. Dr. Euan and myself (Dr. John) had been invited to give a
lecture on our experiences of practicing optometry in Canada and the UK.
Whilst over the pond Tom Davies of TD Tom Davies invited us to visit his new
Bespoke London factory. Well this was an opportunity not to be missed!
It was Friday afternoon when we jumped in a “Black Cab” to
head to the factory which is close to Heathrow Airport. Talk about interesting.
London Cabbies know something about everything and our Cabbie was no exception.
Suffice to say we put the world to rights.
Before we knew it, we pulled up at some large white
industrial units surrounded by tall black railings. There were numerous damaged
Mercedes cars in the parking lot (we later found out that this was the storage
compound for the Mercedes repair centre) to our left, but we needed to find
number 1. The security guard directed us to the right and told us we needed to
be at the other end of the building.
Up the final steps we went, only an hour early, and pressed
the buzzer for the intercom. “Euan and John from Ocean. We’re early.” Our reply
was prompt and welcoming, “No worries, I’ll be right down.” The chap that met
us was tall, slim and stylish. He showed us through what seemed a maze of
corridors past rooms with names like “The Lego Room” and the “Staff room of
tranquillity,” then up some black, rugged and industrial looking steps onto the
mezzanine.
Immediately in front of us there were doors to the factory
offices and two retro arcade machines. One had an impressive array of 80’s
video games and the other being an original Star Wars slot machine. Adjacent to
these an impressively stocked black coloured, mirrored bar complete with a
couple of draft ales on tap and fancy bar stools. On the bar was a huge
Bluetooth speaker and “bean to cup” coffee machine.
To the right of the bar was
the staff area. This consisted of numerous fitted kitchen units, microwave,
large side-by-side refrigerator, central prep island with large chef’s oven and
three large tables and associated chairs. At the furthest of these was Tom,
Allister and another man engaged in a meeting. To the left of us where the
toys. Large air-hockey table covered with a huge artists canvas, a bar football
game, another arcade game and a full-size, two-person Sega Rallye game, the
ultimate console arcade game IMHO.
At this point we were introduced to some of the staff,
graphic designers, sales and admin support. As we were early it was suggested
that we should sample a few drinks at the bar and practice on the Sega Rallye
game, well it would be rude not too! After only a short period we got our
recognisable, robust welcoming from Tom.
For anyone who’s never see or met Tom,
he’s a decent sized chap, probably 6’ 2’’, with an athletic to heavy build,
strawberry blonde, short cropped hair and sporting a reasonable amount of
designer stubble. His greeting is becoming of his stature but often involves a
hug and this was no exception. He’s a very warm, welcoming and giving man whom
we are honoured to call a friend. Immediately Tom challenged Euan to the Sega
Rally game. This was too much fun not to post live on FaceBook but
unfortunately Tom was well practiced, and Euan was beaten!!!! (Only just if you
ask Euan.)
After just a short wait we were joined by Dr. Michael
Johnson from Johnson & Furze Opotmetrists, another Independent Optometrist and
fellow TD Tom Davies stockist. Now the tour was ready to begin!
We were then led along a narrow corridor beside the elves grotto to what can only be called “the staff enrichment region” of the factory.
Through the first door we were treated to a room full of Lego. Not just bright coloured bricks, although there was a huge number of these, but multiple specialized models from airports to zoo’s. My favourite was the Millennium Falcon and Star Wars collection, which, if you follow us on Social Media will be no surprise, as that morning both Euan and I had attended a fully immersive VR Star Wars game in a nearby shopping mall. Euan had worn his Rebel Alliance Tee shirt especially. Really, he did!!!!!
The next door was the Room of Tranquillity. As we entered it was dimly lit with LED mood lighting. There was a small atomiser emitting calming scent and towards the back a large, rather comfortable -looking, very padded chair. Tom announced his attendance into the room which brought the chair to life via a Google Alexa device. Once in the chair you can select your desired massage through voice activation. Very cool, and relaxing.
These two rooms were to both challenge and relax staff through the day to improve their creativity and mood.
As the work day was coming to a close Tom invited us to stay for a spot of dinner and a drink before returning to our hotel ready for our Independent Optometry Conference the following day. Little did we know that the tour was not yet over. We were then shown up to the roof.
The entirety of the factory roof had been turned into a roof-top patio area, fully equipped with a fully functioning bar, a BBQ that Tom’s good friend Heston Blumenthal had presented him as a gift on the opening of the factory, which was massive, a raised performance area for invited bands/musicians to play and a life-size ceramic, multicoloured Zebra. Everyone needs a multicoloured Zebra, don’t they?
Dusk had fallen but this being London, the street and building lights filled the night sky with an ambient glow that only a large conurbation can. In the distance were planes taking off and landing at Heathrow Airport but with the music playing you could easily have imagined being in a trendy Mediterranean bar, that is, if there wasn’t a frigid breeze reminding you that, “this, my friend, is London in January and don’t you forget it!”
Dry Eye Disease is a chronic, or long term condition which can cause ongoing discomfort, poor vision and at its worst serious permanent damage to the eyes. With our current lifestyle and environment, it is also a condition which we are encountering more and more often.
Dry Eye is perhaps a poor name for a multi-factor condition, there may be not enough tears present, or the tears could be of a poor constitution with too much oil or protein in them. At times we can even have too much tears, but they are watery and not very good at lubricating the eyes.
Surely tears are just tears?
Tears are a very complex structure:
They are designed to ensure the front surface of the eye is properly hydrated, protected from infection, environmental irritants and foreign bodies. They are essential for good vision, when light enters the eye the tear film is the first layer that it must go through. A poor quality tear film will interfere with our overall quality of vision, just think how bad it is to look through a car's windshield when it is smeared with greasy/muddy water.
In the past all we could really recommend to alleviate this condition was artificial tears to lubricate the eyes. With continuing understanding of the tear film and the factors that affect it, though, we are now much better able to look at the causes of tear film and ocular surface issues and recommend personal regimes to restore balance to them.
Proper diagnosis is key.
Our TFOS (Tear Film and Ocular Surface) appointments will gather many different assessments of the eye, including the volume and osmolarity (saltiness) of the tear film.
Establishing baseline measurements and creating personal wellbeing programs ensures that as the condition is brought under control, not only does vision and comfort improve, but we can appropriately measure the success of the different steps that we take.
Dr. Euan McGinty and Dr. John Wilson have undertaken hours of specific training and education in this field to ensure that they are able to offer appropriate advice and care. To book a TFOS assessment, please contact our office for an appointment.
MiSight lenses were launched at the beginning of 2018, but the technology behind them has been thoroughly tested.
Firstly the lens material has been around for over a decade, we know that it performs well on the eye. It is comfortable to wear and stable. We also know that single use daily disposable lenses are the safest way to wear contact lenses.
When studying the lenses, CooperVision choose children from age 8 - 15 years old. One factor they looked at was how successful the children were in taking care of their contact lenses, and after a month of wear with the contact lenses 100% of the children could easily remove their contacts, 85% also found them easy to insert. Over the three year study, 100% of those that remained with using the contact lenses reported that they were "happy" with the overall experience.
In the same study, the myopia progression for those wearing the lenses was 59% less than those wearing regular one day single use lenses of the same material, but without the ActivControl Technology. Importantly this coincided with the measurements of the elongation of the eye, which was 52% less.
It is this eye elongation which we think leads to many of the risks of ocular side effects including retinal detachment and glaucoma. To be clinically successful in protecting the health of the eyes, the contact lenses don't just need to manage the focus of the eyes, but also the elongation.
The lenses work by providing the retina with different focusing zones, this use of peripheral de-focus has been an emerging concept which we have followed with interest over the last few years. It completely changes some of our thoughts and models relating to how myopia develops, but it also provides an exciting opportunity to start to understand how we can slow myopic progression.
It must be noted that this may provide some minimal ghosting or a soft-focus type effect on the overall vision, studies have found that this is not unacceptable and doesn't impact on the overall quality of vision experienced by children wearing the lenses.
If you are interested in finding out more about this exciting development in the world of contact lenses and children's vision then don't hesitate to make an appointment. We will go through all of the information about the contact lenses, starting with a comprehensive eye examination to assess the prescription and the health of the eyes.
A brand new contact lens has been launched onto the market with some pretty bold claims, we wanted to find out more about it.
There is no doubt that myopia (or nearshightedness) is becoming increasingly common. Studies have shown that in the US over 40% of the population are nearsighted and in some Asian countries this level can be over 80%. With the current trends, these numbers seem set to continue to rise.
Myopia doesn't just inconvenience someone by requiring them to wear glasses or contact lenses to see distant objects clearly, but also makes the eye more prone to serious sight threatening conditions. It is this concerning aspect of myopia which makes controlling its development of particular interest. If we can reduce the risk of retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataract development and myopic macular degeneration then we can make a real impact on the health of our patients' eyes.
Currently we do not fully understand why myopia develops, although we are aware of various risk factors. It is also common to find that once myopia starts in childhood, it tends to continue to progress developing throughout the teenage years and even in to the early twenties.
There have been various different systems for slowing myopia progression used over the years including rigid contact lenses, orthokeratology, bifocal and multifocal spectacle lenses, bifocal contact lenses and even specific eye drops.
Studies have also shown that if children spend consistent time outdoors in natural daylight, myopia progression is significantly reduced, so we do encourage making lifestyle changes to try to minimise myopic changes.
All of the various systems that have been used previously have advantages, but significant hurdles, which has kept their use to a minimum before. CooperVision's new single use daily contact lens, MiSight, has the possibility of being a real game changer!
So our first piece of advice is to ensure plenty of outdoors time for children!
Our next post will look more at the actual technology of the lenses themselves.
This year we decided the team at Ocean deserved some proper staff photos. No more Instagram selfies (those filters are so forgiving!), but something that makes it clear we’re proud to be unique with our own sense of style. The results were amazing, and this is the story behind those great shots.
We’re fortunate in Halifax that there are so many great businesses, especially downtown, but Applehead Studios is a standout company. If you’re not aware of their work, you should be, it’s amazing! They’re highly-regarded for their beautiful wedding photography, but they can do so much more and we gave them permission to give us the Applehead treatment ... complete creative free reign. Were we nervous, absolutely!
An easy rapport was struck because we both respect what each other does. They were grinning that we didn’t want the usual straight-laced headshots for corporate clients and politicians. No, we wanted something creative to capture not just what we do but some of our spirit. Ocean Optometry has always been something more than testing eyes and selling glasses. We aspire to help our customers express themselves and provide real care in everything we do.
For us, testing eyes isn’t just our job. You only have one pair of eyes and so our exams are thorough with an unusual attention to detail, but a key difference is how we make them personal. We appreciate that you’re unique and so a conveyor belt approach doesn’t fit with our ethos. Also, you might of noticed, we LOVE eyewear. We don’t do off-the-shelf products with brands attached to sell you an image. People come to us for the finest eyewear, and we give it to them. On our shelves you’ll find pieces made by artisan craftsmen, with the beautiful acetates, titanium, horn, and wood. Naturally, we use the best ophthalmic lenses too. This is another thing that ourselves and Applehead agree on, the optics produced by Nikon in both their camera technology and their spectacle lens technology is astounding. Your eyes will thank you, and they’re welcome.
We wanted to ensure that the photographs captured something of the individual people, a geek, a biker, a reader and an outdoorsman; that they captured the essence of Ocean Optometry. Having traveled an ocean to get here, we’re proud of our new home, and wanted to capture this with a strong reference to the history of Nova Scotia and its connection with the sea.
After many ideas, the concept was decided upon and we’re pleased to introduce:
#OceanShoot2017 – The Fishing Shack
Set in a timeless moment, perhaps early in the morning, eyes full of optimism for the day ahead. A classic scene, peaceful and enduring, where victories aren’t easily won, but gratefully earned.
The sea salt is ingrained in every pixel, a sense of excited expectation palatable in the air.
Just beware of the seagull.
Mike Bonang
Alicia Austin
Dr. Euan McGinty
Dr. John Wilson
Outdoorsman
Reader
Geek
Biker
Many thanks to Applehead Studio for knocking this one out of the park!
We make no bones about it, we love being part of the community of Halifax and, in particular, in playing our role as a downtown business. We also love being in Nova Scotia, our connection with the sea is a strong one!
Practicing optometry in Nova Scotia means that we have to comply with the Standards of Practice for Optometry set by the Nova Scotia College of Optometrists (NSCO). As such, we have just received a news bulletin from the College which makes it very clear that we cannot participate in any "Best of" award run by media or organisations such as the Chambers of Commerce.
We have only been open for four years and in that short time we have been fortunate to have been nominated for a Chamber of Commerce Best New Business award and several of The Coast's "Best of Halifax" award. Once again we have been nominated for The Coast's "Best of" awards (although as we placed Gold last year, we were also automatically included).
Having received the above recent communication for the NSCO, we immediately contacted The Coast to ensure that we are withdrawn from their awards.
We are very grateful for everyone who has thought us worthy of their vote and their support since we opened just a few years ago and it is with much regret that we have to withdraw from the contest.
We never opened Ocean Optometry to win awards though, we opened with the desire to bring the world's finest eyewear made by independent companies to Halifax and to provide excellent optometric care for our patients. We have done this without relying on promotions, discounts or specials; believing that people appreciate fair and reasonable pricing without gizmos and giveaways.
We wish everyone participating The Coast's Best of Halifax 2017 awards well, we would encourage you to vote for your favourite businesses, venues, places and fine folks. More importantly, we'd encourage you to support the many great local independent business that Halifax has with your custom!
Best of luck, everyone, and thank you for your ongoing support.
Every year we travel to some pretty amazing destinations to find the world's leading eyewear of distinction to bring back to Halifax. In April we headed to New York to see what we could find. With all our appointments taken care of, evening events attended, art appreciated and tunes grooved to, we finally had some personal time.
We headed out with some personal goals to tick off, and swiftly after enjoying some fine New York Pizza (Alicia) and beautifully designed Japanese merchandise (Euan) we started to explore the best that Manhattan had to offer ... and we kind of got tied up in traffic!
A few hours later we had explored, travelled and enjoyed, all meaning that were now a bit further away from where we'd hoped to be with a deadline to get back to the exhibition centre, collect our luggage and catch a bus to the airport.
Nothing for it, let's hail a cab and get us back to base ASAP.
A few minutes of searching and strategic positioning amongst the streetscape resulted in a yellow car pulling over, Mike had his hand raised, he was the winner, he'd hailed the cab. Our motley crew - Mike & Alicia (opticians to the generally fabulous), Euan & John (optometrists par excellence) piled in. Mike was in the front, and the three remainers were in the back.
Perhaps we should have suspected something when our cabbie exclaimed, before we piled in, "I AM SO HAPPY THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE MY RIDE!".
Really?
Directions given, "Javits Center", we sat back and thought, well this is going to take as long as it's going to take. We all sat quietly downhearted at the thought of a trek to the airport taking somewhat longer than necessary. Little did we know that this was going to be no ordinary cab ride!
A couple of streets past, we were starting to make good time, I sat back a little. The window was wound down, fresh air was flowing. The driver had quite the thumping soundtrack going and was making swift progress down Murray Street. We made to cut across West Broadway, but several lanes of stationery traffic blocked our progress. This was nothing more than a challenge to our cabbie, who started to wave his hands as though trying to part the Red Sea. As soon as the slightest inch was given, he moved in to the space. None of this was done in an aggressive or forceful manner, but with a humble, pleading gestures and a smiling expression on his face.
The expression on Mike's face was quite the picture as well. Riding shotgun, Mike was getting the full experience of the cab ride, only to be heightened when our driver turned to Mike, while the car was straddling several lanes of traffic, and started to advise, "My friend, in life, you need to focus on the rose."
"Focus on the ROAD" was Mike's prompt reply, "No, no," our driver reassured, "not the road, but the rose." all the time with his hand cupped in the air like a stem flower, slowly opening in the sun.
"You see everything in nature, everything natural, is beautiful".
Was that the Avenues of the Americas we'd just torn down? Pausing at lights beside a Maserati dealership, maybe there was beauty all around. The whole car rocking back in forth in time to the beat, as our happy cabby pumped the brakes and flashed the internal light on and off. Disco cab!
Bedford Street!
What were we doing on Bedford Street? In the back we felt like we needed to suck in breath to try to help the cab squeeze past the parked cars lining both sides of the narrow. It felt like we were driving through a movie set, with brownstone buildings and zig-zag fire escapes all around us.
"You have a gap, just like Madonna" the driver said, staring in to the rear view mirror. Fine time to be noticing small gaps! "It's very lucky, my daughter has the same!". Never mind the gap between Alicia's teeth, let's make sure the cab can go through that gap ahead!!
We burst out from traffic on to West Street, the sun sparkling on the Hudson as people were on bikes, roller blades and long boards enjoying the afternoon sun on the Greenway.
"You must look after your queen". Now this was a confusing instruction, lots of ambiguity, but after more suggestions we worked out that the advice was to take good care of your loved one, your significant other (we think).
A few more twists and turns, ducking under the Highline a couple of times and all of a sudden we emerge with five minutes to spare at the Javits Center. As we are paying, our cabbie advises, "Search YouTube - Happy Cabby NYC - that's me!" Four of us in the cab and not one of us had thought to grab our cellphones.
We all left the cab with big grins on our face, it had been a wild ride with life lessons along the way. As we stepped away, someone in the crowd coming towards us yelled, "Hold that cab" ... with pleasure - enjoy the ride!
If you're in New York and you're lucky enough, we too hope that you get to have a ride with Happy Cabbie NYC!
Here's some videos from people who didn't forget they had cameras in their phones!
To celebrate our third birthday we decided to throw a unique party, where we explored wines paired to our glasses collections. Sommelier Shelley Joyce did a great selecting different wines to compliment the different collections that we have at Ocean, here's the journey we went on.
To start the evening, the first wine was from local vineyard Petite Riviere (http://www.petiterivierevineyards.ca/). BonBon is a sparkling fruit wine with NY Muscat blended with apple and cranberry wine. This is a fun, light, bubbly wine and paired perfectly with Kirk & Kirk's Kaleidoscope collection.
For our second wine, we headed over to Europe and enjoyed a German Riesling, paired with ic! berlin. Moselland Ars Vitis has a crisp, clean taste, precise in its structure with almost mineral or industrial flavour notes to it. What a great match for the stainless sheet metal that is ic! berlin.
Heading slightly further south, we next enjoyed our first red of the evening and the first offering from France - Montmija Le Bistro Rouge. This blend of Merlot, Carignan and Syrah parallels beautifully with TD Tom Davies. With TD Tom Davies we can blend different colours and shapes together to make unique made to measure eyewear.
We continued to travel south through Europe on our winery tour, this time heading to Spain. This was actually going to be our last wine of the evening, and was our second red. Shelley had wanted to choose something particular to pair well with the natural material eyewear that Rolf Spectacles creates, so she choose a biodynamic wine from Priorat, Maquinon. Garnacha grapes create a beautiful wine which is aged in oak barrels and has a distinctive intense cherry colour, almost violet in fact. Considering the time, dedication and precision that goes in to every pair of Rolf Spectacles, this wine is a wonderful pairing.
The evening was well rounded off with a beautiful vintage Cognac Château de Montifaud VSOP. This fruity cognac which is naturally coloured through aging alone, comes from the Petite Champagne growing region. Luxurious, fashionable, classical, glamorous, cognac pairs beautifully with Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses. Just like the cognac, Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses are iconic with a heritage which is second to none, worn by celebrities from the 60's onward OG is the stylish choice of the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Princess Grace de Monaco, Michael Caine, Peter Sellers to name but a few.
What a great fun evening and a fabulous way to celebrate this milestone in Ocean's journey. We are very grateful to Shelley for taking us on this journey and for picking a wonderful collection of wines to enjoy alongside our unique eyewear collections. If you'd like to get in touch with Shelley she can be reached on Twitter @wileywordsmyth.
2015 was a year filled with just so much awesomeness that we had to split the review in to two parts, madness I hear you cry, but that's just how it is!
July
So for some if you've read the first part of the review (and it would be rude to get to this stage and to
not have done so!), you're probably thinking, "Wait a minute, they've missed out something kind of important ... Alicia!". You're right, Licensed Optician Alicia Austin joined the merry crew of Ocean Optometry in May.
Alicia came to us with years of experience as an optician, however, the range of unique, handmade products that we have was new to her. Really loving the challenge, Alicia has been very quick to learn the intricacies of all of the ranges and the special details which make them unique. It seemed like no time at all, for example, before Alicia was creating tailor made eyewear with the TD Tom Davies range. It's an incredible experience to receive a pair of glasses which have been made to measure specifically to fit you, crafted with the unique colour palette that you desire; as an eyegeek, there is nothing quite like helping someone through that process and seeing the end creation of all your work being worn by someone!
Come in, say Hi! to Alicia, check out her level of eye-geekiness and see if she can stand up to the challenge! At the same time she can't help sort out some fabulous eywear for you.
September
This was an incredible month for us, which really set Ocean Optometry apart on the world stage. We knew that Kirk & Kirk were launching a new collection in the Fall of 2015 and these launches coincide with the eyewear exhibitions at Paris, Vegas or Hong Kong (Spring is Milan or New York). Just how excited were we, then, to have Jason & Karen Kirk with us as the first optical business in the world to see and show the collection! Very!
Kaleidoscope is a unique collection of handmade frames, colourful and like they have the appearance of almost being made of glass. These frames are made from a unique Italian acrylic which makes them lightweight and comfortable to wear.
Jason & Karen Kirk - Designers / Owners of Kirk & Kirk
To be the first location to show off these beautiful creations three weeks before the industry first got to view them was an incredible honour. Jason & Karen were here to answer questions and chat with people about their amazing eyewear, including the Vivarium and Solarium collections and the new Kaleidoscope range. They were definitely a hit with Halifax as we had orders for new frames even before the were being hand made in France!
Come and check out the collection for yourself.
November
Just when you think things are going to be plain sailing, another idea pops up and you're off on adventure again! After all of the excitement of having Kirk & Kirk with us, we'd enjoyed being part of the City Harvest and Nocturne events again and our thoughts were turning to the coming Winter and Festive Season. One thing that we always enjoy throughout the year is the space that our window provides for some fun displays, don't forget to check them out if you're walking along Blowers Street! Here's our pretty winter scene to finish off the year!
Many thanks to everyone who made 2015 such a fabulous year!
It's that time of year when you reflect somewhat and look forward even more, this is exactly what I did when I realised that it'd been a few months since our last blog! Oops - there's a New Year's Resolution right there! Must do better!
2015 ... WOW!
What a great year! As a young business we are always looking for the next milestone, perhaps even the next reassurance that we are on the right path. You could say it's a little needy, but you pour your hopes and dreams in to the business you create and so it helps to seek reassurance that they're not just going to crash and burn.
January
The year started off in a great way, continuing to create fabulous eyewear for folks to wear. When
we say create, we really do mean that we can individually make one-off custom frames exactly to the desires of the wearer.
A great example of this is shown with local designer Bethan. We had a definite look in mind, and starting with a slightly cats- eye shaped frame, we weaved some wonderful design magic using the TD Tom Davies Supertool CAD system. The end result - nailing exactly the look we were going for.
One of the great things about working with TD Tom Davies is that not only do you get to have fun with the creativity of designing the frame, you also end up with a beautifully fitting pair of glasses. Like a made-to-measure tailored suit, the glasses just feel wonderful to wear. This really set the tone for the rest of the year.
Then do you remember what happened next? How can you forget! Snow! Snow, snow, snow, snow and snow. With a side of ice.
The first few months were brutal and there's no getting away from it, there were some hard old days in those first few months for Downtown Halifax. Sadly some of our friends on the downtown business scene were not able to make it through.
Getting out in these days and exploring the downtown is an incredible support for all of the many wonderful local small and independent businesses that make up the vibrant scene in Halifax. If the weather happens again in 2016, you know what you've got to do.
March
On the night that the worst snow storm rolled in to Nova Scotia, our two docs (and owners) Dr. John Wilson and Dr. Euan McGinty headed off in to the wilderness.
Well, not quite, but they started an epic road trip to head to New York. Driving cautiously in a blizzard all the way through New Brunswick, then travelling further on driving right through the night to get to New York, was definitely a moment which cemented the friendship of the creators of Ocean!
Why were they doing it? Did they really stop to have a snooze at LL Bean? Did they learn their lesson that when meeting border guards you are not the one allowed to crack the first joke? In a snow storm? At midnight?
The simple reason - to bring the finest independent eyewear from throughout the world back to Halifax.It was time to venture to the Big Apple again, on one of our buying trips looking for incredible eyewear to have exclusively at Ocean. We seek out independent manufacturers who can produce eyewear which meets our exacting standards. What are they? They must be high quality, superbly designed, well made and have that 'X' factor - that they excite us.The trip to New York is a real highlight in our calendar and there is so much that we could share with you about it, here's just a few pictures:
May
Finally the weather started to warm up and, as you know, the sun is always shining on Blowers Street!
As the weather started to play nice, the city started to wake up out of hibernation and one of our favourite events came around - Open City.
This year we were joined by Humble Pies from Dartmouth who came across with a warmer and their most delicious pies.
If your in Dartmouth and looking for some fine food, then definitely check them out - http://humblepiekitchen.ca/It was a lovely day and we met lots of new people who we kind of new through the Twitterverse, as well as spending a fun day with the Humble Pie folks. Humble Pie is a lovely new business creating the most delicious New Zealand style pies, if you haven't experienced them already they now have a permanent home over on King Street in Dartmouth, they also have a regular Friday pop-up in Fred, Halifax.It really wasn't long before we were starting to enjoy some beautiful evenings as well, as well as working hard, at Ocean, we like to enjoy life and relax as well.
Spending time with the people you love doing the things you love is incredibly important, don't forget to do it. We love Nova Scotia and the fact that in the winter you can be skating on the lakes, but when summer rolls around you'll be swimming in them. The first six months of the year aren't over and already so much has happened, but to top it all, in May we were also honoured to meet Mayor Mike Savage. First Dr. Euan and Dr. John were privileged to go to his office and then Mayor Savage came to Ocean to find out all what we were about.I'm not sure he quite got what he was meant to be doing during the eye examination, but it really was a wonderful experience meeting him and we are humbled by the time that he shared with us.
Through out all this busyness we did also manage to help some fabulous folks into some fine, fine eyewear! We love regularly featuring them as our "Catch of the Day" through our social media feeds, so make sure you give us a follow on FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram.
Stay tuned, we're only half way through 2015 ... more to come!
