The Coast's Best of Halifax 2017

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Having received the above recent communication for the NSCO, we immediately contacted The Coast to ensure that we are withdrawn from their awards.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.

What a year, 2015! (Part 2)

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!

What a year, 2015! (Part 1)

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!

Please don't come to us!

It may seems strange for any business to say that, but we sincerely mean it ... in certain circumstances.  In fact, by this stage you've maybe already decided that we're not for you - that's fine, move along!

This is something which is quite core to everything we do here at Ocean Optometry and has been part of our journey from our very earliest discussions.  When we started shifting from the pipe dream of, "We should do something", to actually saying, "We're doing something", we had to consider how our office would be.

From the outset there seemed to us that there are already plenty of optometry offices serving Halifax and Nova Scotia who do a good job, providing optometric services and a fair selection of eyewear to choose from.  If you want to get your eyes examined or want to get some glasses, they'll sort you out.

So why did we need to create Ocean Optometry?

We had a need to offer something different, something new and something exciting.  We wanted to create an optometry office which was contemporary, urban, relaxed, fashionable, friendly and fun to attend.

Initially we even thought that we would carry ranges from all the fashion labels and have wall-to-wall

brands covering our shelves.

We're so glad we didn't.

The more we looked into these ranges, the more we became disappointed!  Now, these are just our personal feelings, if you like branded eyewear and they resonate with you, wear them loud and proud, it's really important to enjoy your eyewear.

To our eyes, though, it became pretty obvious that these ranges very quickly appear somewhat generic ... blah, even, they are predominantly manufactured by one of three huge corporations.  They often have very little association with the actual brand they represent, in reality it tends to be a licensing agreement.

When the same few companies are manufacturing a huge amount of the eyewear, it's little surprise that they begin to appear "samey".  When these companies then have sales and distribution channels which means that they pervade virtually every optometry office and optical, while owning their own stores as well, you do really begin to wonder just how something so generic has managed to create the allure of something exclusive ... they're "designer" after all.  Or, at least we did.

Then we took a leap of real faith, we believed in our abilities and skills to do our work well.  Now it was time to put our belief into products which also represented our independent nature.  We sourced all of our ranges from independent companies, who deal mainly with the leading eyewear boutiques around the world ... and us!

Fashion's bleeding edge

What has been really surprising is how well this decision has been received, very pleasantly surprising!  There does seem to be a real desire to get beyond the consumerism of brands and have a genuine sense of providence over the purchasing decisions we make.  Eyewear is no different and folks are telling us the choices we are making are good choices!

A fortunate happenstance of this pinnacle decision is the eyewear we carry is actually at the leading edge of fashion trends.  The corporations produce eyewear to sell as a commodity and volume is key, they are duty bound to maximise turnover and profit for their shareholders.  Therefore they don't lead the fashions, they follow and try to capitalise on them.  Every company needs to make a profit, obviously, however, in our experience when dealing with independent companies this is not their driving goal.

When you come to Ocean Optometry you should find all of those features mentioned earlier, that we are contemporary, urban, relaxed, fashionable, friendly and fun.  If this appeals to you, come right in.  If you want to choose eyewear which says more about you than a corporation, then we're definitely for you.  If your sense of style is not generic, but you have an attention for detail and fine design and products then the welcome mat's right there.

If you're thinking that by writing this we've completely lost the plot and if you want a brand or label on your glasses, if you want a bargain basement deal, or a twofor proposition, then you are going to be disappointed.  If you want to be just a sheep in the flock, then probably best to avoid us.

Seriously, stay away, we're going to irritate you with our friendly cheerfulness, humour, cool musical vibes and desire to make the eyewear of the Maritimes that bit more beautiful one pair at a time.  You know what, we're not even apologetic about it!

As an aside, when I was penning this article I didn't realise where the phrase "pipe dream" came from - every day's a school day!

Dry Eye - an interview with our optometrists

Dry eye complaints are something both our optometrists, Dr. John Wilson and Dr. Euan McGinty are seeing more and more of in their day to day consultations.

With people spending more time doing visually intensive tasks, working on computer screens for extended periods and working in environments with controlled atmospheres which are often dry, it is perhaps not surprising that it is becoming an increasingly common complaint.

Therefore, we decided to quiz our doctors a little further about dry eyes.

"While the symptoms of dry eyes can be very frustrating", John says, "the clinical issues associated with it can be equally significant.  A dry eye can often be a compromised eye and therefore more vulnerable to infections or even scar tissue formation.  These both can further complicate the picture and early intervention to provide long term management really is key."

"If you suffer from dry eyes, which can often be recognised through its signs and symptoms, then it is important to have it properly assessed so that we can give you the correct advice specific to your condition."

"This is important", Euan adds, "not all dry eyes are the same.  From that point of view we often have people whose symptoms can range from a burning/gritty sensation, an itchy sensation, to just some discomfort.  What is surprising is we also have patients whose eyes are watering, they can find it strange when we start to talk about 'dry eyes'."

"Looking at the eyes, patients can present with red eyes or inflammation of the tissues of the eye and eyelids, at other times the eye looks quiet and healthy, but the symptoms are all there.  From this point of view dry eyes can be an incorrect label, really we are talking about the tear film not functioning properly."

"When we are performing a dry eye assessment we will be looking at all of these factors, taking into account the symptoms, the appearance of the eye and the tear film and the quality and quantity of tears present.  This will help us to arrive at a care plan which is individual and appropriate for each patient."

"I can't agree more", adds John.  "This really isn't a one-size-fits-all type condition.  With an appropriate manage plan, the condition can often be turned completely around.  It does take effort and commitment from both the patient and ourselves, especially in the early days and weeks.  When we review patients and compare their initial metrics to those after appropriate management, the improvements can be marked."

"This can translate into real world differences, not just in their comfort, but also in their quality of vision."

We asked, is there any general advice which could be helpful?

Euan replied, "It's hard to be general, but there are some things which I do keep going back to.
 Firstly, not all artificial tears are the same.  It is important to find one which works well for you, although I would say that preservative free artificial tears are generally all better than others."

"There may be an element of trial and error to begin with, however, my go-to artificial tear at the moment is one called "Hylo".  This contains an excellent agent for nourishing and protecting the eye, Sodium Hyaluronate, which is found naturally in the tear film.  It comes in unique bottle allowing it to be both preservative free and usable for up to six months from first opening."

We have found this to be so successful we have decided to stock it in our office to make it easier to find, it is available at pharmacies and drug stores, however, some patients did comment that it was difficult to find.

As Hylo is preservative free it is also suitable for contact lens wearers to use, even with their contact lenses in.  So if you find that your contact lenses dry out your eyes or have difficulty in handling your lenses at the end of the day, this may just be the solution you are looking for.

"There are two things I keep coming back to as well," responds John, "Omega-3 fish oils and an eye mask"

Dr. John Wilson using a Thera Pearl Eye Mask

"The Omega-3 supplements have been shown to be useful in helping manage dry eye conditions, it is important to choose the fish oil, however, and not the flax seed oil (which may have other benefits).  There are certain things to look for, so a little research is definitely useful to ensure it will fit in with your needs and lifestyle."

"Eye masks are a great resource for patients with dry eyes.  We recommend the Thera Pearl eye mask and again have decided to always have it available here at Ocean, as we were so impressed.  It can be used for both warm compresses, to help open up the meibomian glands and improve their function, and cold compresses, to help calm down an angry and inflamed eye.  I have been so impressed with this simple product that I have one at home for myself to use!"

John concludes, "While this advice may not be for every patient, it may be beneficial for many patients and, at times, I do wonder if we should all be performing eye-lid cleaning and warm compresses as part of our daily routine, like brushing and flossing our teeth."

One final piece of advice from both or our optometrists: Don't forget the 20/20/20 rule - for every 20 minutes you are using your computer (or tablet/smartphone) you need to look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

If you have any concerns about dry eye, please feel free to make an appointment.  The first step is a comprehensive eye examination to rule out other factors and then, if appropriate, we can schedule a dry eye assessment appointment.

New York / Vision East Expo ... The Revenge!

After so many wonderful days of eye geekery, it was definitely time to head home.  Day six was done, we had finished with the expo, safely hopped on board the shuttle bus headed to the airport and settled down.  We traversed Manhattan on the way out and managed a last fleeting glimpse of some of the sights, Macy's, The Empire State Building, a last look down Broadway.

Then we were headed through the suburbs and staring out on the rain soaked houses and businesses.  After so many days immersed in the eye world, there is always a sense of reflection at times like this.  Our chat turns to what we had seen, what had excited us.  We talk about the new frames that we had purchased, some of the new clinical instruments.  It also gives an opportunity to discuss what we had been interested in and would earmark as a item to watch for future shows.

Soon enough we arrive at the airport and negotiate our way through check-in, security and find ourselves a quite corner in which to settle for the next few hours until our flight is ready to depart.

Gazing out we are treated to a never ending stream of taxis slowly snaking their way through to pick up new passengers.  It really is a grey and miserable day.  Then again, we were headed home.  We had dodged the bullet of the snowstorm which slammed in to Nova Scotia, the worst of the winter.  Not long to go.

Except, while we are watching the rain slowly drip down the window there is something brewing further north - an ice storm!

We start to receive news about Halifax airport having cancellations and delays due to freezing rain ... you have to be joking!  Apparently not, but our flight looks good.  The time comes to make our way to the gate - "I'm sorry, your flight has been cancelled"!  Seriously?

So it seems like our mammoth trip is not over.  We are sent to a nearby hotel, well, when hotel would be a generous definition!  There are bars on the windows, the corridors slope at an alarming angle and there is a definite sense of not being alone in your room.  You're not!  With a couple of sightings of Porcellio scaber a quickly drawn conclusion of this not going to be the best night's sleep ever is made!  It's hard to believe that we have moved from the rather wonderful Yotel to this!

Ah, well, we all survive the night and get a flight home in the morning!  Phew! What a marathon trek, but it has been so worth it.  We have some fabulous new things to bring back to Ocean, we've full of enthusiasm and energy for the days and months ahead.  With the time spent with Tom Davis our skills with being able to Couture a frame are enhanced and we are sure that people will love the ability to have a custom made frame which fits perfectly.

I hope you've enjoyed this series of blogs about Vision East Expo, New York and adventures of these two optometrists and one optician - eye geeks to the core!