I am a licensed Optician operating a successful retail optical in the GTA. I just want to help people understand how the Optical industry works.
Here is my schedule today:
• Consult with a high myopic 47 yr old male, high risk for retinal detachment that causes permanent irreversible vision loss, - he wants sport glasses for running and golfing. No product exists on the market- so I will invent one.- after expenses ( rent , employees, phone, signage, heat etc) about $80 in my pocket.
• 85 year old senior citizen with no local family, I will pick her glasses up at her home drive them to a specialty lab about 40 km away, wait 45 minutes while they cut the glasses and deliver them back to her. She has a very high prescription with serious prism and cannot function without her glasses, so time is of the essence. After expenses about $25 in my pocket, plus the $12 she gave me toward my gas:)
• Ski goggles for an 8 year old boy who was born with a paediatric cataract and we have been fitting him with his glasses since he was 9 months old. I will probably make about $30 after all is said and done on these ski goggles and over the years I probably make about $130 per year on the regular eye products I sell him.
• A school teacher brought us a pair of broken glasses from a neglected student whose parents do not have the means to repair the glasses. The child has a prescription of +4 Diopters, meaning anything within 8 feet is a complete blur. We facilitated the repair by coordinating with another optician in Markham who originally sold the glasses to repair the frame under warranty so there would be no cost to the family. The store absorbed the cost of the shipping and staffing costs. Since we are a profitable business it allows us to do this type of work when needed. I am not alone, opticianry colleagues across the nation often provide this type of generosity back to a community that supports them.
• My last example is a young lady 20 yrs old with a very mild prescription , hardly worth filling. But it does help her see at night and at school. She could probably get her glasses online for about $150. But if the alignment of the frame and lens is not perfect this healthy person with virtually no vision problems can have a fairly significant induced prism that could cause serious headaches, nausea , depth perception issues etc. This client paid $430 for her glasses, $100 in my pocket.
If any of this is grossly disproportionate I'd love to know how? I've been in business 15 years and I employ 5 people who provide for their families because of what we do.
Another thing most people wouldn't take into consideration is that the average Optical store is stocked with over $5000 worth of supplies like various size and shaped nosepads, hundreds of screws, bolts, wires etc, "just in case" a client needs a repair or maintenance on their glasses. Today we performed 3 complex rimless repairs at no charge… theses are just clients that randomly walked into the store needing eye care service. The repairs require the craftsmanship of highly skilled opticians who understand how the products are built and the most effective way to give the client serviceable glasses that will last them longer. If you compare us to online marketers, you deny the optical marketplace the opportunity to thrive and survive. Online marketers don't provide any of these services and craftspeople trained in the art and science of Opticianry are certainly worth more than minimum wage. We are not criminals ripping off people , we have a right to earn a living and there is a huge spread in the marketplace offering the public many discount, mid range and high range offerings to choose from.
Opticians are front line health care providers: accessible to the public and relied upon to help improve a clients quality of life. Yes people spend thousands on their eyewear, but not because they have to, simply because they want to. $1000 eyeglasses are a luxury, just like high-end dental work, laser surgery or a luxury car. Because eye exams used to be covered by OHIP in Ontario the public has this perception that eye exams should be “free” and that eyeglasses should some how be cheap. This mindset simply cannot be sustained by our economy and the free market economy has evolved and developed a very fair marketplace for consumers. This is just the tip of the iceberg. We also support an entire industry of laboratories producing lenses, contact lenses, frames, coatings, accessories and parts that employ thousands of people. It's a very sound economic model and it’s a tremendous part of a global economy. Canada is considered one of the best producers of quality eye care in the global arena. Eye care professionals should not be demonized as they were marred in this most recent sensationalized media coverage. The people that work for me are unsung heroes dedicating their life's work to a noble but unappreciated profession.
This negative spin from the leftist CBC is attacking some of the most valuable entrepreneurs in the country. We employ people, we help people and yes some of actually have the nerve to run thriving profitable businesses and pay our taxes on that income!
Yes, I sell select clients expensive eyewear, but the cost of bringing a pair of $1000 glasses to market is huge and so are the risks. Expensive glasses also represent expensive cost of goods, ask an economist what that means to a business. But this same consumer we are catering to often drives a nice car and vacations in the Bahamas and understands that luxury costs money. Ask me why Sears and Costco employees regularly shop with me even though they get a discount at their own Optical? Because they want service, expertise and craftsmanship. Discount marketers are transforming eye care into a disposable industry. If we keep going in this direction the future holds glasses that are cheap in every way, you will have no one of repute left to service the products and so you will just toss them and buy a new pair. Sad:(
The man behind the CBC expose is Bruce Bergez. He was jailed after breaking every law in Ontario that protects the public from shoddy craftsmanship and potential harm. And he made millions doing it. He is bitter because the government put it to a stop and shut down his gravy train.
The eye care industry is a health profession. I solve real life problems for real people and yes they pay me for my expertise and service.
Simple single vision lenses are easily obtainable and fairly low cost and low risk. But that applies to a small percentage of the market. Many people need service and educated help to get the right solution for their eye care needs.
I hope CBC can think twice to before supporting damaging, sensationalized rhetoric, that defames the eye care industry and profession. If you are not familiar with the expenses of running a business and the risk associated with running a business it may sound like an indecent profit to make $100 profit on a $400 sale. Consider however, my lens edger (for cutting lenses on our premises) cost $50,000 just to provide faster service to my clients. It took me 7 years to pay it off. There is a lot to it, much more than one can see as a lay person.
If you google my name you will see my bio – I spent almost 10 years as VP of the Ontario opticians association and volunteered for the college of opticians before that. I am passionate about my industry. Some opticians are trained order takers and perform only the basic essentials of the profession, but most are doing great work that impacts the quality of life of normal every day average people… like those that watch CBC.
Dana Sacco Dana Sacco RO C2250
Licensed Optician
W: 905-665-8515
