Are you an IRIS patient? If so, you’ve probably already witnessed our team of optician’s professionalism. If optometrists are the doctors of the eyes, then opticians are frame specialists. They can help you choose a frame depending on the shape of your face, your tastes, your style and your budget. At IRIS, we are extremely lucky to have within our team experienced opticians who are passionate about their job. We asked four of our opticians to pick their favourite glasses or sunglasses and to tell us about their experience working at IRIS.
Gissou Bozkaya, Optician and Manager at IRIS Lonsdale, British Colombia
-How long have you been working at IRIS?
I have been with IRIS since July 2000 and, it is an amazing place to work at.
-What brand of sunglasses or prescription glasses do you wear on a daily basis?
Having been in the optical industry for more than 18 years, you can imagine how many pairs of sunglasses I own. However, my Maui Jim sunglasses are the only ones that I wear. I enjoy wearing Seraphin brand for my prescription glasses as it is a very unique collection.
-What do you like most about your job?
I'm passionate to go to work every day, knowing that I am going to help people see better and to learn something new.
-What do you think makes IRIS different from other optical banners?
What will differentiate us from other optical banners is our mission “to provide our customers with the highest quality products and professional services in the world of eye care” and our values “passion, honest and respect”.
Her Pick:
Maui Jim Alekona
Alekona is my top pick because it delivers comfort, fashion and is available in unique colours. This fashion frame is versatile enough to go from dressy to casual.
Geneviève Laporte, Optician and Manager at IRIS Baie-St-Paul, Quebec
- How long have you been working at IRIS?
I’ve been in the beautiful IRIS family for the past 6 years! Last year, I celebrated my 20th year as an optician
-What is the brand of sunglasses or prescription glasses that you wear on a daily basis?
I currently wear a salmon-glittery plastic KLiiK frame with Nikon's Relaxsee Therapeutic lenses. I alternate with a bigger OGI frame which is rounder and darker! With this one I wear Transition lenses paired with a protection against blue light. As for sunglasses, I opted for a Kate Spade fashion frame with Nikon polarized prescription lenses.
-What do you like most about your job?
I like the contact we get to have with our patients as well as the fact that we have to deal with both fashion and health. I am proud of the quality of the services and products offered at IRIS. In addition, I’ve had the chance to partner up with an amazing business partner!
-What do you think makes IRIS different from other optical banners?
The customer experience, definitely! Thanks to the exceptional service provided by its professionals, the No Matter What Guarantee plus, the use of iPads with our patients, IRIS stands out. A great strength of our network is our ability to share good practices between stores. It really is a big family!
Her choice:
Esprit 17104
I love this frame for its femininity! With its featherweight and soft colours it is ideal for the active young women who like to be fashionable.
Arman Fatemizadeh, Optician and Manager at IRIS North York, Ontario
- How long have you been working at IRIS?
I've been working at IRIS for almost 1 year now.
-What is the brand of sunglasses or prescription glasses that you wear on a daily basis?
I wear Maui Jim sunglasses everyday to provide me with maximum sun protection as well as the latest lens technology
-What do you like most about your job?
I like to help improve the quality of people's lives, especially kids. Nothing is more precious to me than the joyous look on a young child's face when they put on their prescription glasses for the first time, and experience the beauty of the world as it's meant to be seen. Knowing that these glasses will also help this child succeed in school is an added bonus!
-What do you think makes IRIS different from other optical banners?
IRIS stands out from other optical brands because we place value on not just your vision, but also the overall health and longevity of your eyes. This is something that gets neglected too often in the industry. We strive to provide you service beyond excellence.
Arman picked:
Maui Jim Compass
I picked the Maui Jim Compass because it is light and comfortable, very elegant and chic, and provides the best sun protection no matter which part of the world I'm visiting.
Colleen Van Dam, Optician and Manager at IRIS Calgary (130thAvenue)
- How long have you been working at IRIS?
It will be 2 years in March since I started with IRIS and my 33rd year as an Optician!
-What is the brand of sunglasses or prescription glasses that you wear on a daily basis?
I’m kind of obsessed with aviators, so luckily they’ve made a huge comeback! I currently wear a gold Ray Ban aviator (model # 6489) for one of my prescription clear glasses and a Maui Jim (the Mavericks with a Maui Sunrise lens) for my sun protection.
-What do you like most about your job?
I enjoy fostering an environment where we can feel like we’re part of a special work family and especially feel proud when our patients feel it too!
-What do you think makes IRIS different from other optical banners?
The IRIS difference is in our ophthalmic lens quality our partnership with Nikon Optical and Maui Jim! However, without our caring IRIS doctors and associates giving world class service, the superior product means nothing. One of my favorite sayings is: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
Colleen picked:
KLiiK 623
KLiiK is my go-to collection for petite adults with smaller faces. I love the plastic and metal mix of this model…. its modified cat-eye shape follows the brow nicely and makes the eyes “smile”!
