History

History and Philosophy of Prairie Ophthalmics (1988) Inc.

In December of 1983, Prairie Ophthalmics opened its doors in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and started the process of surface generating and edge mounting spectacle lenses. The corporate constitution consisted of allowing only independent dispensing optometrists to join. The laboratory was initiated by 14 members, and by the time the lab opened there were 22 shareholders. We now have almost 20 shareholders, and we service approximately 30 different clinics.  The majority of our clinics are in Saskatchewan, but we also do work for clinics in Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba.

The initial mission statement that our members created was to provide, first and foremost, quality lab work in as efficient a time frame as the specific job requires. This quality work is to be done in as price-competitive an environment as the quality will allow. We have since evolved and simplified our mission to provide Innovative Lenses for Independent Eye Care Professionals.

When our first Board of Directors met, the lab manager who was secured was Mr. Len Giesbrecht, who spent 25 years managing Bausch and Lomb’s lab prior to working at Prairie. The second order of business was interviewing and hiring 10 of Bausch and Lomb’s top employees at an increase of 10% above their existing salary. Our first price list was 10% less than B&L’s existing price list.  Len managed Prairie Ophthalmics until he retired in 2010, when Linda Zoerb, a Prairie employee from the beginning, took over as lab manager.  Madison Giesbrecht, unrelated to Len, was hired in 2021 to manage the lab as Linda decided to work part-time. Steve De Long took over as lab manager in 2024 and has been doing an excellent job.

Prairie Ophthalmics is one of the few independent surfacing labs left in Canada with freeform or digital surfacing and coating. Our industry, like many others, has experienced a lot of consolidation, which has led to a couple of larger international lens manufacturers buying and subsequently closing smaller local labs.  Our staff has combined lab experience of over 250 years. The equipment, coating formulas, and knowledge level have enabled Prairie to produce some of the best quality lenses and coatings in the world.

We at Prairie Ophthalmics are proud to be a locally owned and operated company, contributing to the local economy and creating jobs supporting local families. We take pride in our work, and we hope that it shows. After all, our customers are our neighbours!

The current Board of Directors are:

● Dr. Skylar Feltis (President)
● Dr. Warren Toews (Treasurer)
● Dr. Adam FitzPatrick (Secretary)