Optometry

Unique Christmas gift ideas can be hard to come by. Our 2022 gift guide has you covered with the best gift ideas for everyone on your list  — from the person who has everything, foodies, workaholics, Insomniacs (or poor sleepers) to the health conscious people on your shopping list.  Check out our curated gift ideas to make holiday shopping that much easier this year.

Best Christmas Gift Ideas for People Who Have Everything

As we all get older, it can be harder and harder to think of the perfect Christmas gift. For the person in your life that has everything, the gifts they appreciate the most are those that provide an improvement in quality of life. These Christmas present ideas are sure to surprise and delight the hardest person on your list to shop for.

Contact Lens Fitting

Contact lenses are not one-size-fits-all. When we get a new pair of glasses, we’re used to having our glasses meticulously fitted to the bridge of our nose, centralized to the middle of our eyes, and the arms adjusted to sit properly on our ears. A similar type of precision is needed to properly fit contact lenses as well. Give them the gift they never knew they needed!

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Radio Frequency

Skin becomes thinner and our eyes lose their moisture as we age. Radiofrequency is a no-needle, no surgery, no downtime technology that tightens the skin, triggers new collagen production, and treats dry eye syndrome, wrinkles, smile lines, and more.

Plus an appointment is typically only 30 minutes.

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Cooling Bed Pad

Cooler temperatures help us sleep. Scientists link this to the fact that our body temperature naturally drops at night. The Sleep Zone Cooling mattress topper balances your body temperature and has moisture-wicking tech that dries 100% faster than cotton, keeping you cool and dry throughout the night. 

You’ll wake up refreshed and rejuvenated.

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Christmas Gift Ideas for Foodies

Our local Burnaby optometrists are foodies too. With so many great options in the lower mainland, it’s hard to say no! Check out these Christmas gift ideas for the person in your life that thinks about food non-stop.

Healthy, Lean & Fit

Taking care of your eyes starts with healthy food. This highly recommended cookbook has  breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and more -highlighting different health-boosting benefits. 

Above all, the meals use ingredients in a creative way and are delicious and satisfying.

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Ghia Non-Alcoholic Aperitif

The holiday season is often a time for over consumption. Treat your foodie friends to a cocktail that doesn’t limit their enjoyment. This nonalcoholic aperitif is mixed with potent plant extracts that create a warm, bitter flavor. Your friends can sip Ghia on the rocks or mixed with tonic water (or prosecco, if that’s their thing).

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Food Delivery Service

Healthy eating can help protect your eyes and sight. Certain foods such as dark leafy greens and fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, trout, and halibut provide excellent nutrition to the eyes. HelloFresh makes it easy to try out new recipes, eat healthy, and stay aware of the nutritional value listed for each recipe. 

 Buy Here

Christmas Gift Ideas for Workaholics

Select Filespediatric optometrist

Hatch Restore

A blaring phone alarm isn’t the nicest way to start a day. We recommend the Hatch Restore alarm clock because it mimics the sunrise to gently wake you. 

If you have ever been rapidly woken up from REM sleep, you know how long it can take to recover and feel mentally ready to tackle a challenging day. 

The get-up-and-go people in your life will thank you.

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Esarora Ice Roller

We can personally vouch for ice rollers providing tired eye relief from long hours at the computer, puffiness after a long night, headaches and migraines, or itchiness due to seasonal allergies.

Chill the roller in the refrigerator, easily click on the handle, and roll.  

The workaholic in your life could definitely benefit from relief from stress induced headaches.

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I-DROP Pur Artificial Tears

Workaholics often spend the majority of their day in front of screens. This is a perfect stocking stuffer for those who suffer from difficulty wearing contact lenses, overly watery eyes, eye fatigue, or dry eyes. 

I-DROP PUR drops are a preservative-free artificial tear that is great for everyday relief. It’s a non-prescription eye drop that treats mild to moderate dry eye symptoms including allergies and irritation from computer vision syndrome.

Buy Here

Christmas Gift Ideas for Health Conscious People

It can be tricky shopping for a health nut. The best Christmas gift ideas are ones that shows how seriously they take their wellbeing, and selecting a gift that reflects their style and enhances their health goals. Luckily for you, we’ve done all the hard work and compiled three, unique gift ideas.

Preventing Vision Loss

If you’ve heard carrots are good for your eye health, it’s due to their high levels of vitamin A.  

Vitamin A helps us to see the full spectrum of light and certain nutritional deficiencies stop the production of certain pigments, leading to night blindness. Serious vitamin A deficiencies can result in blindness. 

Eye health supplements are now available at Real Eyes Optometry. 

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Cupping Kit

Cupping is used for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation, well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue massage.

Cupping helps improve circulation resulting in lower blood pressure. Plus, it feels great! 

An ideal gift idea for athletes or sports enthusiasts. 

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I-DROP Pur Gel

Our eyes are one of the most complex organs in our body. Treat moderate dry eye symptoms with this preservative-free artificial tear. While similar to a normal eye drop, gels will be more effective when used to treat more severe symptoms caused by dry eye. 

It’s contact lens compatible, viscoadaptive, preservative-free artificial tear that’s safe to use with hard and soft contact lenses!

Buy Here

Best Christmas Gift Ideas for Insomniacs or Poor Sleepers

Sleep is restorative for all parts of the body and is vital for cognition and immune function. Getting enough sleep helps keep you alert, fight off infection, and provides your eyes essential moisture and regeneration needed to be able to perform at their best.

Calm Gift Subscription

Relaxation-inducing meditations are excellent for pre-sleep rituals, plane rides, work stress, and anxiety. Calm offers access to guided meditations, sleep sounds, and focus music.

 Gift cards for a one-year subscription cost $70, while the gift of a lifetime plan costs $400.

Buy Here

Blue Light App

In short, blue light can disturb your circadian rhythm which impacts sleep, hormone release, body temperature, eating habits and digestion.
This app is easy to use and is  recommended for all screen and display types. It’s also the Editor’s Choice app on the Google Play Store. It’s a free app with no ads or in-app purchases!

Buy Here

Magnesium Tablets

One study of older adults showed promising results helping adults with insomnia.It found that magnesium supplementation at a dose of 500 milligrams daily for 8-weeks helped them fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, reduced nighttime awakenings, and increased their levels of naturally circulating melatonin.

Buy Here

All of our recommended gifts are selected independently and we do not earn a commission if you shop through our links.

What Is the Job of an Optometrist?

An optometrist’s primary responsibility is to conduct comprehensive eye exams and provide diagnostic interpretations. They diagnose and treat ocular disease, assess binocular function, prescribe, fit, and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and recommend other vision aids. In addition, they recommend patient follow-ups and personalized care options.

A complete comprehensive eye exam assesses the following:

• Refractive Conditions (such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia)
• Ocular motility (tracking skills)
• Focusing Ability
• Binocularity (eye coordination)
• Eye health conditions (such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts)
• Dry Eye Syndrome

Do Optometrists Diagnose Eye Problems?

Optometrists are critical, not only for diagnosing eye-related problems but are essential in early detection of numerous health concerns in the body. For example, our eyes often show symptoms of non-eye-related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hormone imbalance and brain tumors. Even for adults, whether you wear corrective lenses or not, annual checkups to detect eye complications are highly recommended.

• Eye Diseases are Common, but Preventative: Did you know that 1 in 7 Canadians will develop a serious eye disease in their lifetime? However, 75% of vision loss can be prevented or treated with proper care. 
• Catching Life Threatening Conditions: Did you know, an eye exam can help detect potentially life threatening conditions, like brain tumours, high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes? Your eyes can show signs of tumors, aneurysms, autoimmune disorders, thyroid disease, sickle cell disease, liver disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological or brain disorders.
• Child Eye Care: Just 1 out of every 7 preschooler receives an eye exam and fewer than 1 out of every 4 receives some type of vision screening. The CDC recommends vision screening for all children aged 3 to 5 years to help find conditions such as amblyopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (eye turn), which can be treated effectively, if caught early.
• Preventing Visual Issues: An estimated 11 million Americans aged 12 years and older could see better if they used corrective lenses, or had eye surgery, when appropriate.

When Should a Child First See an Optometrist?

The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends a child’s first exam by 6 months of age, again at 3 years, and every year after that time. This is because it is important that any potential sight-threatening condition be caught early to prevent blindness and to allow your child’s vision to achieve its maximum potential. Children’s eye exams should be performed annually until they are 18 years old.

However, if you have a family history of ocular problems, or if you notice any of the below behavioural signs, we highly recommend booking before the yearly eye exam.

Behavioural Signs of Visual Problems

•  Squints, closes, or covers one eye.
•  Tilts head while doing activities that are near (50cm+ away from eyes).
•  Feels objects rather than looking at objects.
•  Avoids looking at books and puzzles, prefers toys they can handle.
• Holding books too close to their face or holding their face too close to a desk surface.
• Sitting very close to the TV (when repeatedly moved back).
• Cannot stay within the lines when colouring (age dependent) or ignores the lines when colouring.

How Do I Find the Best Optometrist?

If you are looking for a new pediatric optometrist, or kids eye doctor, asking family and friends for recommendations is a good first step. However, just like selecting any other type of health care professional, it is a personal choice that needs to work long-term for you and your family.  Luckily a lot of the qualifications you would look for when seeking a new optometrist for adults are the same when looking for a pediatric optometrist. Meaning once you find a great optometrist, they are somewhere you can take your entire family to with confidence. Read on to see our 6 tips on what to consider when looking for the best optometrist for your needs.

6 Tips & Considerations for Choosing the Best Pediatric Optometrist

1. Confirm the Pediatric Optometrist Credentials

As a parent, time is particularly precious. You can save yourself a lot of time by relying on reputable sites such as ThreeBestRated, that rank, review, and list the Top 3 Pediatric Optometrists. Every year, experts at ThreeBestRated recommend the Top 3 Pediatric Optometrists in Burnaby, BC and put all pediatric eye doctors through a rigorous 50-Point Inspection which includes the below. Your child deserves only the best!

• Ratings
• Reputation
• History
• Complaints
• Satisfaction
• Trust
• Cost
• Location
• General excellence

2. Does the Pediatric Optometrist Provide an Easy Check-list?

Symptoms may present while your children are at school and teachers have to keep their eyes on many children at once. Teachers are not likely trained to know what to look for in order to catch visual concerns, particularly those that can present as behavioural rather than physical symptoms. If you suspect your children are experiencing symptoms, an easy check-list provided by the pediatric optometrist can make your life as a parent substantially easier. This ensures that the correct information is being conveyed to the optometrist when you go for your appointment. Here is a quick vision checklist for young children:

Appearance of the Eyes

•  One eye turns in, out, up or down at any time.
•  Reddened eyes or eyelids.
•  Eyes tear excessively.
•  Excessive blinking.
•  Rubs eyes frequently during or after short periods of visual activity.

3. Read the Optometrist “Meet the Team” Page

When choosing a health professional, the “Meet the Team” page is an underutilized resource for parents. You can quickly assess their credentials, and get an idea of their personality, skills, and clinic atmosphere prior to visiting.

4. Read Reviews of Optometrists

Whether you intend to read a number of individual reviews, or are only interested in their overall rating, Google reviews can help provide the piece of mind that you are taking your children to a caring, professional, and helpful optometrist. Be sure to look at the “People often mention” words that will give you an overall sense of the reviews without reading each one.

In addition to Google reviews, RateMD provides customer reviews with a 5-star rating that assesses the staff, punctuality, helpfulness, and knowledge.

5. Does the Optometrist Directly Bill for Vision Insurance?

Optometry insurance coverage can be complicated and often overwhelming. If the optometrist makes your life easier by dealing with the nuances of submitting your claim directly to your insurance company, this is a substantial benefit. The best optometrists should provide a list on their website of where they can directly bill, allowing you to confirm coverage prior to booking your kids eye exam.

6. Convenience, Convenience, Convenience

While your child is younger, more frequent eye exams are recommended. So selecting a nearby pediatric optometrist that has an office in a convenient location, with free and accessible parking, and good office hours will add a lot of convenience into your life. Another consideration for the parent-on-the-go, is selecting an office location that is centralized and near other stores. This helps facilitate getting your never-ending errands and appointments completed without having you driving all over the city. Consider being able to run to a grocery store, make a clothing return, and grab a quick bite, all while your child is having their eye exam.

Why Real Eyes Optometry is the Best Pediatric Optometrist

Real Eyes Optometry has been voted Top 3 Pediatric Optometrist 3 years in a row!

We are a family-run, full scope optometry office that strives to provide the highest level of service. With over 30 years of experience, we continue to add the latest technology so that patients can come to us for all their eye needs. Dr. Shaun Pati provides a comprehensive evaluation that includes your child’s refractive status, binocular vision system, and ocular health – all while keeping a smile on their face. His calm and comforting manner makes him great with kids, and the parents of his pediatric patients can attest to that. He is currently accepting families and patients of all ages, including kids!

May is Vision Health Month, an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of eye health, the role optometrists play, and what can be done to help prevent vision loss. 

We often take our eyes for granted, assuming they don’t need any care from us. As optometrists, we know the importance of caring for your eyes is just as much a priority as eating healthy, exercising, and taking care of your mental health. Our eyes are complicated but delicate; your optometrist can help in a number of ways, including providing preventative care. Healthy vision can help keep you safe each day. 

A comprehensive eye exam is more than just a routine vision test – it could help save your life.

Best Reasons to See Your Optometrist (Things You Must Know)

The best way to keep your eyes healthy is getting a comprehensive dilated eye exam. Your optometrist will use drops to enlarge your pupils in order to check for common eye health problems and any early stages of eye-related diseases. Of course, an eye exam is also the best way to find out if you need contacts or glasses. 

Most people are not aware that our vision changes as we age. This makes comprehensive eye exams increasingly more important as our eyes get older. 

• Eye Diseases are Common, but Preventable: Did you know that 1 in 7 Canadians will develop a serious eye disease in their lifetime? However, 75% of vision loss can be prevented or treated with proper care. 
• Catching Life Threatening Conditions: Did you know, an eye exam can help detect potentially life threatening conditions, like brain tumours, high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes? Your eyes can show signs of tumors, aneurysms, autoimmune disorders, thyroid disease, sickle cell disease, liver disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological or brain disorders.
• Your Eyes Change with Age: After 40, many find it is more difficult to focus on close up objects. 50s and beyond, you may have more frequent changes in your eyeglasses or contact lens prescriptions.
• Less Tears for Women: As we age, we produce less tears which leads to dry eyes. This is particularly true for women. 9 Dry Eye Symptoms and a Wrinkle Reducing Treatment
• Child Eye Care: Just 1 out of every 7 preschoolers receives an eye exam and fewer than 1 out of every 4 receives some type of vision screening. The CDC recommends vision screening for all children aged 3 to 5 years to help find conditions such as amblyopia, or lazy eye, which can be treated effectively if caught early.
• Preventing Visual Issues: An estimated 11 million Americans aged 12 years and older could see better if they used corrective lenses, or had eye surgery, when appropriate.

A comprehensive eye exam can also detect potentially life threatening conditions, like brain tumours, high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.

Your Optometrist Sees More Than Your Eyes – Eye Diseases Your Optometrist Can Help Spot

Comprehensive eye exams provide optometrists a close-up look at your blood vessels, veins, and nerves, all of which may contain clues to conditions that could pose a serious risk to your health. The following are eye conditions that can cause vision loss and even blindness:

• Cataracts, a clouding of the eyes internal lens.
• Diabetic retinopathy, which causes damage to the blood vessels in the back of the eye.
• Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, often due to increased eye pressure.
• Age-related macular degeneration, which gradually affects central vision and contrast sensitivity.

Is an Optometrist a Doctor?

Yes, an optometrist is a doctor of the eyes who receives a degree in optometry proceeding 8 years of education. 

What is the role of an optometrist? An optometrist is the primary health care provider for your eyes. As an eye doctor, they help detect refractive error, vision defects, symptoms of diseases, treat eye injuries, ocular abnormalities and assess your general eye health. Optometrists are equipped to provide professional advice on a wide range of subjects concerning eye health, vision correction, and prescribe vision aids such as contact lenses, glasses and other devices.

How Often Should You See An Optometrist?

Regular eye exams by a doctor of optometry play an essential role in maintaining your overall health. The frequency you should see an optometrist varies based on your age.

• Children – first eye exam at 6 months, then again at age 2 followed by annual visits thereafter
• Adults 19-64 – Every 1-2 years
• 65 and over – Annually

A regular eye exam by a doctor of optometry is the best way to stay on top of eye health. 

What Are Available Optometrist Services?

There are a range of services that most optometrists provide, including:

• Annual or routine eye exams, including providing eye health education
• Diagnosis of eye conditions, or spot early signs of eye diseases
• Prescriptions for eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other visual aids
• Medical treatments or minor procedures for eye conditions and injuries
• Pre and post-surgical eye care that range from cataract removal to refractive laser correction

There are also select eye care professionals that provide speciality services. Click below to learn more:

• Radio Frequency: Dry Eye and Anti-Aging 
• Vision Therapy
• Specialized Vision Assessments
• Advanced Vision Testing

10 Ways to Protect Your Vision (Optometrist Recommended)

1. Eye Exams: A regular, comprehensive, dilated eye exam by an optometrist is the best way to stay on top of eye health. 
2. Know Your Eye Care Provider: Have a trusted eye doctor you can go to with any concern, who will guide you through your options, provide education and support your eye health needs.
3. Understanding Your Genes: Being familiar with your family health history is important as it can provide your optometrist guidelines of what to watch for regarding signs of eye disease. If someone in your family has a history of eye disease or a condition that affects the eyes, speak to your eye doctor, as some are hereditary.
4. Healthy Diet: Healthy eating can help protect your sight, particularly certain foods such as dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, or collard greens, and fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, trout, and halibut.
5. Body Balance: Related to a healthy diet, diseases like diabetes have impacts on your eyes. Maintaining a healthy weight will help protect your vision. 
6. Eyewear: Use protective eyewear during activities where your eyes are at risk of being injured, such as home construction projects, playing sports, yard work or renovations.
7. Limit Digital Eye Strain: We are in front of a screen for most of our days. Extended screen time can worsen our vision at a rapid rate. 8 Tips to Prevent Digital Eyestrain | Take a Quiz
8. Sunglasses: Not all sunglasses are created equally. Good quality sunglasses can help block 99 -100% of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation.
9. Sanitize: We touch our face and eyes many times a day without realizing it. Prior to putting on and taking out your contact lenses, wash your hands with soap and water. Be sure to clean your contact lenses properly to avoid infection.
10. Early Intervention: For yourself, and your children, regular eye exams and early intervention are crucial in limiting changes to your vision and eye health from eye diseases. 

Small Business BC for the Best Community Impact Award

Real Eyes Optometry is proud to have been nominated by Best Small Business BC in the Best Community Impact category for 2021. We are dedicated to serving the diverse communities in the Burnaby Metrotown area. When asked about what motivated the start of Real Eyes Optometry, and what core causes drive the team, we needed to share a little backstory on our founder.

As a child, Dr. Shaun Pati’s mother was in a serious car accident which resulted in the loss of some of her vision due to her injury. His mother’s Optometrist was Dr. Tony Wang, who took the time to care for her eye health.

A six-year-old at the time, Shaun accompanied his mother to her eye doctor appointments. After numerous follow-ups over the course of several years, Dr. Tony Wang helped his mother fully regain her eyesight.

Dr. Shaun Pati was motivated by these events and decided to become an Optometrist himself. He decided to move away from Burnaby to study at Pacific University in Oregon, where he would meet his future wife, Dr. Amit Sahota who is also a part of the Real Eyes team.

In 2015, he graduated and became Dr. Shaun Pati, Doctor of Optometry. In 2016, he bumped into Dr. Wang at an Optometry conference in Vancouver. They reconnected and decided to team up to continue serving the Burnaby community. In 2017, Real Eyes Optometry was formed.

In response to the interview questions asked by Small Business BC, of what our business core beliefs are, Dr. Shaun Pati explained that “our goals are to provide the best patient care we can, we always want to leave a positive impression on anyone who steps into our office. Whether it be a smile at the door, educating you on a condition, or reassurance that everything will be okay. No matter how difficult the diagnosis may be, our team will always be there for our patients and community.”

It is an honour to be recognized by Small Business BC. Real Eyes Optometry is open 6 days a week to help improve your vision, one eye at a time. Come meet our team and check out our eye exam services so that we can help take care of your eye health.

A little about Small Business BC from smallbusinessbc.ca:

How Small Business BC Helps Entrepreneurs

It’s often said entrepreneurship can be a lonely endeavor. Small Business BC exists to provide support throughout the process. From starting a business to building resiliency and long-term growth, when an entrepreneur decides to start a business, we are standing by with the products, services and advice they need to achieve their business goals. Our range of supports includes free resources like our business plan template, to seminars/webinars, one-on-one expert advisories and programs we administer such as Bizmap and Export Navigator. Unsure of where to start? Book our free 30-minute advisory and learn the programs, resources and supports available to BC entrepreneurs. Learn more about the impact of Small Business BC.

Small Business BC Awards

Each year, hundreds of businesses across our province test themselves against the best of BC’s small business community by entering the Small Business BC Awards. Throughout the process, they uncover valuable insights about their operation, they receive the support of their communities, and they leave inspired to elevate themselves to new heights.

While only one business can be successful in each of our categories, every single entrant reaps the rewards of taking part in this high-profile and exciting awards competition.

At Small Business BC, we believe these entrepreneurs deserve our recognition and admiration. After all, they make our communities such uniquely special places to live, work and play. Why not inspire your business or a business you love, to new heights by nominating it for a Small Business BC Award? Here are just some of the benefits you’ll enjoy from taking part.

Celebrate Your Achievements: Small Business BC

We know entrepreneurs well enough to understand they can often be guilty of not seeing the big picture. They pour their heart and soul into their business but never take a step back to appreciate what they’ve achieved. Putting together a nomination for the Small Business BC Awards forces the nominee to look at the big picture, take stock of how the business got to this point, and plot a course towards future success. Not only is this action a chance to appreciate what you’ve achieved, it’s also a powerful motivator for future growth and success.

Metrotown Optometrist – Best Rated Pediatric Optometrist Three Years in a Row

Posted: Dec, 30 3:30 AM PT | Last updated Dec 30, 2020

Dr. Shaun Pati completed his Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University in Oregon. His goal is to have a well-rounded and committed office that always puts patients’ needs first. 

He provides a comprehensive evaluation that includes your child’s refractive status, binocular vision system, and ocular health – all while keeping a smile on their face. His calm and comforting manner makes him great with kids, and the parents of his pediatric patients can attest to that. 

He is currently accepting families and patients of all ages, including kids! 

Dr. Shaun Pati has been voted the “Best Pediatric Optometrist in Burnaby” two years in a row!

A Metrotown Optometry office, Real Eyes Optometry would like to congratulate him and thank him. Dr. Shaun Pati’s passion for pediatrics comes from knowing helping a child with their vision can be life-changing.

What his patients say about him:

“First time here for an eye exam with Dr. Pati, super happy and satisfied with my experience here. Front desk is friendly as well 🙂 Dr. Pati is awesome, would totally recommend to everyone, really detailed and thorough examination leaving you feeling confident and happy! Overall 10/10 experience!! No regrets.”

Why Choosing the Best Rated Pediatric Optometrist Matters 

Most of us take our eyesight for granted. We will take the time to research company ratings and read reviews when online shopping, booking a hotel, or looking for a restaurant but don’t apply the same when choosing an eye doctor. 

Luckily, every year, experts at ThreeBestRated recommends the Top 3 Pediatric Optometrists in Burnaby, BC. Each Burnaby eye doctor faces a rigorous 50-Point Inspection, which includes:

• Checking reviews
• Ratings
• Reputation
• History
• Complaints
• Satisfaction
• Trust
• Cost
• Location

Book an Appointment Today 

Real Eyes Optometry, based in Metrotown Burnaby, has something for everyone, and pediatrics is especially important to them. Showing children proper eye care when they are young can help ensure their ocular health for the rest of their lives. Book your child an appointment today by calling our office or booking online. Your child will leave with a smile on their face, a sticker in their pocket, and a better understanding of their eyes.

Real Eyes Optometry | Featured Profiles of Excellence | Burnaby’s Rated Top 3 Pediatric Optometrist

Some seeds are planted early in life, and then grow into beautiful blooms when the time is right.
For Dr. Shaun Pati, an experience in his childhood led unexpectedly to a career that he loves – and that has now brought him full circle back to Burnaby.

He was just six years old when his mother was in a car accident that left her with eye injuries from broken glass. Shaun accompanied his mother to countless visits to a local optometrist, Dr. Tony Wang, who helped her fully regain her eyesight. The family continued with Dr. Wang as patient in the coming years.

The experience left him with a fascination for the science of sight and the medicine of optometry.

“It really changed me, and I became so interested in how the eye worked, how optometry helped people,” he said. “We were patients of his for a long time – he even gave me my first eye glasses.”

Shaun later moved to the US to study at a university in Oregon, where he met his future wife, and became a Doctor of Optometry in 2015. The next year, by sheer chance, he bumped into Dr. Wang at a conference in Vancouver.

“We started talking and catching up and fast forward one year, we teamed up and I bought his practice and moved here,” he said.

Dr. Wang continues to work part-time with Shaun, along with a growing team of doctors and staff, now under the name Real Eyes Optometry.

“We have a wonderful group here, honest and trustworthy and always putting the practice first – this team is really like part of the family,” he said.

“we want people to know we are here for them (Burnaby Now Profile of Excellence)

Everyone at the clinic has a focus on not just providing top-notch patient care but also education and customer service.

“We want everyone who comes here to feel well informed and educated, that the whole experience was positive and informative, and well taken care of,” he said.

“Being included in the Profiles of Excellence means that a patient visiting here knows they’ve been treated with respect, they understand what’s happening, and if they need to get glasses or other items that they can get them with a fair price and helpful service.”

Shaun says his focus on education includes both in-person – talking to patients when they are in the office – but also offering resources and information online through his website.

“That digital transformation is important in this field too, so we’re creating ways for people to learn more online,” he said. “People can connect with us online, make appointments and get information and education there, too.”

Located in Metrotown, the office is a central location for patients in Burnaby and beyond, with a full spectrum of services from eye exams through eyeglass and contact sales. Shaun says many new patients find them through the recommendation of family and friends, and it’s always rewarding to hear that their reputation is growing.

“We are grateful for our profile of excellence in Burnaby now and hope that it will encourage new patients to come to us when they have anything going on with their eyes at all,” he said. All too often, people will attend a family physician first for eye conditions, only to be referred back to an optometrist. “That’s what we’re here for, whether it’s redness or an infection or any other thing going on with your eyes, we hold our medical eye care to an extremely high standard, and we want people to know we are here for them.”