Same Old Shop, Brand New Location

Otago Optical has shifted to a new location:

633 Veerasamy Road (Upper Weld Road)

# 01-108

Singapore 200633

This is 3 stops away from the old place at Chinatown (via Downtown Line).

Accessible from Jalan Besar MRT and Rochor MRT.

[ Full Details and Directions ]

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The Story

From the 'attic' of a shophouse to a proper shop on the ground floor - it is now just one step into the store, as compared to the 37 steps you would have climbed to get to us when we were at Chinatown. One small step for you, a giant leap for us. While we really liked the cozy space, the accessibility seemed to be quite an issue for some of our customers, and on occasion even for us when the street is closed for events.

With the rental increase - the market rate was indeed 40% as observed and heard from the other rentals in the area - we found that the disadvantages just weren't worth the uniqueness of the unit. How is the street going to be developed; would it continue to be blocked periodically due to road and other works; is our entry door going to be even more covered up; are customers going to struggle to get to us through the crowds?

Hence when our lease was up, the choice was clear. We couldn't stay.

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The Big Move

We thought it would take a couple of weeks. It ended up taking almost two months. From properties that we viewed that were not actually available and landlords looking for 6 months of deposit (cash flow issues?), to having to use the landlord's contractor for works and landlord backing out after accepting the Letter of Intent. And then there were the layouts that didn't work.

And then there was the reinstatement - pre-covid pandemic, it would have taken about $400 to $500 to remove the partitions we had put up. Now, it is $3000 to $4000. That's at least sixfold! Throw in some additional issues with our new store - we took over an abandoned lease and hence 'as-is', with various problems from the previous renovation, from electrical to plumbing and more.

We sometimes ponder what is in store for Singapore in the near future. The price increases seem to be unexpectedly large, and out of touch for the standard of work - the shocking amount the second-previous tenant paid for renovations at our current unit just didn't match up with what we had to repair and redo.

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Some Questions and Answers

- Why Jalan Besar? -

The HDB flats at Veerasamy Road are very well-connected, being walking distance to both Jalan Besar and Rochor MRT stations on the Downtown Line, which intersects with various other lines (CCL, NEL, NSL, TEL), plus being just 3 stations away from our old place at Chinatown.

- What's new? -

We now run on a hybrid system of walk-ins and appointments, which reduces your wait time and allows you to come in at timings previously unavailable.

- What's old? -

Our commitment to affordability and quality remains the same - we regularly benchmark our products and prices to other similar optical stores, to ensure that we are on the 'better value' end of the market.

- What's upcoming? -

In the second half of 2024, we will be retiring some older styles and putting in new styles - the product range continues to evolve to suit the needs of the large majority of our customers. We always welcome your feedback and sharing on the frames and types of lenses you're looking for.

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Location

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Use the Eye Doctor's Prescription, or Re-Test at the Optical Shop?

Should you follow the spectacles prescription by the eye doctor from the eye clinic, or should you do a re-test at the optical shop and follow the new prescription instead?

With an aging population in Singapore and great access to and better understanding of eye care, it is now less uncommon for spectacles wearers to be on follow-up with an eye doctor or more regularly visit the eye clinic for checks.

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At the Eye Clinic

Besides the consultation with the eye doctor, there are ancillary tests that are typically done at the eye clinic - usually a visual acuity check to see how well your vision is or a refraction to determine the 'degrees' of your eyes.

While a small minority of patients may choose to forgo such tests, perhaps to save time or costs, the results of such tests can be useful, for instance in seeing how a condition or disease is progressing and affecting the patient's central vision clarity.

With the refraction - or eye power test - done, eye clinics may give a prescription to the patient. Some clinics may write for the prescriber of the eyewear to adjust and refine, or for the patient to be re-tested, while others may indicate that glasses should be prescribed as stated.

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At the Optical Shop

Optical shops typically offer a refraction in order to obtain the 'degree' of the eyes for the purpose of doing the glasses for you.

When you bring in a prescription from an eye clinic, we prefer to ask a few more questions, for example:

- The reason for the visit to the eye doctor.

- More details on any eye conditions diagnosed at the eye clinic.

- If the doctor or optometrist at the clinic has advised anything regarding doing new glasses

- When the next follow-up will be, if any.

- How your current glasses are working for you.

The Challenges

Some practitioners may prefer to write the prescription that corrects the vision best, while others may give the actual prescription to be prescribed, which may have been adjusted. The problem is - the optical shop often doesn't know which is the case.

And so, we have to take a holistic approach in ensuring your new prescription and new glasses work for you. This includes taking into account all the information we have, including our own refraction results.

As prescribing and dispensing of spectacles are closely linked it is best to have your spectacles dispensed where you have your eyes examined. It is often more difficult to resolve any problems you may have with your spectacles when prescribing and supply are separated. - The College of Optometrists, UK, 2016

What you can do for the Best Results

When going to the optical shop:

- Always bring along your current glasses, even if they aren't 100% clear, as they can give a good insight into what works and what doesn't;

- Explain a little about your eye condition; for older folks who may not be too sure, bringing a family member when visiting both the eye doctor and the optical shop may help a lot;

- Don't forget your eye doctor's prescription!

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Why we may adjust the prescription

Sometimes, we do find ourselves adjusting the prescription. There are various reasons for this, including:

- There is a large change in the prescription and the wearer might not be able to adapt to the 'full prescription';

- It has been a long time since the eye doctor's prescription;

- The customer feels more comfortable with our refracted prescription;

- We take into consideration the wearer's lifestyle and the type of eyewear chosen by the customer.

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The more extreme cases

And of course, there will be the few folks who withhold the prescription or information about the eye doctor's visit, in order to 'test' the optical shop to see if they are able to obtain the same prescription as the eye clinic.

Some people even go to the extent of not allowing the optical store to use their current glasses as a reference point.

The downside of doing so is a lower standard of care. The lesser information your eye care practitioner has, the lower the chance that your problems can be dealt with satisfactorily. And it's just pointless.

Think of it this way - if you have a bacterial infection, and you know the pathogen causing the infection, do you 'test' the doctor by refusing to say anything? In this case you'd probably get a broad-spectrum 'general' antibiotic as a first step, which could be less effective than an antibiotic that can better target the pathogen and make you well sooner.

Your eye care practitioners - whether they may be optometrists in eye clinics doing the refraction for you, or the opticians in optical shops fitting your swanky new pair of spectacles for you - work in loose tandem to give you the best care possible. Giving them the appropriate information is to your best benefit.

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Tourist/Foreigner Information: Doing Eyeglasses in Singapore - do I need a prescription?

"Do I need a prescription to get glasses done in Singapore? How quickly can glasses be done in Singapore? Is it expensive to do a pair of spectacles in Singapore?"

These are common questions faced by tourists and foreigners who are here for a shorter duration - perhaps you've broken your eyeglasses and need a new pair urgently, or probably you just want a spare one before heading on to continue your trip around the world.

Do I need a prescription for glasses in Singapore?

Yes, you will need a valid prescription to buy glasses in Singapore, however most optical stores will be able to perform a refraction for you, thus 'creating' a prescription.

In some countries, it's the standard to visit the optometrist (swanky clinic with a reception area perhaps?) for an eye check, and then take the prescription to an optical shop to be fulfilled by the optician.

However, the all-in-one style is quite the standard here in Singapore - the optical store that sells you your glasses also has the optician or optometrist who will do the eye test for you, thus removing the need to have your eyes checked at one place and taking the prescription to be fulfilled at another place.

Hence, choosing a nice frame at an optical store and then saying you want to "do eye test" or "I need to test my degree" might be more easily understood than "I need to get a prescription".

Do note that a different extent and scope of eye care is provided by different types of eyecare practitioners in different parts of the world; and even in Singapore, there are a variety of options, depending on your preferences and needs. You should visit one (or more) that best suits you.

If your prescription is in a "plus cylinder" format, it will need to be converted to a "minus cylinder" format in Singapore as the standard here is the latter.

How quickly can I get my glasses done in Singapore? Is it fast?

Singapore is known for efficiency, so the answer is yes you can get it done pretty fast - with some limitations.

There is a huge choice of different types of optical shops in Singapore, with very different business styles. Some stores are able to provide an express service, where you can get your new spectacles in an hour or within the day itself.

Usually, this can be done for single vision lenses, where the prescription or degree is not too high, as lenses out of the regular range have to either be ordered from the supplier or made-to-order at a lens lab, hence taking up more time.

We wrote more details about our glasses express service here.

Progressive lenses, sometimes known as multifocals or varifocals, are made to order (at least that's what we do) and hence cannot be 'expressed', even if you 'express' great inclination for it.

Is it expensive to do a pair of spectacles in Singapore for a foreigner or even as a resident in Singapore?

As of writing this, the Singapore dollar is stronger against many major currencies compared to a decade or two ago, therefore it may be 'more expensive' than in the past for returning visitors, but the cost of eyeglasses remain very affordable in Singapore when we compare the overall cost of living.

Like many other things you can spend on in Singapore, you have a diverse range of optical shops to choose from - from online and hybrid models to the sophisticated high-end retailers, so how much (or little) to spend really depends on what you're looking for.

You can check out our inclusive and transparent prices over at our Shop before heading down to us.

If you're looking for a ballpark figure though - there isn't one exact number, because there are just too many products, levels of service, and business models to select from. But we did write an article about the average cost of spectacles in Singapore, just to help you get a rough estimate.

For Otago Optical, a pair of glasses can be done much cheaper than the average hotel room rate, and comfortably within the daily earnings of 80% of full-time employed resident workers.

Have fun!

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