Optician in Montréal

PrimeVision is an optician in Montréal with an optometry clinic under the same roof, at 9520 Bd de l'Acadie, Suite 222, near Marché Central. Your glasses are selected, measured and fitted by a licensed optician, in the same place where our optometrists examine your eyes. For a new prescription, have an eye exam in Montréal on site. You can also bring a valid prescription from another clinic.

What a visit with the optician in Montréal covers

You choose a frame from more than 4,000 in store; the optician takes the measurements your lenses depend on, recommends a lens design and coatings, and adjusts the finished glasses on your face. Bring a valid prescription, or have your eye exam on site first: RAMQ covers one complete eye exam a year for adults 65 and over and for children under 18, and we see children from age 4. Questions before you come? Call 514-827-7463.

Your optician: Michel Geha

Michel Geha is a dispensing optician and a member of the Ordre des opticiens d'ordonnances du Québec, permit number 3675. He is the founder of PrimeVision; meet the rest of our team. He helps you choose a frame that works with your prescription, takes the measurements your lenses depend on, recommends the lens design and coatings that fit how you use your eyes, and adjusts the finished glasses on your face.

What an optician does

In Québec, a dispensing optician is the regulated professional who fills an optical prescription. The optometrist examines your eyes and writes the prescription. The optician turns that prescription into glasses or contact lenses that actually work for you:

  • Choosing a frame that suits your face, your prescription and your lifestyle
  • Measuring pupil distance and fitting height, which decide whether progressive lenses feel right
  • Recommending lenses: single vision, progressive, office, photochromic, polarized, high-index
  • Verifying the finished lenses against the prescription before you receive them
  • Adjusting the glasses so they sit straight, stay put and feel comfortable
  • Repairing and readjusting glasses over time

An optician does not perform eye exams or make a diagnosis. If your glasses still bother you after a proper fitting, the optician will send you to the optometrist to recheck the prescription.

Why the fitting matters

Two pairs of glasses made from the same prescription can feel completely different. If the optical centre of a lens sits a few millimetres from where your eye looks through it, you can get eye strain, headaches or a swimming sensation, especially with strong prescriptions and progressive lenses. Careful measurements and a proper fitting are what make a prescription comfortable to wear all day.

How your lenses are measured

A prescription tells us the power of your lenses. It does not say where that power should sit in the frame. That is the optician's job, and it is done with the frame you chose, on your face:

  • Pupil distance (PD). The distance from the centre of each pupil to the middle of your nose, measured for each eye. It places the optical centre of each lens in front of your pupil.
  • Fitting height. The height of your pupil in the frame. It is essential for progressive lenses and for myopia control lenses.
  • Frame position. How the frame tilts and how far it sits from your eye change the way the lens performs. We adjust the frame first, then measure.

Fitting progressive lenses

A progressive lens corrects distance, arm's length and reading vision in a single lens, with no visible line. It only works if each zone sits exactly in front of your pupil. That is why we measure pupil distance and fitting height in the frame you chose, and tell you which frames have enough height for all three zones. Most people adapt to progressive lenses within a few days to two weeks. If something feels off after two weeks, come back and we will check the fit.

Lens options, explained simply

  • Single vision. One power, for distance, reading or the computer.
  • Progressive. Every distance in one lens, for people over about 40.
  • Office lenses. Designed for screen and reading distances, if you spend the day at a desk.
  • Photochromic. Clear indoors, darker outdoors. Transitions is a well-known brand. They darken less behind a car windshield.
  • Polarized sun lenses. They cut glare from the road, water and snow. The practical choice if you drive a lot.
  • Thin high-index lenses. Thinner and lighter for stronger prescriptions. We show you how your lens will look in the frame before you order.
  • Blue light filter. Available if you want one. To be straightforward: according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, there is no scientific evidence that blue light from screens damages the eye.

Optician services at PrimeVision

Our eyewear boutique: the brands we carry

Every frame we sell is authentic and sourced through authorized distribution. We carry Ray-Ban, Gucci, Prada, Miu Miu, Saint Laurent, Balmain, Montblanc and Oakley, along with Dior, Fendi, Celine and Tom Ford, available in boutique only. We also carry Meta AI glasses, which can be fitted with prescription lenses. Browse the styles online, then try them on in the boutique.

Bringing a prescription from another clinic

Already have a valid prescription? Bring it and we will make your glasses from it. If your vision has changed since, or your current glasses give you headaches, an eye exam on site is a good idea before you order. A glasses prescription cannot be used to order contact lenses: those need a separate fitting. See our page on contact lenses.

Glasses for children and for sport

If your child needs glasses, you can choose the frame in our boutique right after their children's eye exam. We fit the frame to your child's face, have the lenses cut to the prescription, and readjust the glasses for as long as your child wears them. Allow a few days to adjust and follow the optometrist's wearing schedule. Photochromic lenses work well for children who go in and out all day. We examine children from age 4, and RAMQ covers eye exams for children under 18 and adults 65+. For sport and the outdoors, tell us about your activities: we will show you frames that stay put, including Oakley, and polarized prescription sun lenses.

Optician, optometrist or ophthalmologist?

The optometrist examines your eyes and prescribes. The optician fills the prescription and fits your glasses. The ophthalmologist is a medical doctor and surgeon who treats eye disease. At PrimeVision you have an optometrist and an optician under one roof, so your exam and your glasses are handled together. Read more about our optometrists in Montréal.

Insurance

We bill most major insurers directly for glasses and contact lenses, so you pay only the difference. RAMQ offers a reimbursement toward glasses bought for a child under 18.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find an optician in Montréal?

You can see an optician in Montréal at PrimeVision, an optometry clinic and optical store at 9520 boulevard de l'Acadie, Suite 222, open Monday to Saturday. Our optician, Michel Geha, O.O.D., helps you choose frames and lenses, takes your measurements and adjusts your glasses, in French and English. Bring a prescription from another clinic, or have your eye exam here with our optometrists: book online, the times shown are the open ones.

Can you put new lenses in my current frame?

Yes, if the frame is in good condition. The optician checks it first, since new lenses in a fragile frame may not hold.

How long does it take to get used to progressive lenses?

Usually a few days to two weeks. If you have not adapted after two weeks, come back so we can check the fit.

Do blue light lenses help with eye strain?

Studies are mixed. Tired eyes at the screen often come from blinking less, glare or a prescription that is slightly off, so we look at the whole picture: an up-to-date prescription, an anti-reflective coating and, if you want one, a blue light filter.

My glasses slide or sit crooked. What should I do?

Come see us. For eyewear bought from us, you get adjustments and minor repairs whenever you need them.

Can an optician do an eye exam?

No. In Québec, the eye exam is done by an optometrist; the optician fills the prescription and fits your glasses. At PrimeVision both work in the same place, so you can have your eye exam and then choose your glasses without going elsewhere.

Visit your optician in Montréal

PrimeVision, 9520 Bd de l'Acadie, Suite 222, Montréal, QC H4N 1L8, in Ahuntsic-Cartierville near Marché Central. Live or work nearby? See our page on our optometrist in Ahuntsic, near Marché Central. Open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Come in during opening hours to choose a frame or have your glasses adjusted, call 514-827-7463, or book an eye exam online.