Two practices explain how their customers are happy to pay more for premium lens and coating products renowned for their clarity, UV protection and scratch-resistance.
Before she was an optometrist and business owner, Ms Minh Le was a qualified engineer.
While she studied for that degree, she worked for her uncle, an optometrist.
And after she qualified and then realised there wasn’t enough engineering work, her focus once more turned to his business and optometry as an option.
“I found that optometry is very well blended between technology, clinical and business,” she says.
So she went back to university, qualified as an optometrist and the rest is history for the woman who now owns the Optimax Eyecare practice in Burwood, NSW.
Now, you can take the person out of engineering, but you can’t necessarily take engineering out of the person.
And when she was considering her options for lens suppliers for her practice and patients, Le wasn’t to be swayed by slick advertising or marketing. She had to test the options herself.
“I only sell a product that I have personally experienced and trust,” she says.
“I love technology,” says Le. “So that›s why I went online and started searching about innovation in lenses.”
Plenty of companies promised all kinds of things, but one in particular caught Le’s eye. One offered a 1.76 high-index lens, which it claimed was the thinnest refractive plastic lens in the world.
“That made me curious.”
She investigated further, liked what she saw and then, rather than wait for the company to come to her, Le sent an email to Japanese lens manufacturer Tokai Optical, offering to sell and test the product herself.
The company has been a good fit for a professional with an engineering background and a love of technology.
The Tokai Optical Product Division, initially established as the Thin Film Division, has developed significant resources and technological expertise to create advanced ophthalmic lens coatings.
This division has extended its capabilities beyond ophthalmics, offering various industries specialised coatings such as dichroic filters for medical instruments, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and inspection systems, and laser-processing applications.
These products and coatings often surpass the complexity of ophthalmic lens coatings, with some featuring up to 300 layers and demanding exceptionally precise and stringent measurement standards, particularly within the semiconductor industry.
Furthermore, the Tokai Optical Product Division has actively explored astronomical applications, contributing to the development of optical collectors for sensors installed in the Cherenkov Telescope Array situated in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain.
Leveraging the resources and technological advancements cultivated by the Product Division, Tokai Optical has consistently driven the production of premium coatings for ophthalmic lenses.
Notably, Tokai Optical holds the distinction of being the first company globally to introduce hydrophobic coatings for ophthalmic lenses.
A decade on from that initial research, Le regards the ongoing relationship with the company as a success story for both her practice and patients.
Optimax Eyecare has a largely middle-aged clientele in an area with a significant Asian community. Le and her staff deal with a fair bit of glaucoma and macular degeneration.
She has a number of lens options, from Tokai and other companies, but finds it’s often the former that is her ‘go-to’ product for a mix of patients that range from tradies to retired people. From wealthy to those unable to afford health insurance.
Le says the Tokai lenses and coatings, especially the new Ultra Shield Performance (USP) product, offer outstanding UV protection and scratch-resistant technology, with that UV protection being standard over the past 25 years.
The USP coating became available to Australian independents in September 2024, with major selling points being its durability and ultra-low reflection, balanced with aesthetic appeal.
“I also found that their UV protection is really good,” Le says. “And you know, in Australia, our UV rate is much higher than other countries.”
The price of the Tokai lens is a little higher than other products but many of her customers are happy to pay that for a premium product from a company known as a world-leader in optical and laser technology.
The firm’s coatings are not only used on optical lenses but also sensitive and sophisticated medical devices such as surgical equipment.
Again, rather than take Tokai’s word for it, the engineer in Le wanted further proof, so she visited the company’s factory during a trip to Japan.
“In 2017 I went to Japan to see the cherry blossoms and the Tokai agent organised a tour for me and a couple of my staff.”
They put their Tokai lenses and two from other manufacturers through the company’s UV spectrometer and it was the host’s product that came out on top.
That’s why she’s confident in offering the Tokai lenses to her patients, and particularly tradies working under Australia’s harsh sun.
Even patients without access to health insurance, who must pay for the high-end premium USP-coated lenses from their own back pocket.
“So they want one pair of glasses, right, that will last them for years. You can pay a little bit extra but they will last longer.”
Le is particularly impressed with Tokai’s latest coating.
The company says it is made with high molecular density and hybridised molecules and particles, meaning it is two times more scratch-resistant than its Max Shield Coating and with no reflection.
While she visited Tokai, Le was offered a metal kitchen scrub to test the strength of the coating and the company’s claims.
“They gave me the normal lens and the USP one, and I scrubbed it by myself, and it was so amazing, the scratch-resistance.
“They do scratch. I used a key but you can see that the scratch is much shallower and slender than in other lenses,” she says.
Big fan of high-quality manufacturing
Like Le, Mr Ethan Ong has visited the Tokai site in Japan. And like his NSW counterpart, the co-owner of Eyemax Optical in Footscray, Melbourne, was very impressed.
“Being able to visit Tokai’s factory and being able to observe its operations was a truly enlightening experience,” he says.
“It was fascinating to see the seamless co-ordination of machinery to the meticulous attention to detail in each stage of production; it highlights the impressive engineering and planning that went into creating such quality lenses.”
He was also given an insight into the technology behind the company’s many products, “which instills confidence that the lenses we sell represent the latest advancements in technology and provides our patients with the highest-quality lens available on the market”.
His practice sells a number of lenses from different providers, but the Tokai lenses and coatings are now his first port of call.
And his patients understand and appreciate their quality and durability.
Like Ong, they are impressed by the origin of their manufacturing.
“Japanese manufacturing is widely recognised for its precision and commitment to quality, producing finished products that exemplify their craftsmanship. This is actually a very strong selling point.”
Eyemax Optical has been selling Tokai lenses and coatings for a number of years.
Ong has become a big fan. Not just of their well-established UV protection, scratch-resistance and durability, but also the range of colours and tints in their multi- and single-focus lenses.
“They offer a wide range of colors and can also match specific tints when required,” he says.
“We offer as standard RMC (Rear Multi Coats) on all our tinted lenses, as it significantly reduces reflections on the back surface of the lens, where light entering from behind can bounce off the inner surface of the lens and create distracting glare.
“The RMC also enhances visual clarity and comfort. Additionally, it improves the overall efficiency of light transmission through the lens, ensuring better optical performance.”
Like other optometry practices, frames are an important part of Ong’s business, but he believes the lens is the more vital part of the transaction.
“It’s essential to pair premium lenses with our frames, as the lens is the most critical component of eyewear.
“Ultimately, the lens determines the wearer’s visual experience, as it is what they rely on to see clearly,” he says.
“Offering my patients premium lenses that deliver superior quality and performance is our top priority.”
That often means offering patients the Tokai product.
And over the past few months, that has included offering Tokai’s new premium USP coating.
“We have been offering that coating to patients who spend more time indoors, such as office workers,” says Ong.
“The new USP coating offers several advantages above and beyond traditional multi-coats – the lenses are clearer and more scratch-resistant.”
The patients like the exceptional clarity and are very impressed with the anti-reflective properties.
Customers were quite comfortable paying extra because they were getting a better lens.
And Ong is comfortable recommending the Tokai products to others in the eyecare industry.
“For those seeking to provide their patients with optimal eye protection, exceptional vision, and superior clarity, I would highly recommend Tokai lenses and coatings.”
More reading
Tokai Optical: Where tradition meets innovation
Seeing the world in a new light with Tokai’s CCP/CCP400 lenses
Tokai Optical Australia: Bridging employee and company values
