Across Canada, awareness around the importance of regular eye exams is a significant challenge. According to the Canada Eyecare Report 2025, one in three Canadian adults is overdue for, or has never had, an eye exam. According to said report, cost remains the largest barrier, with more than half of Canadians saying the expense of an eye exam is a concern.
For eyecare professionals, that need represents both a gap in accessibility and an opportunity to help shape the future of vision health in Canada.
What makes Specsavers different
At Specsavers, that opportunity is grounded in a purpose that has guided the business for more than four decades: changing lives through better sight. When Doug and Mary Perkins, husband and wife optometrist duo, founded Specsavers in 1984, they set out to make quality eyecare more affordable and accessible. All the while building a business rooted in partnership, professional expertise and care for the communities it serves.
Today, Specsavers operates across 10 countries and serves millions of people annually. In Canada, where the brand launched in 2021, that purpose has helped support significant growth, from 16 locations in British Columbia to more than 275 stores across the country.
But the next chapter of Specsavers in Canada isn’t just about growth in numbers. Specsavers’ next phase is focused on supporting the eyecare professionals that make change possible, expanding access to quality care and building partnerships that help local communities thrive for the long term.
A purpose suited to Canada
Why Canada? For Doug and Mary Perkins, it was the people and collaborative approach to eyecare that stood out.
“While on holiday in Canada, I visited dozens of optical outlets across the country and gained valuable insight into how a range of eyecare professionals operate,” said Mary Perkins. “It is particularly encouraging to see systems where optometrists and opticians are working closely side by side. Canada certainly stood out in this regard.”
That sense of collaboration continues to shape Specsavers’ approach in Canada. The company operates through a partnership model, where retail and optometry partners have ownership stakes in their locations. Independent optometrists provide care from clinics, of which they are 100% owners, operating within Specsavers locations, while store partners share the success of the business as genuine co-owners.
And Specsavers is proving its commitment to its partners. Doug and Mary Perkins have placed the business into a family trust, which outlines that it cannot be sold to private equity. This ensures that the business remains rooted in long-term partnership and giving eyecare professionals the support, stability and shared purpose to grow their practices.
For Jane Hoban, managing director of Specsavers Canada, that model reflects a belief that has always been central to the business.
“This is a business built on the belief that access to quality eyecare is a right, not a privilege,” says Hoban. “You feel it in the partnership model, in the relationships between partners and their communities, and in the way people talk about why they joined the business.”
Supporting care, not compromising it
As Specsavers expands, its focus is on helping more people access quality professional care. Its model is designed to provide support while protecting the importance of clinical expertise. Specsavers helps provide the tools, technology and operational support that allow eyecare professionals to focus on delivering quality care and building sustainable clinics.
Specsavers locations in Canada are equipped with Optical Coherence Tomography, technology to support optometrists in detecting eye conditions such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease at early stages. By making this technology available across its Canadian network, Specsavers aims to support high-quality clinical care and help more Canadians better understand their eye health.
For Hoban, the strength of the Canadian business comes back to the people behind it.
“The people-first approach to business that is foundational to Doug and Mary’s vision permeates across regions, and Canada is no exception,” she says. “I was struck by the genuine pride and passion our people bring to their work every day.”
That culture has also been recognized more broadly. Specsavers was named one of Canada’s Best Workplaces™, something Hoban sees as both a reflection of the business today and a foundation for future growth.
“Being recognized this year as one of Canada’s Best Workplaces™ is a testament to the incredible culture that has been built here,” she says, “and a strong foundation as we continue to grow and bring quality, accessible eyecare to more Canadians.”
An opportunity to build what’s next
As Specsavers looks ahead, the next phase of growth in Canada will be shaped by the optometrists, opticians, store partners and support teams who want to help more Canadians understand the value of regular eye exams.
“The vision and purpose for Specsavers is to change lives through better sight,” says Hoban. “Through our expansion in Canada to more than 275 stores, we have an opportunity to make a real difference in the vision health of Canadians.”
For eyecare professionals considering their next career move, that opportunity is both personally meaningful and career-building. Specsavers offers a pathway to practice with support, build connections in the community and be part of a global network that shares ideas across markets.
“Every week these countries share great ideas in advancing optometry and optics, from Australia to the U.K., and now Canada,” says Mary Perkins. “We are a global partnership.”
For Doug Perkins, the idea behind Specsavers’ growth remains simple. “Great professional service coupled with great value. There is no substitute.”
As Specsavers continues to grow in Canada, it’s looking for eyecare professionals who share that belief and want to help make quality care more accessible for the communities they serve.
