Meet Bill Valentine of Bill Valentine Optical

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Valentine.

Bill Valentine, Sr., a Master Optician, began dispensing eyeglasses in the Glendale/Pasadena area around 1955. Bill’s son, also named Bill Valentine, began his career in the optical field after graduating from LACC in Ophthalmic Dispensing, 1971. The Vietnam war took Bill away for four years in the Navy. Working part time as an optician, Bill continued his education in psychology. Realizing how much he enjoyed working in the optical field after graduate school; was hired by Dr. James McCaffery, a leading figure in cataract lens implantation, in 1975 to establish the first in-house Glendale Eye Medical Group Optical Shop. Bill Valentine became a fixture at the medical group optical department for decades. Today Bill, now a second-generation Master Optician, is now enjoying being an independent optician. Bill teaches a part-time Workshop in Dispensing Opticianry to a select few students every six months, as well as continues to fill prescriptions daily in his office. Personalized service offering affordable eyewear expertly fitted. Bill’s son Bobby is the third-generation optician and operates mostly on the West side of town.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye which leads to a decrease in vision. Before the advent of cataract lens implants, patients did not have a choice in treatment. Patients would have the cataract lens behind the cornea, that causes blurry dim vision, removed and were fitted with very thick lenses in spectacles to compensate for the loss of the lens. A doctor came up with the idea of replacing the lens that had the cataract with another artificial lens in the eye, around early 1970’s. This was a stellar idea, but it came with some new challenges for the opticians who filled the prescriptions. My background in optics and physico-psychology helped me to meet the new challenges during the early years of cataract lens implants. Today, the advances in cataract lens implant procedure takes only around 12 minutes, and the results are usually excellent. I guess that makes me a dinosaur in the optical field?

Please tell us about Bill Valentine Optical.
Affordable eyewear expertly fitted. I don’t have a lot of pricey name brands with high licensing fees attach to the name. High quality eyewear from smaller independent frame manufacturers is what I specialize in. I also specialize in Classic Car Eyewear. I will find a frame that was popular the year your car was manufactured. i.e. my ’52 Chevy 310 pick-up. I have a frame by Shuron that was popular in the late 40’s, and still sells well today.

Selling eyewear is both an art and a science. Maximizing the vision with a prescription, and the comfort in a frame. These are the values I teach and practice.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Moving from Buffalo, New York, to Los Angeles when I was young (8 yrs. old).

Pricing:

• Single vision lenses begin around $40

Contact Info:

• Address: 524 E. Glenoaks Blvd., Unit D
  Glendale, CA 91207
• Website: www.BillValentineOptical.com
• Phone: 818.398-1760
• Email: Eoptical@aol.com
• Facebook: Bill Valentine Optical
• Yelp: Bill Valentine Optical
• Other: #BillValentineOptical

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