Toledo optician creates art for the eyes
By Dawn Wolfe
Mary Nyitray
Mary Nyitray has seen a lot of changes in the optical field since her father first opened the family business, Optical Arts, Inc., in 1962. “When Dad named it, ‘Optical Arts’ it was about ‘the art of eye wear’ – the art of designing lenses and prescriptions. We’re still doing that, but the business today is even more about frame designs and selecting frames to make people look good,” Mary explained.
Mary added that today lenses themselves can be art, and her business does everything from colored edging, tattooing, to adding Swarovski crystals. Lenses have also gone high-tech. “A lens isn’t just a lens today – now we’re producing them digitally, and we can create high-definition lenses – like high-definition TVs, you see a little clearer, a little sharper.” In addition, Optical Arts is the only eye wear business in northwestern Ohio with an instrument that measures precise factors, like the fit of the glasses on your face and whether you move your head or your eyes – resulting in totally customized progressive lenses for people who can’t tolerate, or just don’t want, traditional bifocals or progressive lenses.
Starting in February, Optical Arts will be offering yet another innovation – electronic lenses. These lenses create yet another option for the progressive lens wearer. “If you’re looking at a piece of paper in front of you, for example, all you’ll need to do is touch your frame for a second and the glasses will magnify the image for you,” Mary said. “To me, these things are very cutting edge, and I’m always excited to find new ways to help people see better.”
Glasses don’t just affect the way people see the world – they also affect the way the world sees the people who wear them. Mary is excited about the fashion aspects of her business. “I’ve always been about making people look better,” she said enthusiastically. “Glasses are a fashion accessory. I’ve had so many women come in who wear contact lenses because they hate the look of themselves in glasses. But contacts won’t make you look better – when I work my magic, I can camouflage the wrinkles or dark circles under your eyes, give your face color, and make you look healthier and younger.”
Mary stated, “I have an ad out that says, ‘I will not be held responsible for the positive attention you receive in my eye wear,’ and I mean it, because people do get positive attention when they’re wearing my eye wear.” She added that her customers have reported being approached by strangers while traveling and asked whether their glasses had come from Optical Arts. “One client said she was approached when she was in Chicago – and another one when she was in LA,” Mary said. “It’s great to be getting that kind of recognition!”
Having her work recognized by fashion-conscious individuals is just the beginning. Toledo’s City Paper has voted Optical Arts the best “Place for Cool Eye Wear” in Toledo four years in a row, and a national publication for the optical industry, “Vision Monday,” has named Mary “One of the Most Influential Women in Optics.”
Mary said that choosing the right look in eye wear is as important to her male clients as it is to the women who shop with her. “When a man comes in here wearing a nice suit and he has everything coordinated nicely, but his glasses are outdated, I know that gentleman is into his work style and I need to show him eye wear that will enhance his professional look,” she said. “When you shake someone’s hand or you’re giving a presentation, what do people see? They’re looking right in your eyes, and they’re looking at your glasses.”
Creating the right look for each customer is a personalized process, which includes cameras that take pictures from different angles so customers can see how they look in different frames. “You can get your prescription filled other places,” Mary said, “but when you leave here you have a pair of glasses like no other because of how they are customized for you.”
While Mary admits her business has felt the effects of the recession, she added that, “I have clients who love what I do, who totally support me, and they are referring people to me all the time.” Mary also stated that the notion of smaller optical businesses like hers always charging more than larger chain stores is a myth. “I had a lady here recently who wanted to use her optical insurance, so she went to several places to compare prices – my lenses were $75 to $175 less than everyone else wanted to charge her for the same type of lenses and treatments. I know the economy is not good and people are trying to save money, but are my prices outrageous? Absolutely not.”
If you have found this story interesting, informative or inspiring, please let Mary know! You can contact her at 419-535-7837; visit Optical Arts at 2934 W. Central Ave., Toledo, Ohio; or visit the website at www.opticalartsinc.com.
