Did you know that Downtown Vision is one of the oldest practices in Canada that provides optical and optometric care?
Since Toronto’s Victorian period there was a small group of skilled craftsmen known as “mathematical instrument makers” who made and retailed optical instruments. Some of these practiced their trade as “Opticians” on King Street, then Toronto’s main commercial thoroughfare.
In the 1860s, Charles Potter (1831-1899) became well-known as a scientific instrument maker, optician and astronomer. He opened his first store at 121 King St West and moved several times along the street. In 1864, he invented the first photographic ophthalmoscope with Abner Mulholland Rosebrugh, known as the father of ophthalmology in Toronto.
The practice became Potter Opticians over the years and was continued by optometrist W. Harry Landon in 1951, a founding member of the newly incorporated Canadian Association of Optometrists at the time. The practice was then carried forward by John M. Young in 1959.
In 1981, Dr. Carolyn Jarrett and Dr. Cindy Pope continued the practice on King St West before moving to 155 University as Dr. C Jarrett and Associates. The practice continued to evolve in the financial district, rebranding as Richmond University Vision Care at 200 University in 2013.
Dr. Abraham Yuen and Dr. Jiney Caines joined the practice in 2018 and continued to serve Dr. Jarrett’s patients and carried forward her legacy of eye care excellence. In 2024, the practice moved down into the PATH level of Richmond Adelaide Centre and became Downtown Vision, a full scope optometric clinic with a focus on advanced dry eye treatments.
Downtown Vision Optometrists can proudly trace its lineage directly back two centuries to Charles Potter and continues to this day to provide excellence in eyecare.
Our current location is not too far from where it all started!
