Tell us about your company — what you do, who you serve, and what makes you unique in the industry.
PTS Optics has been serving Canadian practitioners and patients for over 35 years. Founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, we have been an industry leader in lens design innovation and diagnostics since day one.
PTS is recognized for developing some of the earliest and most advanced scleral and orthokeratology designs. We are currently on our fourth-generation Ortho-K design, which is manufactured and distributed globally. Furthermore, as the North American distributor of Medmont corneal topographers for the last 25 years, we recognize that accurate ocular surface mapping is the foundation of a successful contact lens fitting.
In 2026, the mission of PTS remains the same as it was in 1989: we take pride in the relationships we’ve built by offering quality products and excellent service. While our values are constant, our methods continue to evolve. The implementation of our cloud-based lens design and ordering platform (KATT Cloud), alongside the new Medmont Vantage scleral profilometer, will ensure we continue to bring value to our doctors and patients for another 35 years and beyond.
What inspired the founding of your company, and how has that vision evolved?
The founding of PTS occurred during a period that mirrors many of the challenges our industry faces today. At the time, small, local manufacturers were being consolidated by large corporations, and many facilities in British Columbia were being shuttered. This shift presented a unique opportunity to fill a critical need for both practitioners and patients.
Our founding goal was to be a “make anything and everything” laboratory. This versatile mindset helped us forge lasting partnerships and fostered innovation across nearly all GP lens designs. Over the years, we have collaborated with numerous esteemed clinicians to develop and commercialize groundbreaking new designs.
As demand for these innovations grew, so did our footprint. We acquired a lab in Ontario to better serve our partners in Eastern Canada, allowing us to support practitioners from coast to coast. Today, we continue to expand our offerings, including our latest advancement in myopia management: the Be Free Day Pro soft lens.
What should our members know about your team and the talent that powers your work?
The talent powering our work is defined by deep, specialized experience. Many of our team members have over 20 years of industry expertise, with several exceeding the 30-year mark.
This translates to a group that has mastered their craft, ensuring that every lens we produce meets our rigorous standards. This long-standing tenure allows us to offer our customers not just a product, but a wealth of technical knowledge and a consistently reliable experience that only decades of practice can provide.
Tell us something that you wish more people in the industry knew about your company.
We are proud to have been one of the very first laboratories to receive Health Canada approval for overnight wear. While the upfront investment and ongoing quality certifications—such as MDSAP—require a significant commitment of time and resources, we believe these standards make us a better company. More importantly, they allow us to provide higher-quality, safer products to our customers.
We welcome and congratulate fellow members of the CLMA who have met the rigorous requirements to sell lenses legally in Canada. Furthermore, we encourage any manufacturer interested in the Canadian market to reach out and inquire about these essential regulatory standards to ensure the highest level of patient care across the industry.
Why did you join CLMA, and how has being a member impacted your business or outlook on the industry?
We joined the CLMA because we recognized the vital importance of the industry speaking with a single, consistent voice. As the landscape evolves, challenges and changes are inevitable; however, the CLMA is critical in ensuring that members can pool their collective influence to drive positive change.
Being a member has reinforced our outlook that collaboration is the key to industry resilience. It allows us to stay at the forefront of regulatory and clinical shifts while contributing to the high standards expected in our industry.
Steve Turpin, OD, MS
General Manager
steve.turpin@ptsoptics.com
