OWNDAYS, a Japanese eye wear brand opened in Abreeza Ayala Mall its first store in Mindanao here in Davao last September 14, 2018.
It is one of the largest optical chains from Japan that opened its first store in Tokyo in 2002. They currently have 250 optical shops in 10 countries selling more than 2 million pairs of glasses each year.
They opened their first open concept optical store in the Philippines in 2015. There are now more than 30 branches nationwide including one in Cebu and this first one in Mindanao.
They make a wide range of high quality frames in more than 1,500 styles to choose from that will suit any lifestyle from basic to functional, stylish and fashionable.
All eyeglasses displayed in the shops are said to be original brands that have been designed and manufactured by OWNDAYS. Prices ranges from P1,990 to P6,990 in an all-in-one pricing system. They offer free eye exam and it takes about 20 minutes quick processing for you to get your eyeglasses, except for option lenses. Their frames and lenses are covered by 1 year limited warranty and lifetime maintenance services.
OWNDAYS open concept store lets you walk into the store and you are free to try on all the frames with its open modules to give you liberty to choose what frame you want to try on. There are mirrors right in front of each module so you can instantly check on how your glasses looks on you.
Plus there are full body mirrors that you will find on the side display open shelves so you can conveniently check fully if the frame and glasses suit your look, style and preference.
Their staff on the opening day that I talked to were mostly from Manila so my Tagalog was put into use but you can freely speak to them in English too. Some of them can understand already a little of the Visayan dialect. They were very friendly and accommodating. Those who I talked to were very nice and good in explaining the features of each kind of frame and glasses. Their Davao team am sure are friendly too.
As I went around choosing my eyeglasses during the opening day, I was initially drawn to the PC lens glasses that I actually have been wanting to get for my boys and me for quite sometime now. Since I am mostly working in front of my Macky laptop and on my smartphone, I need glasses that would help reduce the harm of being constantly exposed staring and looking into blue light emitted by digital devices causing eyestrain. This same concern is what I have for my young little guy who spends time on digital devices. Though I have successfully cut of TV time except when we watch Sunday healing mass on TV. The PC lens is good for those who spend time looking at TV, computer, laptop, smartphones and other digital gadgets that emit the blue light.
But in the long run, I ended up choosing the glasses with snap lens which you can find on display just right at the front area of the shop. It let’s you have a basic eyeglass and frame plus at the same time another pair of lens for your sunglasses.
There are 4 kinds of lenses which you can choose from to pair with your chosen basic frame. I chose the grey lenses used with glare reducing function when worn outdoors since I do mostly walking especially in doing errands or when we go to the nearby malls. You simply snap over the basic frame the second pair of lens that you can also easily take out or remove. I liked it so far.
They have licensed optometrists to facilitate eye exams at the store and they do have refraction equipment there as well. The kind and optometrist Ms. Fatima who did my further eye exam in a room convinced me to get my own eyeglasses to address an eye concern. I am glad I finally gave in and now I can see a lot clearly people and things from afar. It takes a little time each morning to get used to wearing the graded lens now. Indeed, oh man, it gave me a brighter, clearer and sharper vision. It’s like seeing in Blu-ray high definition kind of vision with sharper images right before me and I can see a lot clearly now the words from a distance.
Davaoenos are now given another choice to be treated to a clear and fresh start each day using their glasses. I am one of those grateful since I have finally given in to using my prescription glasses which I have been trying to delay for quite sometime now. This Tita in Davao is no longer in denial that as we age, our vision won’t be as clear as we wish it still is or how it was when we were younger.
Now when I go out and wear my new pair of glasses from OWNDAYS, I will be silently singing in my head, “I can see clearly now, the ( ‘blur’ ) is gone!” That’s to the tune of Johnny Nash’s song or Jimmy Cliff’s version if you are from the younger generation. I still have to adjust later on to a lens perhaps that allows me to see clearly from afar and at the same time will able me to use it for reading as well. In time, we will get there.
For your eye concerns, do visit OWNDAYS at the ground floor of Abreeza Ayala Mall in J.P. Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City. For updates, visit their website www.owndays.com/ph, Facebook @owndays.ph or Instagram @owndaysph.
Arigato gozaimasu, OWNDAYS! Konnichiwa!