What Eye Recommend does

Eye Recommend, legally Doctors Eye Care Co-op Ltd., is a Canadian cooperative founded in 1985 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. It operates a network of over 600 independent optometrists across Canada, providing shared services to member clinics rather than operating clinics itself. The organization's core function is to help independent practitioners compete against corporate optometry chains by aggregating demand, sharing resources, and providing back-office and community support.

The cooperative's revenue model combines recurring cooperative membership fees (subscription) with transaction-fee economics from its group purchasing organization (GPO). Members commit to procuring products and services through Eye Recommend's billing system from approved suppliers, generating volume-based rebates and shared purchasing power. The product surface includes the membership program, a patient-facing Clinic Locator, an online Marketplace for jobs/equipment/practice transitions, the Focal Point educational video series, The Prisms Awards, NTE West and NTE East trade events, business coaching, and student programs via the Eye Care Edge Academy.

Distribution occurs through the network itself: patients access care at independently owned member clinics found via the Clinic Locator, while prospective optometrists apply through tiered online membership application forms (7+ years' experience vs. new graduates, with buy-in/buy-out/cold-start pathways). Governance is provided by a member-elected Board of Directors composed of practicing optometrists, with day-to-day operations led by CEO Lee Raffey (CFA, CPA-CMA; ex-CFO of RJames Management Group) and COO Teresa Sebastian.

Name

Eye Recommend

Legal name

Doctors Eye Care Co-op Ltd.

Website

https://eyerecommend.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Eye Recommend (Doctors Eye Care Co-op Ltd.) is a Canadian cooperative founded in 1985, serving a network of 600+ independent optometrists with membership services, group purchasing power, business coaching, and a Marketplace for jobs, equipment, and practice transitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optometry Cooperative Services

NAICS

Offices of Optometrists (621320), Optical Goods Retailers (456130), Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers (423460)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Optometry Clinics (Primary Eye Care) (HLAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Optometry cooperative
• Group purchasing
• Independent optometrists
• Practice management
• Member network

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Cooperative Membership Fees: Eye Recommend generates revenue through membership fees from its network of independent optometrists. Members pay fees to be part of the cooperative and receive benefits including group purchasing power, shared resources, marketing initiatives, and access to exclusive supplier discounts and rebates.
2. Group Purchasing Power: The cooperative leverages collective buying power across 600+ members to negotiate better pricing with suppliers. Revenue is generated through the purchasing system where members buy products and services through Eye Recommend's approved supplier network.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Eye Recommend is a cooperative of over 600 independent optometrists across Canada, providing member clinics with group purchasing power, business management resources, marketing support, professional development, and access to a peer network. The organization generates revenue through membership fees and a shared purchasing system that delivers volume-based rebates and supplier discounts to members.

Product overview

Eye Recommend is a cooperative organization operating as a network platform for independent optometrists across Canada. The core offering is the Membership program, which provides access to over 600 member clinics through a combination of business resources, group purchasing power, and professional development. The ecosystem includes a Marketplace for job postings and equipment, a Clinic Locator tool for patient referrals, the Focal Point video series for clinical education, The Prisms Awards for member recognition, and NTE trade show events. Student programs through Eye Care Edge Academy support future optometrists. The platform operates through an online membership application portal and provides business coaching services to help members optimize their practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eye Recommend Membership A cooperative membership program for independent optometrists in Canada, providing access to a network of over 600 members, business resources, group purchasing power, marketing support, and educational resources.
• Clinic Locator A directory tool enabling patients to find independent Eye Recommend member optometrists across Canada by location.
• Marketplace An online job board and marketplace for Eye Recommend members featuring job postings, equipment listings, practice space for sale, and inventory postings across Canada.
• Focal Point Video Series Educational video series featuring Eye Recommend member optometrists sharing expertise on clinical topics including AMD, dry eye, surgical co-management, and practice management.
• The Prisms Awards Annual industry awards program recognizing exceptional independent optometry professionals for leadership, patient care, and dedication to the profession across Canada.
• Optometry Students Program Student engagement initiative offering educational support, mentorship opportunities, career resources, and a marketplace for job placements targeting future independent optometrists.
• Member Advantages Exclusive benefits program providing members with business coaching, shared resources, joint marketing initiatives, group purchasing power, and access to industry partners and suppliers.
• Business Coaching Services Dedicated business coach support to help members identify business needs and deliver innovative solutions for practice management and growth.
• NTE Events Annual trade show and educational events (NTE West and NTE East) featuring industry speakers, networking opportunities, and continuing education for independent optometrists.
• Membership Application Portal Online application system with separate forms for optometrists with 7+ years experience and those with less than 7 years, including practice information, ownership structure, and references.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Eye Care Edge AcademycoreOthers · 1 January 2024Eye Care Edge Academy provides online courses designed for optometry students. Eye Recommend partners with this academy to provide exclusive access to online learning for students signing up for the student newsletter and membership program.
• Brightwire LeadershipsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Eye Recommend partnered with Brightwire Leadership for the Executive Training Program, which is designed to help board members and senior leaders develop leadership and governance skills. Dr. Christine Misener participated in this program in 2024.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FYidoctors: Canada's largest optometrist-owned network and buying group with hundreds of member clinics across the country. Closest direct peer to Eye Recommend by geography, cooperative ownership model, and member-driven purchasing structure.
• IRIS - The Visual Group: Canadian optometry and optical retail network with hundreds of clinics nationwide. Comparable as a competing Canadian optometry network aggregating independent practices under a unified brand and supplier framework.
• Vision Source: Largest U.S. optometry network/cooperative with thousands of member practices. Highly comparable cooperative-style model focused on independent optometrists, group purchasing, and practice support.
• OD Excellence: Independent optometry network offering practice management resources and vendor partnerships to member ODs. Overlapping membership-cooperative structure with Eye Recommend's business-coaching and supplier-network offering.
• PECAA: U.S. optical buying group and community for independent eye care professionals. Comparable member-services, vendor-negotiation, and practice-support value proposition to Eye Recommend.

Broad incumbents

• Specsavers: Global optical retail chain with corporate-owned and partnership-store optometry models. Competes for the same Canadian independent-optometry talent and end patients as Eye Recommend member clinics.
• EssilorLuxottica: Global eyewear and retail giant owning LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, and many retail optical brands. Comparable category presence and competes for both supplier relationships and downstream patient traffic.
• EyeCare Partners: PE-backed U.S. corporate optometry platform with hundreds of clinics. Comparable category (optometry practice aggregation) but operates via acquisition rather than independent membership.
• AEG Vision: U.S. corporate optometry platform backed by private equity operating across multiple states. Comparable consolidated-optometry footprint but with centralized ownership vs. Eye Recommend's member-owned cooperative.

Emerging players

• Warby Parker: Direct-to-consumer eyewear brand with growing retail and optical services footprint. Adjacent competitor shaping consumer expectations around optical retail and putting pressure on independent clinic traffic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/eyerecommend
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eyerecommend
• Instagraminstagram.com/eyerecommend
• Xx.com/eyerecommend

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eye Recommend