The Oculus
Founders
No.024
Independent optometry and handmade eyewear in De Waterkant and Plettenberg Bay
Pieter Steyn pairs thorough eye examinations with frames from fifteen independent makers and Zero21, a line The Oculus designs and mills in Cape Town. Frame fitting, adjustment and repair are part of the service.
Amazing friendly and helpful service, they have replaced my temple tips for free and helped getting a replacement front without having to get a whole new frame
Very impressed with my first visit to The Oculus. The branding and customer experience is deliberate and consistent throughout. The eye test conducted was detailed and modern. The frame selection is large, but curated. The staff were friendly and extremely patient, taking requirements and current life situation into consideration when recommending frames.
Took my wife to choose a frame and from the moment we entered the store we received awesome service. From the friendly hellos to the great coffee.. To the way they remembered my wife and the quick check to confirm nothing changed in terms of her needs.. Wow.. Great staff, awesome service. Thank you
I went for an eye test with Arno - very thorough and professional. The Oculus is also very well equipped with eye testing technology, topped off with a quick turnaround for my new specs :)
Really lovely staff and optometrist! They helped me out with my eye test for my license at such short notice, friendly and professional and a great selection of glasses.
Excellent service! Great styles of frames and a huge variety of very unique ones Everyone is extremely professional and very Informative I highly recommend I live in Toronto, Canada and I'm very impressed Definitely will be back
Pieter Steyn
Pieter Steyn has worn glasses since he was seven. He found it daunting that choosing frames in a traditional eyewear shop meant compromising on his own taste, and The Oculus came out of that. He wanted a funky, relaxing, stylish, non-clinical place where choosing frames is easier.
Pieter is a qualified optometrist with a postgraduate degree in Advanced Ocular Diagnostics, and The Oculus is his first practice. He is also a frame designer. He believes your eyewear contributes more to your personal style than any other item you own.
Today he works from De Waterkant, and when something complicated lands on the bench at The Studio in Paarden Eiland, he drives across to help shape it.
The Oculus
The Oculus is an independent optometry practice and frame specialist in De Waterkant, Cape Town, with a second showroom, Plett Oculus, at The Lookout Centre in Plettenberg Bay.
Eye examinations use modern diagnostic equipment and booking ahead is recommended, so each prescription gets the time it needs. Lens options cover single-vision, progressive and occupational lenses, sport tints, polarised sunglasses and contact lens fitting, including complex prescriptions. Bespoke fitting uses 3D face mapping, and frames are fitted, adjusted and repaired in store.
The frames come from fifteen independent makers, among them Mykita in Berlin, Eyevan 7285 and Matsuda from Sabae and Tokyo, Theo in Antwerp, Lucas de Stael in Paris and Rolf in the Tyrolean Alps. Each is chosen for its material, hinge or hand.
Zero21 is The Oculus's own frame line, named after Cape Town's 021 dialling code. Each model carries the name of a Cape Town street or suburb, such as Bree, Kloof, Clifton and Higgovale. The frames are sculpted from solid blocks of Italian acetate at The Studio in Paarden Eiland, where frame designer Etan Croukamp and Raphael Bornman work. The Studio also takes bespoke commissions, small runs and brand collaborations, such as the Midlife Crisis frames made with designer Kat von Duinen in 2024.
Book an eye examination at oculus.bookem.co.za, email info@theoculus.co.za, call +27 21 421 0023, or follow @theoculus.studio on Instagram.