History of your Vancouver Ocularist

Prior to World War II, most artificial eyes were made of glass; a material which could be used to produce a very realistic effect, but which was quite fragile. The war severely limited the availability of glass eyes, the best of which had, until then, been made in Germany. The search for a substitute material led to plastics; and, in the 1940’s, a number of researchers independently "invented" the plastic eye. The Erickson brothers, John ("Jack") and Charles ("Charlie"), opticians doing business in the Pacific Northwest, used a newly developed, non-irritating, durable plastic that could be custom-shaped, fitted, tinted and detailed to achieve a very natural effect. 

In 1977, Leif Erickson began his apprenticeship with his Uncle, Charlie Erickson in Seattle, Washington. In 1985, Leif opened his own office in Vancouver, BC. Here, he made artificial eyes independently until 2002, when his son, Lars Erickson joined the family business. Shorty after, in 2006, Leif’s other son, Stacey Erickson, joined as well. They all worked closely together to provide the most life-like artificial eyes, each with their own personal style. In 2017 Leif Erickson retired, leaving his sons, Lars and Stacey in charge.

Erickson’s has always created personalized work, with quality evaluation at specific stages throughout the process. We are devoted to our craft, and we continually refine both our materials and our techniques. Having served doctors and patients since the early 1940’s, Erickson’s ocularists have never been interested in being the biggest, only the best. Today, Lars and Stacey Erickson carry on that family tradition.