Dr. Richard Saari Optometry PC

07/29/2025

Our office has been receiving many many calls about my father retiring after 50 years in practice. His office is contacting patients to inform them that he has retired and he is offering patients the opportunity to pick up their chart and bring it to their new optometrist. We are working hard to accommodate all requested transfers and simply ask new patients to bring their chart into the office at 477 Thorold Road in Welland. Dr. Richard will review the chart and advise staff when he suggests the next exam is scheduled. Due to limits in the way OHIP coverage is determined their may be a cost for the initial exam where previously there has been no fees. We will explain the one-time fee and options available to avoid any fee. We wish Dr. Ralph a happy retirement and look forward to seeing some familiar faces in the near future.

07/21/2025

We have finally resumed accepting new patients regardless of insurance. Our wait for an appointment is approximately 4-6 weeks but longer for Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. The recent retirement of an optometrist may increase those wait times but we are working hard to keep the interruption to a minimum. If you have any concerns or urgent care issues please contact the office.

12/27/2024

In the USA there has been a recall on a single lot of Systane Ultra Preservative Free eye drops. These are the vial type drops and not the new bottle design.

Fort Worth, Texas. Alcon Laboratories is voluntarily recalling one (1) lot of Systane Lubricant Eye Drops Ultra PF, Single Vials On-the-Go, 25 count (Lot 10101) to the consumer level. Alcon evaluated a consumer complaint of foreign material observed inside a sealed single use vial and determined th

12/19/2024

We are continuing our annual tradition of collecting used glasses and sunglasses to be sent to Dr Saari’s alma-mater, Salus at Drexel University for medical missions to Central America. As a past member of a mission to Guatemala, Dr Saari has seen the effect your unused glasses can have on people who have nothing. Please drop off during regular business hours in our front foyer.

08/28/2024

We are looking for a new full time staff... are you the right fit? Or do you know someone looking for a fun and educational job?

https://ca.indeed.com/job/optometric-assistant-receptionist-b1cc4a7f9d3a8f06?_gl=1*17y8ybw*_gcl_au*MTgyNDYzMzU0NS4xNzI0NDIyMDk4*_ga*MTQ4MjQ5MDMzNi4xNzI0MzYxNzQw*_ga_5KTMMETCF4*MTcyNDg2OTYzMC4zLjEuMTcyNDg2OTc2OS42MC4wLjA.

06/10/2024

We have adjusted our new patient policy due to our current patient composition. We will no longer be accepting new OHIP patients over the age of 20 until our new patient waitlist is below 50 patients (currently there are >100 patients on the list). We will continue to accept all new pediatric patients (

05/23/2024

We are so very thankful for the team at Welland Hydro-Electric System Corp. and Visca electric (George Street, NF) for the amazing work getting our office up and running after an unexpected underground wiring issue. They both helped minimize the inconvenience to staff and patients. I will be using Visca anytime I have any electrical work both residential or commercial in the future.

Serving the Niagara Region since 1991, Sam Visca Electric provides electrical services to residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

05/23/2024

Power has been restored. Staff are contacting all affected appointments for today. If any openings remain we will be calling priority patients first. Thank you for your patience.

05/23/2024

Power is still out today… battery backups have all died… sorry we cannot answer the phone until power restored… hopefully around 1pm. Dr Saari is in the office for adjustments and repairs as possible. Thank you for your patience.

05/22/2024

Planned electrical work happening tomorrow May 22 with an unknown timeline to completion. The office will be closed and will reopen after work completed. Patients are being notified of our plans to accommodate everyone to the best of our ability. No phone calls will be returned until May 23.

05/08/2024

Our power outage has been temporarily resolved and we will be open normal business hours today… but we will be closed in the near future for additional electrical work to fully resolve our issues. Thank you for your patience and we will be reaching out to all those affected yesterday to reschedule appointments.

05/07/2024

Due to a power outage the office is closed today… we are sorry for the inconvenience. We hope to be open tomorrow at 11am.