Meet Tommasina Sideris | Eye Doctor and Eyewear Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tommasina Sideris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tommasina, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have been an eye doctor for 27 years. Although I have always loved helping people, I had this unfilled desire to do something creative and artistic. When I turned 50, I looked at everything I had accomplished, and what I still wanted to accomplish in my next 50 years. That is what inspired the birth of Tommasina Eyewear, my own high end eyewear brand.
Launching a brand new company and creating a brand is both exciting and scary. But the truth is I have been researching every aspect of eyeglass design and manufacturing my entire career. My expertise as an eye doctor has helped me understand the technical aspects of the lenses and materials and what is the best optical quality for people to wear.
And I’ve always been intrigued with fashion and color. I strive to bring an element of art in everything I do. My tag line is “Because Life is Art.”
It’s as simple as that.

What should our readers know about your business?
In my 27 years of being an optometrist, I have owned and operated 8 offices which gave me the opportunity to help many patients. I am very proud of having been nominated as one of the most influential women in optical in 2022 by the prestigious Vision Monday. I’m also proud that my optometry office won first place in the optometry/ophthalmology category in the Reader’s Choice of Litchfield Magazine in Connecticut 3 years in a row. I recently sold my last office to pursue my artistic passions and start a new company called Tommasina Eyewear.
What sets me apart? I’d like to believe it’s my passion and my willingness to take chances. Changing career direction can be a little scary, especially in your 50’s. But I did not want to have any regrets of not taking the chance.

I got to where I am today by being authentic and truly caring about the people I work with and the people I serve.

I have had many challenges in my career which I overcame with perseverance and holding steady to what I felt was right. Some examples: I had an employee who embezzled which was emotionally distressing but I overcame this by being strong and studying even more effective business management. I had another employee who made a critical financial mistake that I had to recover from. I also experienced being accused of firing someone because of their age (which was not true.). This was a turning point for me as I stood my ground and never waivered from the facts. The mediator and attorney suggested to just pay to make it go away. This felt so wrong to my core that I told them I would fight it in court. The case was dropped and my son, who was 8 years old at the time, told me “Momma, I’m proud of you for not compromising your integrity.” That’s when I realized no matter how hard it is to do what is right, you will always succeed with the truth. I also learned from these setbacks, analyzing what I could implement to do things better for the future.

Regarding my brand: I love to inspire and elevate others. My story is about that… being true to who you are and following your dreams, no matter how old you are. And the women who have purchased my glasses tell me they feel beautiful in them and get compliments when they wear them. And that makes my heart happy.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Although I am not from Miami (currently living in Connecticut) I was in Miami for the Modern Day Wife “What She Said Event” at the W Hotel to kick off Miami Swim Week and launch my eyewear brand in the fashion show. I really enjoyed the food and the vibe at the W! Plus I was able to get some shopping in at the Brickell City Centre! My next trip… I definitely want to hit the beaches and experience more restaurants.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shoutout to my husband and son. They have been incredibly supportive of all my crazy ideas and spontaneous trips to Europe to work on the eyewear brand. They have always believed in my artistic abilities and have told me that my passion inspires them.

Website: https://www.tommasinaeyewear.com

Instagram: @tommasinaenterprises and @tommasinaeyewear

Linkedin: Tommasina Pasqua Sideris

Facebook: Tommasina Enterprises and Tommasina Eyewear

Image Credits
Nick Westcott Photography
Tommasina Sideris