{"id":1708,"date":"2026-09-30T11:22:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T11:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/?p=1708"},"modified":"2026-10-02T11:24:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T11:24:21","slug":"optica-joia-is-a-story-of-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/2026\/09\/30\/optica-joia-is-a-story-of-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"“Optica Joia Is a Story of Dreams”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a child, Valter Mendes asked everyone the same question: “Can you see that?” That genuine curiosity about the phenomenon of vision would go on to shape his entire path, from the Ocular Optics technical course to a degree in Applied Physics (Optics), culminating in the founding of Optica Joia<\/a> in 1997. Almost 30 years later, the brand is now an essential reference in clinical optometry in the Algarve, recognised with the \u00d3pticaPro Awards 2025 in the Customer Service category, an honour that reflects what has always been in its DNA: closeness, trust and a human relationship with every client. In this interview, we talk about its origins, the challenges of building a business over three decades marked by crises and transformations, and the dizzying technological evolution of optometry. And, in the end, we arrive at what continues to drive the same curious boy as ever: the dreams still waiting to be realised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know that, as a child, you were a curious kid who “questioned everyone about the phenomenon of vision.” What sparked that early fascination, and how did it turn into a professional calling?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vision has always been part of my life. As a child, I questioned everyone, and the question was always the same: “Can you see that?” I had a genuine fascination with understanding just how extraordinary the phenomenon of vision is. Throughout my school years, I had the chance to explore other areas, but I never truly identified with any of them. Until one day, in conversation with teachers who were friends of the family, I learned that there was a professional technical course in Ocular Optics at Escola Secund\u00e1ria Jos\u00e9 Gomes Ferreira. At the time, I was 15, and the idea sounded great, because there, at last, was the opportunity to learn the foundations of everything I already believed in. After finishing the Ocular Optics technical course, I went on to Applied Physics, Optics branch, at the University of Minho, where I deepened my knowledge of optometry, a field that, at the time, still went by another name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1997, Optica Joia officially opened its doors. Looking back, what were the biggest challenges you faced?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As in any business, the beginning was quite arduous. It was only after several years of work and successful partnerships that I managed to achieve the purpose I had in mind for Optica Joia. It took many years of persistence to build what sets us apart today. Along the way, economic crises also tested us, but we managed to stay focused through careful management and a great deal of resilience. To this day, I have never given up on achieving my goals, and it is that spirit that continues to guide Optica Joia almost three decades later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full interview in \u00d3pticaPro 280<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a child, Valter Mendes asked everyone the same question: “Can you see that?” That genuine curiosity about the phenomenon of vision would go on to shape his entire path, from the Ocular Optics technical course to a degree in Applied Physics (Optics), culminating in the founding of Optica Joia in 1997.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1709,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[13,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1708"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1708"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1710,"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1708\/revisions\/1710"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opticapro.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}