Jarrett Johnson

Licensed Optician & Founder, Varadero

I'm Jarrett Johnson, a Florida-licensed optician and the founder of Varadero. I'm certified by the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) and the National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE), with over ten years spent fitting eyewear, dispensing lenses, and helping people actually see and feel better in their glasses.

That last part is why Varadero exists. After a decade behind the dispensing counter, I'd seen how much of the eyewear market is built by fashion houses and marketing teams — and how little of it is built by the people who understand lenses, fit, and how a frame sits on a real face. I wanted to make eyewear the other way around: designed here in Miami by an optician, handcrafted in Italy, and chosen for how it performs before how it looks.

The story behind the name

Varadero is a beach in Cuba — long, bright, and one of the most beautiful stretches of coast in the world. My wife is Cuban, and Varadero is our way of sharing a little of that culture, warmth, and beauty with the world through eyewear. Every collection is a small love letter to that place and those people: sun, color, and a way of seeing the world that's worth protecting.

What I bring to your eyewear

• Clinical expertise, not just style. As an ABO- and NCLE-certified, Florida-licensed optician, I select frames and specify lenses the way I would for a patient across the counter — with fit, optics, and eye health in mind.
• Italian craftsmanship. Our frames are handcrafted in Italy — the home of the world's finest eyewear making — then paired with lenses chosen for genuine optical quality and full UV protection.
• Honest guidance. I'd rather tell you the truth about what a lens does (and doesn't) do than sell you a feature you don't need. That's the same standard I hold our product content to.

Have a question about your eyes or your eyewear?

I write about how to choose eyewear, read your prescription, and protect your vision — and I'm always happy to help. Browse the collections or read the journal.

Jarrett Johnson is a Florida-licensed, ABO- and NCLE-certified optician and the founder of Varadero. Information on this site is general and not a substitute for a personal eye exam.