Ultimately, Jeffreys tells StartupSmart, glasses are "just something you need".
The model is to provide low-cost glasses with interchangeable and easily-replaceable pieces, made sustainably using recycled waste plastics, that are stylish and affordable.
Now, the startup has secured $4 million in equity funding from global investment bank Investec's emerging companies division.
According to Jeffreys, Dresden Optics, getting the funding "wasn't just about the equity raise, it was also about partner contacts".
While the startup has already opened its first international shop in Toronto, the issue of unaffordable eyewear is a universal one.
"In other markets and also in developing countries, the need is staggering," Jeffreys says.
Hein Vogel, managing director at Investec Emerging Companies, tells StartupSmart the investment bank was impressed by Dresden's "unique product composition" as well as the low price-point and high profit margins.
However, the health benefit was something Investec was attracted by, too.
That said, the product is not only targeted at low-income families, as it aims to be convenient, with glasses made quickly in-store, without a long wait for the customer.
Jeffreys, who also co-founded car-sharing startup GoGet in 2003, says while the sectors may be different, he applied the same logic to glasses manufacturing.
"We wanted to make it more of a service," he says.
In fact, Jeffreys says he didn't even realise how big the market was until he got the product out there.
He says, for new startup founders, "the most important thing is to get out into the market as quickly as you can".
"We would never have anticipated the level of demand," he adds.
Getting a product out, identifying the market, and understanding customer needs are critical, Jeffreys says.