I agree with Laura T. that the sales associates are a bit pretentious, However, I do want to put in a good word for Dr. Neeraj Bindal, the resident opthalmologist. He is personable, professional and gentle on the ol' peepers. I have very bad astigmatism compounded with being a total desk jockey and staring at a computer screen day in and day out. Dr. Bindal was extremely thorough and spends a lot of time getting just the right fit for my contacts. Tip: You just take your prescription and run to 1-800-CONTACTS instead of buying there. read more

This place is great, quick and convenient! The staff are friendly and professional. Definitely will come back here. Dr. Bindal is great!

I actually had quite the positive experience there. They had great selection (stylish and classic), reasonable price (given glasses are ghastly expensive to begin with), and the clerks were super helpful. Eliot, the one that actually do the merchandising, helped me, so he knew everything in the store and tried to accommodate my taste. And even though at first I was a bit uncertain about his selections, I fell in love with the first one he picked. The whole store, all clerks and even some customers, put up with my silliness and gave me their opinions on my selections. Great fun. Had gone to check out a couple of places before, which were either super exclusive and high priced and acted like it (Blink), or kind of had your generic glasses: much cheaper, good for something basic and utilitarian, but kind of boring. read more

After being studiously ignored for 10 minutes in favour of a stick-thin socialite-type madam, I launched myself into the assistant's field of vision and begged her for an appointment to see the doctor so I could give them my money. This I later cancelled when I found out that Embassy Eye Care takes my insurance plan. If you're thinking of getting an eye exam here, don't do it! Walk past it and go to Embassy instead. Or go to America's Best. Go to any one of the thousands of opticians within a 3-block radius. Just don't bother with this one. I can't abide rude people. read more

I've been going to Dr. Bindal for almost 10 years and he's the best. Honest, straightforward, wonderful bedside manner and he hires terrific people. I once had an emergency eye issue and he was able to fit me in same day. In a sea of terrible DC drs, Dr. Bindal is a gem. read more

Dr. Bindal is very friendly and my exams are quick and on time. I've never had to wait more than 5 minutes. I have been helped by two different opticians with picking out frames and both were extremely helpful, kind, and knowledgeable about the frames and what works on different faces. I was very satisfied by the level of help I received and I've gone back for occasional adjustments, which were done on the spot with care and understanding. As long as I continue to be in the DC area I will continue to patronize A Visual Affair for my eye exam and eyewear needs. read more

My experience at A Visual Affair was great, from the moment I made my appointment. I got an appointment rather quickly, and felt very welcome as soon as I arrived. Dr. Bindal was so friendly and attentive. He explained everything to me and was very thorough. The staff sat with me for about 30 minutes helping me choose my frames, and I found exactly what I wanted, even though I am very picky. The best thing was that my glasses arrived in less than a week, and I have been back since to have them tightened. Everyone there has been nothing but nice and always remember me. Great customer service, really cool, modern selection of frames, trust-worthy doctor, and very convenient location for me. read more

In the interest of full disclosure, my visit to A Visual Affair came courtesy of Groupon, so I can't speak to the fairness of the pricing or anything. Otherwise, I had a very good experience at A Visual Affair. Dr Bindal is attentive, friendly, and professional. They have a much larger glasses selection than I was expecting, and the sales associate who helped me was very patient (I was very picky, which I think is fair - I'm planning on wearing these just about every day, so they have to be perfect) and helpful. Also, I had my appointment on Friday, and my glasses were ready today (Tuesday)! read more

A year after my last review -- I am happy to report the staff of A Visual Affair in DC has seen a huge improvement. During my recent visit to the office, the staff were all quite friendly, courteous and helpful. The marked improvement makes it clear that Dr Bindal takes the concerns of his patients and customers seriously. A great staff combined with the attentive and knowledgeable attitude of Dr Bindal makes A Visual Affair a 5 star location that I would recommend to anyone. read more

Dr Bindal was very knowledgable and thorough when it came to discussing my options. The staff was equally as pleasant to work with when trying on my contacts for the first time. I've never had contacts before due to my strong astigmatism, but A Visual Affair helped find the contacts that were right for me! read more

I've been seeing Dr. Bindal for over five years ever since a colleague recommended him to me. I've had nothing but positive experiences with him and his staff over the years. Appointments start on time and are efficient. He takes time to explain questions in layman's terms so I understand any issues and increase my general knowledge of how eyes work. His front office staff are friendly, competent, and provide first rate service. Highly recommended. read more

Once the manager realized the extent of the missteps in handling my situation, he called and offered to expedite a shipment of contacts. Appreciate the follow-through but would've preferred a smooth experience from the start. read more

I am always impressed with and appreciative of the service I get at A Visual Affair. All staff are unfailingly punctual, efficient & pleasant. I have been coming here for seven years now and would recommend them to anyone - they do a fantastic job read more

I just came here for my second time and the staff and Dr. are very professional and kind. I am able to get in and out very quickly and always have a great experience. Strongly recommend! read more

I would rate 6 stars if I could! The receptionists at the DC & Arlington location were so kind and helpful- from helping me with my insurance questions, to making sure that I got the best deal on my exam & contacts and getting me various prices just in case I decided to get glasses. Not once did I feel like I was bothering them with all of my questions! Dr Bindal was also great- he's nice, caring and doesn't just try to make you buy the most expensive brands. Everyone I encountered has been knowledgeable about prices and rebates on all of their products. I bought a year supply of new contacts while I was in the office and ended up having issues with them almost 2 weeks later. Dr Bindal let me trade in the ones I bought for a different brand without any issues. They also provide free follow-up appointments up to 60 days after purchasing contacts! I'll definitely be coming here the next time I need contacts! read more

I found Dr Bindal to be unprofessional. The appointment took a total of 1.5 hours because he was seeing 3 other patients during my appointment time; his time with me was less than 20 minutes the rest was waiting. He used profanity and made a sexist remark during my eye exam; when asked if hormonal changes effect contacts he said that menstrual cycles will not effect eye dryness but that I may be 'irritable', except he didn't say 'irritable', he used profanity. I will not return and do not recommend. I am very disappointed in my interactions with him. read more

Dr. Bindal is amazing. I've been wearing glasses for 25 years and the best exam I have ever had

Ok so sadly, Brian is no longer at Visual Affair. As you can surmise from my last review, I was DEVASTATED by this news. Who will help me find my frames now??? Luckily, I spoke to John (the manager) over the phone and he is an ABSOLUTE GODSEND. Dr. Bindal, if you are reading this, John deserves a raise and promotion and a bonus! Knowing how much I depended on Brian, John rose to the challenge of filling in Brian's shoes. John is super friendly and charming and fashionable, like a contestant on the Bachelor--but, like, a good one that you root for. Like Brian, he is a glass-whisperer and just intuitively knows what will work for you and what won't. He pulled 5 pairs for me and we went through each and every one while he offered extremely helpful and honest feedback. It was like an episode of Say Yes to the Dress, but with glasses! All that was missing was champagne. And can I tell you: HAVING A PROFESSIONAL HELP YOU PICK GLASSES IS A GAME-CHANGER. Brian is a man who takes me 100% seriously when I say things like, "Okay, so I think I love the IDEA of a tortoise-shell, but I don't actually love it ON me." He was also extremely helpful when I needed to get a new prescription for the frames (at no charge, per their policy). John was even able to adjust the frames "blind" without me being there, because he remembered my face and measurements. You guys, THE MAN IS THAT GOOD. tl;dr John is amazing and you will never find a better optician anywhere read more

I have gone to this optometrist for several annual visits. They are always late. This year they sent me 6 communications via text or phone telling me that if I was late or no show they would charge me. They changed my appointment the day before. Then when I arrived today I asked if the Dr was on scheduled & was told that he had not arrived yet & I was the second patient & it would be a 40 minute wait. I said you contacted me 6 times & you couldn't call or text me to say he was running late. I left & will not go back. read more

Dr. Bindal, John, Ashley are all courteous, charismatic, and professional. They were very cognizant of taking precautions in regards to covid-19 and making sure that my visit went as smoothly as possible! It was my favorite eye exam experience since I started wearing glasses. Period! read more

Please heed the comments above and AVOID. You can also read Dr. Bindal's combative comments to the many folks who critiqued him above, and that can tell you all you need to know about this place. Doctor was dismissive when I told him that the eye prescription he gave me was not working well for my right eye. He claimed that my vision had gotten better, even though I couldn't see with my current contact or glasses prescription. I told him "My vision is blurry in the right eye" and he literally responded with "No it's not." He also insinuated that I was being "dishonest" when he did my original eye test, as if I want to lie on purpose so I have improper eyewear. The bedside manner was atrocious and I wasted ~$250 on glasses that are *not* the right prescription. When I complained he said "well maybe you need to see a doctor who knows something I don't". At one point I told him that it felt like he was arguing with me and I felt uncomfortable and he dialed back a bit, but continued to be rude. Because of this terrible service, I am still wearing my old glasses to my detriment and have to talk with my insurance company to figure out how I can get my money back. DO NOT GO HERE! read more

I have been getting my eyes examined annually, and my contact lens and eyeglass prescriptions filled, at A Visual Affair on Connecticut Ave. NW, near the intersection with M Street, for years. It's an excellent place for eye care. From the exams by Doctor Bindal to the service from the staff in the front of the shop, I have always found them to be accurate, attentive and responsive. John helped me to pick out a new pair of eyeglass frames that I love from a top brand and I got them in less than a week. The office staff also is helpful with contacts. They have even given me trial pairs and replacement contacts whenever I have needed them. read more

Dr Bindal is excellent, but administration of his shop on Connecticut Avenue is poor. I made an appointment, providing them with my phone number. They also have my email address and send me promotional emails frequently. I went there at my appointment time and found the shop closed for the day. No one made any meaningful effort to contact me. Unforgivable. read more

I've been going to A Visual Affair for quite some time now and it's been such a great experience every time. The staff is great and extremely helpful and they are efficient. Dr. Bindal is also so friendly. I highly recommend! read more

This place gave me the best pair of glasses I've ever had. The prescription was perfect and other places I've gone the prescription was off. Only complaint is they seem to close earlier than they state on their website. I went there at 5 and they were closed so I have to wait until Monday to get my glasses. read more

I spoke to Ali- the receptionist at Visual Affair today because my insurance indicated that they were in my new coverage plan. She was very nice and very knowledgeable about the store's pricing and even looked up my insurance plan to see exactly what they cost for an exam and contact fitting were. She was great and my review is in no way a reflection of her professionalism. I was informed by her however that Visual Affair charges a $20 fee for obtaining PD Measurements and prescription if you don't buy directly from them. Really?? After I hung up, I checked around because it seems to me like they are making you pay for your own medical records. I didn't think that sounded right. I was right. According to the Bureau of Consumer Protection, "The Federal Trade Commission enforces both the Contact Lens Rule and the Eyeglass Rule. These Rules require that eye care providers give their customers copies of their prescriptions: Contact lens prescriptions must be given to the customers once the lens fitting is complete; eyeglass prescriptions must be given to customers at the end of the eye exam." Also in regards to paying for lenses, "As an eye care provider, can I charge a patient for trial lenses or require a patient to buy them? You may, but only if the trial lenses are necessary to complete the fitting process. This is sometimes the case with some "specialty" or custom-made lenses. You may not require a patient to buy contact lenses -- such as a six-month supply of disposable lenses -- as a condition of giving them a copy of their prescription." For more info, here is the link to the FTC site: http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus63-complying-contact-lens-rule Requiring someone to pay a $20 penalty to obtain their prescription in order to buy contacts elsewhere does not seem to fit within the requirements of the law. If i am mistaken, I would appreciate being corrected! If my interpretation is correct though, Visual Affair should probably change their policies. I understand that they want to remain competitive with Warby Parker and 1-800 Contacts, but laws are laws people. I now have the sense that I will be nickle and dimed at Visual Affair and choose to take my business elsewhere. read more

Dr. Bindal has the bedside manner of a steamroller. During my first visit, I thought he was a little pretentious and less-than-personable, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt today. My bad. To keep this brief, I'll sum up my visit with a few highlights: 1. He warned me that gas perm contact lens fittings run $199 before he proceeded with the examination "because he likes his clients to know what they're getting into up front." Very kind. *After* the exam, he said my only option was to order the contacts from him--and they'll be an additional $300. Evidently, Dr. Bindal's professional transparency has its limits. When I suggested as much, he claimed he didn't know how much the contacts would be until he had done the exam, but $300 is the *starting* price. Surely he was aware of that. 2. I actually had to ask him to please stop interrupting me so that I could ask a question. Twice. 3. He said his goal was to make sure his clients are happy. lol! 4. He seemed in a hurry from the moment he waltzed into the room--either that or he urgently had to use the restroom but either way he clearly had somewhere better to be. 5. He spoke to me as though I were a child attempting to grasp the miracle of human eyeballs for the very first time. Charming. 6. Ultimately, he didn't charge for the visit (I left with nothing except inspiration for this Yelp review anyway), saying "he'd wait until I decided how to proceed." Dr. Bindal, don't wait up for me. It's just not going to work out between us. P.S. Please see his passive aggressive note below for a taste of his charming demeanor! read more

over priced and difficult. I gave my wife a "living social" coupon for exam and $ towards reading glasses....Geez this is not that complicated but this place is over priced and after several corrections still couldnt get the lens right. Why pay beverly hills/rodeo drive prices ($400 OVER the coupon) and get CVS store bought service? ps address is connecticut ave but entrance is 18th street. read more

these cats are so nice! i went in needing my sunglasses repaired and they immediately did it for free! and complimented my shirt! what dolls. read more

There's some important information for clients who intend to purchase glasses/contacts elsewhere, and who are going to Dr. Bindal for the prescription. I used Blue Cross Carefirst's discount vision program for an eye examination - I don't have the separate vision insurance package, but you can use the medical package and only co-pay $10. Dr. Bindal's exam was thorough, and I have nothing bad to report on this part. What's much more important to know is that the eyeglass prescription he will give you will be incomplete - neither he nor his staff will include the pupillary distance (PD) measure that you need if you intend to order glasses elsewhere, especially on line. The quote for lenses and frames I received in his office from the retail sales staff was over $400 more than what I found on the internet for exactly the same quality later that night. So I called back the next day, and Dr. Bindal's staff quickly explained that a PD measurement would cost an additional $20. That would raise the cost of my eyeglass prescription alone to $30. Frankly, I find it outrageous -- I have few kind words for these sorts of business practices. I contacted Carefirst and Davis Vision, which is the insurance company that processes vision claims. They said this business practice appears to be very new and they don't have a protocol in place to either adjust the co-pay or remove the Dr. from the list of preferred providers. They did call Dr. Bindal's office, though, and I'm hopeful that they will screen for these types of extra charges when renewing their list of preferred providers in the future. If anyone intends to purchase eyeglasses on line -- and I think everyone should, it's hundreds of $ cheaper and good web companies guarantee their product -- you'll want to ask up front on total charges before going to Dr. Bindal. read more

Dr. Bindal is AWESOME - so friendly and welcoming. He takes time to examine your case and is very knowledgeable. I absolutely recommend his practice. The staff there can be a bit rude at times, but I would not change my mind about going there becasue of Dr. Bindal. read more

As a first-time vision patient (ahem, not getting older, just getting better!), Dr. Bindal was great at explaining the eye exam and how I could utilize minimal corrective vision. I was seen within 10 minutes of arriving, Dr. Bindal was very thorough, and the staff members in the store were very helpful as well. Great place! read more

I had the best experience going here. I was able to get an appointment right away. Upon arriving I was promptly greeted and seen shortly after. The optometrist is very nice, knowledgeable and funny as hell. Brian (I think was his name) was pretty much my personal stylist. He selected a couple frames and made it very difficult to choose which one to pick because I liked them all! Great experience and would recommend anyone to go there. read more

I'M VERY THANKFUL TO STAFF MEMBER JUAN at a Visual Affair FOR GETTING ME INTO THE VERY BEST GLASSES IMAGINABLE! Precision, excellence, and flawless judgment are evidence in everything about Juan, and it is when he gets you into the most exceptionally cool glasses, the ones that flatter your face, bring you instantly into the modern world, and give you the excellent vision you need to live life fully that you realize all his talents have come together to make YOUR life a whole lot better. Seeing well is key to almost every success and happiness we can find in life, but LOOKING GOOD while seeing well is an extremely pleasant thing in and of itself, and Juan has put together for me frames and lenses that do both these things to absolutely the most extraordinary degree. And I am sincerely grateful for his help and guidance. It's not often one runs across a person like him! read more

In a sea of impersonal bigbox vision stores, this is an oasis of comfort and attention. Manager John Mathis projects an attitude of caring, and a refreshing unwillingness to push the most expensive frames in the store (unless you want them, of course!). I have done my comparison shopping, and always return to A Visual Affair because the store has a beautiful variety of frames, excellent prices, and superb service. read more

The incompetence of this business is astounding!!. Where do I even begin!? Not only was the doctor not in the office on my scheduled follow-up visit, I wasn't even listed in their appointment book for that appt. Then in my follow-up (2nd try) Dr. Bindal hadn't noted in my file what contact lens strength he'd given me to try, the receptionist was tasked to write my prescription from his notes and made errors - which I caught, and when I went to order contacts later I realized that the doctor had also made a careless error in my actual prescription. Per the latter, an office staff member made excuses for him, saying he writes these a lot and can therefore make mistakes. Well, of course, it's his JOB and people's EYES are a serious matter. This experience has been so disturbing, I hope others aren't subject to it as well. The staff's apologies for every mishap don't make up for the pathetic service. They've completely lost my trust. I'd give this review zero stars but the system prompts for at least one. read more

This office sent me a bill FOURTEEN MONTHS after the appointment. My insurance won't pay it since it's a different calendar year. Tried to call to pay it out-of-pocket and they can't find my chart. Woman on phone says, with some annoyance, they "still" only have paper records, nothing electronic, even though they have two locations. Everyone there seems nice and they have a good selection of glasses, but the disorganization and confusion is too much. As others have said, Dr. Bindal interrupts and likes to talk about himself. Going to Dr. Lobaugh now a few blocks away and everything is electronic (they even have a machine that reads your insurance card and ID card so you don't have to fill that out a million times) and all charges are explained clearly before you receive services. Go to him instead. read more

I've been very impressed with his staff and his service , there are not enough words to describe his professionalism , I want to thank you for all you done for me doctor you will be truly missed as I move to the west coast. read more

Dr. Bindal is absolutely a great person and has been a tremendous help with my current eye condition. Prior to meeting Dr. Bindal, I was about to get a cornea replacement due to keratoconus; however that is not the case to date. Dr. Bindal has worked extremely diligently to avoid surgery and improving my vision to almost 20/20 in hybrid contacts. I am also able to obtain optimum vision in glasses. He has truly worked hard to help me. The staff are also great, answering questions, helping choose frames, and professional. A Visual Affair is absolutely great!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

I was just here. Great service, great doctor and friendly people. Nice selection of glasses at an affordable price.