More than a year ago, I heard from a friend in Sebastopol that her optometrist recycled her contact lens blister packs (both plastic cup and foil lid), which interested me a lot. Since I wear dailies, I was creating a lot of waste I had never realized could be recycled. I saved up a huge bag, then brought them to my annual eye exam at a clinic in Oakland, where they told me they only recycle the packs from a single (different) manufacturer. After an extensive online search, I learned that ABO recycles all the brands, and was happy to accept mine even though I'm not a patient. Very grateful and impressed! Since they also take my VSP insurance, I may have my next exam at ABO. read more

I liked the place well enough, but they had set up my appointment reminders to go to my wife's phone, and I missed an appointment because she didn't tell me. Even banks will give you one free pass when you miss a payment, but Albany-Berkeley Optometry stood firm and charged me a $50 fee, even though it was a pretty honest mistake, and not entirely my fault. I can't bring myself to go there again after that. But otherwise I genuinely liked the doctor and the office. read more

Unethical business practices here. Duped me into spending an inordinate amount of money on what I was hoping were a simple pair of reading glasses. When I went to pick up the new glasses, the person giving me the glasses asked me twice if the doctor gave me a warning about the glasses. I said no. They would not refund my money. I was out hundreds and hundreds of dollars. read more

I mean, they do the job, but they are extremely disdainful, rude, and overall offputting.

My glasses frame broke, and they fixed me up quite quickly with new frames at great prices. Nice knowledgeable staff and good service!

I went here for an exam and glasses. I think I was the last appointment of the day because the doc was in a hurry to get out of there and the exam felt very rushed. Then, when I went to pick up my glasses, the prescription was not right. Instead of listening to me, the woman who was helping me ignored me, bullied me, tried to gaslight me and tell me that they're supposed to be blurry. WTF? I actually had to say to her "You've been asking me the same questions for 15 minutes and my answers haven't changed. Please listen to me." Then she said maybe I needed 3 pairs of glasses. Again, what??? I left frustrated and angry and confused. I decided I never wanted to go back there again and I let them keep the glasses I'd paid for. Then I made an appointment at UC Berkeley's Eye Center and wow, the difference was amazing. First, everyone listened to me and treated me with respect. Second, I got a different (and correct) prescription and guess what, I only need one pair of glasses and I can see perfectly with them. Do yourself a favor and find a better optometrist. read more

While they gave me my old prescription after all. The whole situation made me realize I won't be coming back here. Five stars for Jessica who was always trying to help. read more

It has been awhile since I've gotten my eyes checked due to the pandemic. When it was time to schedule my appointment, I was looking forward to my routine checkup with Dr. Lauron. I've been going to her for years, and followed her to Albany-Berkeley Optometry. Dr. Lauron is not only thorough with her exams, she's efficient and listens to her patients to prescribe the best prescription for contacts and glasses. Her ability to help decide between my "1 & 2s" or "3 & 4s" only shows me her incredible expertise and knowledge for efficient examinations. Through proper self eye care, recommendations, and routine check ups, my eye sight has remained the same and in good health under Dr. Lauron's care. The staff at at Albany-Berkeley Optometry welcomed me with the warmest greetings, and their location couldn't be any more convenient for me. I loved the vibe at this boutique office and recommend this place and Dr. Lauron to anyone! read more

This review is long overdue. I visited Albany-Berkeley Optometry back in September of 2021, and my wife visited yesterday. From the clinical perspective, everything was professional and thorough, and the optometrist answered all of my questions comprehensively. The customer service experience was superb. Covid protocols were observed meticulously; as others here have mentioned, all employees were masked and kept their distance. Hand sanitizer was readily available. My wife visited yesterday. Apparently in view of the appearance of Delta and Omicron, Covid protocols have become stricter and continue to be strictly observed. Customers can no longer open the front door; they need to knock for service, which means that Jessica, the receptionist, found herself running back and forth between her desk and the front door every five minutes or so. Not once did she lose her patience or her friendly demeanor; she was consistently friendly, patient, and engaging. Once again, the doctor was thorough and professional. The optician patiently explained the benefits and drawbacks of using existing frames for new glasses. Although the practice was very busy, Jessica did her best to complete all of the administrative tasks quickly and was able to email me an itemized receipt for insurance purposes even though it was now after hours. I highly recommend Albany-Berkeley optometry! read more

Unsafe. Employees do not comply with masking and safety guidelines. While I was there, an employee sat in the office area without masking (other employees were masked). When she needed to ask me a question, she actually just put a hand in front of her mouth! I asked her to put on a mask, she did but didn't actually put it over her mouth and nose. Never came back, canceled the rest of my family's appointments, reported them to County Health, with pictures. read more

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Been going there since like 2010, usually great front desk staff. New person , never saw before is rude ASF. Attitude just beaming out her, not helpful, doesn't introduce herself when doing test. Doesn't explain what is being done. Short with all answers. Seems to want to be anywhere then there. Give her what she wants, fire here. read more

I recently moved to Berkeley and needed a new optometrist that took my VSP insurance. I'm so glad I found this place. The exam started on time and was probably the most thorough eye exam I've had in my life. The doctor was knowledgeable, kind and overall I just felt a good vibe from this place. The receptionist was amazing and even remembered me and details about me when I came back to pick up my glasses. Also to glasses fitter was extremely supportive and gave honest advice to help me to pick out glasses. Truly and amazing establishment and I now look forward to checking in with them for my annual exam next year! read more

came here again after received a new Rx from eye doctor, i decided to reusing my own pair of prescription Maui Jim frame & just to have the lenses redo, meet Lisa again, she's still very professional detailed & friendly Michael the 2nd person who also helped me was very nice too, my new Rx from Maui jim turned out perfectly, yes, I sure recommended this facility. read more

Albany-Berkeley Optometry - my old frame w/new RX by Maui Jim, holder was a new style which i consider good, glasses easier go in and out. - Optometrists Near Me - Albany, California

Super friendly and helpful staff. Went above and beyond helping me order contact lenses and filing for rebate. Highly recommended Albany-Berkeley Optometry. read more

I had to find a new optometrist because my insurance changed. I chose Albany-Berkely Optometry because the location is convenient and I'm very glad I did. I was very happy with my eye appointment - I got a more thorough exam than I've had in years, and I left confident that my eyes are healthy. The doctor also took time to explain all my options and make sure all my questions were answered. The front desk staff were very helpful and friendly. I don't usually leave yelp reviews but I was so happy with the people and the service that I made an exception. read more

Jessica is very helpful and nice. I always like working with her whenever I need new glasses or have any problems. She is very patient when helping customers and always wants you to leave satisfied. read more

I've been coming to Albany-Berkeley Optometry for eye exams, glasses and contacts for the majority of my adult life. I've had a few optometrists but Dr. Ashlock is currently the person I see since she specializes in contacts. Dr. Ashlock is everything you would want in someone who is handling one of the most important parts of your body. She is patient, gentle and friendly. She will remember you even if you miss an eye exam or two. I trust her with my eyes and to not mis-prescribe or add on unnecessary changes to my prescription. For that, I'm thankful. The staff in general are all very welcoming and professional. I'm always greeted with a hello and a smile. The office is clean and welcoming. Oh and for those of you who hate that huge puffer machine, they've changed it to a smaller device that could even catch what it needed with my quick blinking eyelashes. The glasses themselves are always picked to match who I am and I'm glad they have thin lenses for my prescription. The frames are a bit pricey but given the quality of the frames and lenses, I still purchase from them. All in all, I'd definitely recommend coming here if you're looking for a new optometry office! read more

Unwilling to see me and help me get a contact lens off my cornea. Receptionist seemed to not understand request after repeating myself a number of times. She seemed to only be interested in who my insurance provider was and was not able to tell me fees. I DO NOT RECOMMEND read more

Even after moving out of the East Bay, I still make the trip to go to Albany-Berkeley Optometry. The staff has always been accommodating and friendly. They're on top of things in regards to social distancing and appointment reminders. The doc always tries to level set with your eye conditions during check-ups and provides life style tips if needed. Highly recommend this place. read more

All the employees were masked up and kept their distance. Everyone was friendly and professional. Hubby and I both had eye appointments. We got a thorough exam. The Dr. (I am sorry - I can't remember her name) took her time with each of us and explained any issues we had with our eyesight. We decided to keep our old frames and put in new lenses. They were perfectly fine with that and there was no upsell. They texted us to let us know when our glasses were ready. Picking up glasses was a breeze. They adjusted them to fit us correctly and we were on our way to run errands on a beautiful fall Saturday morning. read more

I just called Albany-Berkeley Optometry (ABO) to request that they send my records to me so I can have them available for a new optometrist with an office closer to my home. I was sad to make that call because I had great experiences at ABO for around 10 years. The person who answered the phone was completely understanding and helpful, as always. I mentioned that the person who scheduled my appointment at my new optometrist's office said that my background records were not necessary. The ABO contact was surprised that the new optometrist wouldn't review past records before the first appointment. ABO has high standards (higher than my potential new optometrist) and excellent customer service, even when the customer is leaving their practice. Maybe I'll drive the extra miles to ABO. I trust them. read more

Cool selection of frames + excellent service. I recommend highly! So happy to have found this place! My partner and I both needed new glasses this summer. We searched for places that carry ic! berlin brand (gorgeous frames) and visited Albany-Berkeley Optometry first. We knew we were in a great place right away because of the selection and the professionalism of the people working there. Lisa S. helped fit us for our frames - I got one pair and Marty got two. Lisa has a great eye, was patient, and thorough in our fitting. And just this week, I brought one of Marty's pair of glasses in for repairs after he stepped on them. Sandra was able to fix them super quickly! I recommend highly! read more

I've been putting off getting an eye exam and new glasses even though I've had scratches on my lens for over a year. Yep, I lagged big time. I knew my eyes were getting worse because I was using my reading glasses a lot more. It's a cute, tiny office on Solano Ave. Dr. Watson checked my eyes and confirmed that my prescription had changed, not drastically but enough to give me a stronger one. She dispelled a lot of misconceptions that I had about my eyes and glasses. I even got some complimentary eye drops. The eyeglass selection is a bit limited in my opinion. I tried on several glasses with the help of Trixie who works in the office. I guess the style is small frames and lenses. Well, I look terrible in that type of style. I tried on these purple brown plastic frames and red frames. Terrible, terrible. I actually went with a frame that was similar to the one I have now - black plastic frames. Overall, service was great. Selection, not so varied. read more

I have had the best experience years ago in this optometry. Last two years? No so much.. Run away from dr Laurent. She rushed my contact lens exam. Tells me my prescription went down, keeps asking do you see well right? I was not sure... she moved on to give me that prescription. She couldn't even see which brand I was using as I tried several. Asked her about other options and she was very dismissal saying you tried all and bla bla. I wanted to do weekly, or daily ones and she was very dismissive too. I am great ful for Jessica who has been always nice and fitting me in BUT my last visit plus the one with Dr Sim ( the owner ) wasn't a pleasant one. I was also not informed my insurance didn't cover the contact lenses exam so I had to pay full price minus 20% or so. That was also irritating but I accepted it because I wanted my contacts ( I didn't know of the charge until I was done ...) I miss doctor M, Sandra and the other Lisa ( not the one who works there right now) who used to work there... they were such an amazing team. Unfortunately this practice went down hill and I won't be coming back. To be transparent, they offered for me to come back and re check, I don't have time OR want to see either of these two doctors who I didn't have a good experience with. They are refusing to refund me. I just wanted my old prescription that I saw perfectly fine! Do yourself a favor and run away from here. read more

Great service and thorough optometrists with modern equipment that my other optometrist facilitates did not have. An excellent optometrist is especially important to me. read more

I can't speak highly enough of this place. Dr. Jennifer Juang gave me the most thorough eye exam I've ever received and patiently answered each probing question I threw at her. She explained the purpose of each test and even assisted me in removing the practice contact lenses from my eyes when I struggled to do so on my own. It is evident that she genuinely cares about her patients and the overall quality of her work. Additionally, the front of house (for lack of a better term) staff were exceptional as well. Although I did not catch his name, the gentleman assisting me in my lens selection was incredibly kind and went above and beyond with his efforts to help fit the frames I chose to my face so that they sat the way I desired. 10/10. Great people, great service, great selection. read more

Super friendly staff. I recently lost a screw on my sunglasses and walked in to see if they could help. I didn't have an appointment and I wasn't a previous customer. They were able to match the screw and I was on my way within 5 minutes, no charge. I appreciate the great service! read more

I am a challenging patient. I am an MD and have a very difficult vision prescription - extremely nearsighted, bifocals, astigmatism... Lisa took care of my prescription and followed through with the lab multiple times to make sure my eyeglasses were just right. Very highly recommended read more

We bought glasses for my son almost five years ago through our insurance and have been coming back ever since for cleaning, straightening out the frames and new nose pieces, all without a fee. The staff have always been friendly and accommodating and during our last recent visit, James was especially helpful. We will definitely be purchasing my son's next pair of glasses here when he gets his new prescription. I don't think our current insurance is excepted here now, but I think it's worth paying out of pocket to get such great service year after year. read more

I love this place! They have beautiful eye-glasses reasonably priced and everyone there is so professional and friendly! Just today I had an eye emergency and they squeezed me in to see Dr. Sabatini who was as kind as can be. He listened carefully, explained everything and sent me home with some meds. I can't tell you how grateful I am! Thank you, Albany-Berkeley Optometry. I'm yours for life! read more

I had my first eye exam here just this past weekend and definitely had a pleasant experience. Even before my appointment, the receptionist Courtney was so friendly and patient with me on the phone. Dr. Pahlevan conducted my eye exam. She was overall professional and took good care of me. I'm typically not a fan of getting my eyes checked out, but she was very efficient and made it totally a breeze. I'm pretty sure I only spent around 30 minutes in total with her. She's also really easy to chat with, which made the process much more bearable. I came in again later in the week to have two pairs of sunglasses adjusted (I hadn't bought either pair from ABO). Lisa was so helpful and wanted to make sure I was happy with the fit. It took less than 15 minutes for her to adjust both pairs, and on top of that, she even gave me a hard shell case for the nicer pair, free of charge :) I'm looking forward to coming here for my next appointment. read more

I had a great experience with this place! I was looking for a Ray Ban authorized dealer for servicing my vintage Ray Ban sunglasses when I came across this place. The receptionist was super nice and very helpful and the optometrist went out of her way to find me replacement parts for and my vintage sunglasses work just as fine as what I had before. Could not be happier with this place. read more

I'm not sure why the reviews are so terrible. The optometrists are wonderful and I've never found the staff to be anything but friendly and helpful. No upselling or rudeness and they've always been accurate in ordering, etc. They're quick to call me once my glasses are available and always get back with me. I'm not sure what the person's issue was with the hours; they're open Thursdays till 7 and on Saturday's. It's a small office, not Costco. read more

Fixed my broken glasses for free and were very kind. Will definitely be back! Also let me bring my puppy inside and gave her snacks, which she really appreciated. read more

Called to make an appointment, gave my insurance information and then waited three weeks. No problem. Went for appointment, filled the forms, noticed my insurance information was not on file. Pointed it out to them. They said they have it on file. Waited some more. Then this lady with hedgehog eyelashes comes and says they never verified my insurance and they don't take it. Said I could pay $200 out of my pocket for the eye exam and they'll give me the receipt for insurance. After I declined she said they'll "throw all my information out" and I should just head on over to LensCrafters. Condescending and disrespectful. Everyone is having a hard time with Covid, that includes me. Show some kindness read more

This is a small place that pretty much serves the Albany neighborhood. I have gotten glasses through them several times over the past years. I have never had an eye exam there. They used to have a really good kids frames selection, however, when I went recently to get glasses for my son, the selection was so-so. The service by a young woman was friendly, though adding up the price for the lenses + frame was an ordeal: $130 + $120 = $150. I didn't complain but she figured it out later. You can ask to pay half now and half when the order comes in, which puts a little pressure on them to get the glasses ordered and done. My order came in very quickly (5 days). read more

I paid cash because I wanted a quality eye exam. I got that but was told because I have cataracts that new prescription glasses wouldn't help my vision. She referred me to a surgeon. I found the surgeon was out of network so couldn't use her. I called the optometrist office and asked why a new prescription wouldn't help my vision. I was told I would get a call back, I didn't. I called back and was told that they sell glasses and they didn't want me to waste my money on them as the help was temporary. I said I wanted the prescription anyway since I wasn't buying from them and they told me to come to pick it up. Went in today 6-14-22 and picked it up. I was going to tell them I didn't appreciate her deciding if I should get glasses or not and not even giving me the script but decided to drop it. Went to order glasses on line and there was no OD number so called and asked for it. I was told that they don't include that number unless you buy glasses from them. I NEVER experienced that before. I then told them I considered that to be preditory and didn't appreciate them dictating whether I got surgery or glasses. I again asked for the OD number and was refused unless I bought their glasses. I said, thanks for nothing and hung up. They called me back and said after consideration they would make an exception in my case and for $24. they'd look at my eyes and give me the OD number. I refused, THE NERVE! I'LL NEVER GO BACK! read more

I had bought two pairs of glasses somewhere else and needed them slightly adjusted. I was in the neighborhood and wandered in here to see if they could help. The nice people behind the counter adjusted both frames for free! I was surprised and impressed by how helpful they were. read more

These folks are great. Have purchased glasses and contacts over the years. Today they saved my eyes! They found a screw to replace the paper clip that was holding one of the arms... crooked as they were! They polished them up and I can SEE! So nice to have a local optometrist in the area! read more

I've found a home! I cannot believe that I've been going to Lens Crafters and even Site For Sore Eyes for the past 15 years or so. I never thought to see a doctor who actually cares about my eye health. Dr. Cheung is the person that you want to see. She patiently answers questions which is really important to me. She is also really honest if you ask her for her true thoughts and feelings. If you are a softy, she will protect you and be delicate. But, she will give you the real deal if you want that too. Why did I not find you 10 years ago? Thanks to my wife who found awesome Yelp reviews, I was able to get an appointment quickly before my trip out of the country. (Hopefully, my glasses will come before I go.) Speaking of getting an appointment, the office staff is second to none. They care about you and want you to feel at home in their space. Kiana helped me to pick out a pair of glasses. She was just as patient as doctor Cheung. Skilled at working with people, she shared her professional opinion and helped me to get exactly what I need. I wish I could remember the name of the others who help me to book my appointment and the nice young lady who facilitated my tests. They both were great too. These folks are professionals who will help you to see better in no time flat. read more