I have been a patient at Associated Eye Care for over 20 Years. Dr. Steven Lane has been my physician through many eye exams, LASIK surgery and cataract surgery. He is a dedicated doctor who is very experienced and knowledgeable. For my most recent appointment this week I saw Dr. Schwartz (spelling?). He was very thorough as well and explained things very clearly. He answered my questions and never seemed rushed. His manner was friendly and concerned. I have found the staff to be welcoming and friendly. The Stillwater office is beautiful. I highly recommend AEC (and have done so many times in the past. I know I'm in good hands with Dr. Lane and Dr. Schwartz. I would not hesitate for a second to recommend them. read more

The level of disrespect I encountered today is staggering. I've been an established patient here for some time, but after this experience, I will never step foot in this office again. I made an honest mistake and showed up for an appointment that wasn't on the books. When I realized my error, I simply asked to quickly schedule a new one. The woman at the desk told me, "Sure, but I need you to step aside so I can check out patients." Excuse me? There were two desk staff members present and only one patient waiting behind me. Instead of the second person helping me or the first person taking thirty seconds to look at a calendar, I was told to move out of the way like I was a disruption. I have never been treated so rudely in all my life. To be told to "step aside" at a business where I am a loyal patient is a slap in the face. They clearly have no regard for patient retention or basic manners. They have officially lost my business permanently. If you want to be respected as a patient, go elsewhere! read more

I went to Associated Eye Care for cataract surgery. Dr. Park performed the surgery in Stillwater, MN. I cannot elaborate enough about the quality of care that I received. Dr. Park, and all of the staff were exceptionally courteous, friendly, and professional. Most importantly, they really care about their patients, and go out of their way to make them relaxed and confident in the care they receive. It is not often that I experience such excellent service and interactions with ANY business. Most of them do not rise to the level exhibited by Associated Eye Care. Thank you Dr. Park, Patricia, Jennifer, and Kelli. (I apologize if I missed anyone, or got names wrong. Blame in on the anesthesia not old age LOL) Steven Lorbach Lino Lakes, MN read more

I have worn glasses for 60 years and this was the worst experience I have ever had! They had to remake the lenses and no one could adjust the frames so they would fit. Went back 9 times to get adjustments. Wish I had read the reviews . I would have went elsewhere read more

Extremely disappointed with this clinic and would advise others to avoid it. I was referred to it to have a stye removed. I was under the impression that the appointment would be to remove the stye. After waiting half an hour into my appointment to see the doctor, he quickly looks at the stye for no more than 3 minutes and lets me know they will have to do "surgery" (cut it out) only on Fridays. I researched the removal beforehand, and it's a quick 15 minute ordeal. I explained this to deaf ears. So, I took off work, drove to the appointment, waited half an hour, saw the doctor for 3 minutes who confirmed that yes I had a stye (shocking news), and then was told I need to have another appointment in several months to actually get it removed. The doctor could have removed it and still had time left over during the 1 hr appointment. Then, I received a nice bill for my useless 3 minute appointment. read more

Price Gauging and billing practices for Associated Eye Care and their surgery center. I'd like to file a complaint against Associated Eye Care. In 2023 I had cataract surgery. At the time, they did give me pricing for the surgery, so I thought. What they failed to mention was the separate cost for the surgery center. They charged my insurance company $3523 for the Dr's fee and $4426 for the use of the surgery center. This was for each eye. Plus, it was required that I come in for an office visit, before and after each procedure. They again charged an additional fee for each visit, which price varied for some reason. I was told at the time that there may be a need for a tune-up of the procedure. Quick procedure, in office and would take about 5 minutes. I believed this was part of the cost I had already paid, since it was follow-up from the surgery. In 2024, Dr. Park said I needed to have that follow-up procedure (Capsulotomy) in both eyes. Quick and painless. A five-minute procedure. Again, they had me come in before and after each procedure, charging an office visit fee each time. The procedure itself was conducted at their surgery center, as a matter of convenience, since Dr. Park did this between his surgeries. I was put in what appeared to be a storage room, right off the receptionist's desk. Someone came in, put drops in my eye, then Dr. Park came in to do the procedure. Probably, 10 minutes total time. AEC charged my insurance company $1823 for Dr. Park and $2852 for the surgery center, for each eye. My complaint is the excessive charges for this procedure. A procedure which could have been performed in his office across the hall instead of a storage room at the surgery center. The laser machine is mobile. Since Dr. Park is owner of AEC, I think he operates this way so he can double charge people for this service. This is price gauging and greed. Feeding off the elderly is not only dishonest, because they refuse to disclose the cost beforehand, but also immoral. read more

Eye care from Dr. Downie for my Wet Macular Degeneration is 5-star excellent. BUT their billing system and or front desk who enter charges are NOT. Over a period of several years, they repeatedly make the same error - neglecting to apply funds from a pharmaceutical drug cost assistance program. I have to call several times a year to get this corrected, when I receive billing. Front desk also makes errors in submitting charges - paying no attention to whether or not an injection was given thus submitting the wrong charge. I have to point it out at the desk - or call back later when I see the incorrect amount on my bank website to get extra charges removed. BUT they have a delay of over 24 hours with their *new* payment system called "Promptly" and can't address incorrect charges until that time. PAY ATTENTION to ALL their charges, billings and invoices. ALSO, avoid their optical department, over priced for same services- I was quoted $175 for replacing a bow[side arm] on Silhouette eyeglasses - another local optician did the replacement for $88. 5-star on my eye care, 2-star on financial systems and pricing. 5-2=3* review. read more

I had a medical emergency. This is the only clinic! ( I had a few appointments) who would not even try to reschedule. Not even offering sympathy or understanding or consideration of request. What a business. Guess we don't matter. read more

I had problem with my glasses from day 1. Quick to sell them to me , terrible when I had a basic problem such as pupillary distance was wrong. Go somewhere else! read more

Awful customer service! Took my 6yr old son to get his glasses adjusted that we had purchased at another associated eye. We were not greeted, in fact we were ignored. I then asked for help, to which I was answered in the most CONDESCENDING tone, no hello no how can I help you. It was "I just finished with someone, you need to wait". we then decided to go elsewhere to get adjustments. I'd steer clear of this location. they clearly don't value customers and allow employees to speak to customers in an unacceptable way. read more

I'd give it a zero if I could after today. I went in for my appointment this morning (which has been canceled 3 times due to covid). Because I have a medical condition that does not allow me to wear a mask, I was being respectful and wore it over my mouth when I went in. They would not see me if I didn't put it over my mouth. No matter that I have a medical condition, no matter that I made an effort to wear the mask at all. I will now begin a search for a new ophthalmologist who has some compassion for patients health needs as well as a little common sense. read more

I commend Associated Eye Care for their dedication to patients. I had a torn retina last August, 2022. I was out of town and contacted Associated Eye Care with my concerns. Unfortunately, I wasn't given the information I needed for my eye. Due to this, I had surgery on that eye at Mayo Clinic. I contacted Associated Eye Care about my surgery. Triage took my complaint and were very supportive. I also spoke to the business office a couple times, in particular Amy, and was treated with the upmost care and concern for my situation. Associated Eye Care recognized their responsibility and paid all of my medical bills incurred on my eye. The response from Associated Eye Care was nothing short of superior. I wasn't treated like a number but rather more like family. They recognized my care on that particular day I called was not reminiscent of their normal standard of care. Associated Eye Care treated me with compassion and respect. It's very difficult these days to find people that care that much about others. Even though my eye surgery was challenging to recover from, Associated Eye Care relieved the stress of my bills during this difficult time. Again, I commend Associated Eye Care for their professionalism and empathy while I was recovering. I am grateful for their support. Thank you Associated Eye Care. read more

I originally went in to get my eyes checked as a new client since I have moved which was unfortunate because I loved my original provider. I had little to no concerns going in and they tell me my prescription has changed. Ok great, not a big deal, so I find a pair of glasses I liked at a different vendor (this vendor I actually highly recommend to everyone) and I take my prescription to the vendor to have added to the glasses. Unfortunately the prescription was wrong, which is fine, mistakes happen. So I go back and make an appointment to see what's going on with my prescription. First thing is first, I give them my original glasses with a prescription I feel comfortable with and the new glasses with the prescription that was inaccurate. The woman returns to me to tell me my original glasses snapped while they were removing the lense to have inspected which totally stinks since they're the only ones I can see out of correctly. I say it's ok and she's very apologetic and I don't blame her, they were about 3-4 years old so it's fine I guess. So she repairs it with a little piece of tape and I can't recall if there's glue under the tape but it looks a little silly. Anyways, I get called in to have the prescription checked and I tell them it's the right eye I'm having issues with. They do the little slide testing thing and stop and switch to check the left eye. Then they go back to the right eye and repeat the slide testing thing again. I was having a hard time seeing a lot of the slides that were being shown to me and I was telling her some were blurry and some weren't as bad as others. So eventually she stops and says kinda aggressively something along the lines of "I'm not sure what to do, you keep changing your answers as to which are good and bad" and I'm thinking well I'm not sure which are which I'm just trying to answer which I can see better or worse, and so she finds a setting and compares it to the messed up prescription and I tell her it is better but isn't 100%, and she says something along the lines of "well, we'll try it" and I'm trying to be nice and say ok because I want to trust the professional. I left feeling like I was going to cry because they weren't 100% sure the prescription they were sending me with was for sure the one I needed and I felt like she could have been more helpful instead of getting frustrated at me. I feel embarrassed to return to the glasses vendor and telling them they got the prescription wrong luckily the vendor was extremely understanding and was beyond helpful. I will no longer be coming to this place for eye care and if my prescription is incorrect again, I will be going elsewhere to have it fixed. I don't think this is a terrible or the worst place ever but my experience has made it feel very negative and I'm left with a broken pair of glasses and a pair of glasses that aren't functional due to the incorrect lense that was prescribed. read more

Associated Eye Care - Broken glasses repaired with tape and potentially a little glue. - Optometrists Near Me - Stillwater, Minnesota

Be aware!!! My wife and I had an annual eye exam and when we were done they told us our insurance didn't cover any of it. We ended up paying $503 each for an eye exam! Walked out of there $1,006 light. Nobody said a word about the price before the exam!!! Maybe we should have asked first but $503 for an eye exam seems ridiculous!!!! read more

Day 1 after contoura lasik......HOLY COW I CAN SEE CRYSTAL CLEAR!! My experience at Associated eye care in Stillwater was hand down the best expeience! The staff were amazing and Dr. Vislisel was the most caring Dr and kept me as calm as he could during surgery. If you are in the market for an eye Dr for Lasik I would recommend him 110%! read more

I was referred to Associated Eye Care by my Optometrist. I am not sure why the treatment plan recommended by the Ophthalmologist that I saw was not communicated or followed by the entire office. This lack of communication within the office led to a very poor and unnecessary Billing problem. Patients do not deserve the stress that was created because of such poor communication among the clinical and Billing departments. Would any invasive procedures done at this office also be as "sloppy" or worst? The office also denied my on-line account request without an explanation. Perhaps you will have a better experience. read more

I have been under Dr. Park's care for over 20 years and and can't imagine having better care. He catches everything, and explains patiently. I'm a 'senior' now and been successfully treated for all the usual problems associated with aging. The staff and technicians are great - friendly and helpful. For example, I had a scheduling problem recently and they went out of their way to find a way around it. Equipment is always up to date. read more

I've been associated with Associated Eye Care since our daughter's third day of life over eleven years ago. When we noticed something odd about her left eye, the NICU staff called in "the best," Evan Ballard. I'll admit, hormoned up, overwhelmed by birthing twins, suffering from severe anemia, and now concerned about my daughter's eye, I didn't have much patience for his "uh huh...uh huh...huh"'s as he inspected her eye. I wanted more of a running patter about what he was seeing. Also, there's a tendency to want to shoot the messenger that tells you your daughter will be blind in one eye for life. So we have switched to another doctor within AEC--one who suits us better, and we couldn't be more pleased. Associated Eye Care has pediatric specialists--notably Evan Ballard and Susan Schloff--as well as docs for adults. When it came time to recommend a surgeon for our daughter (to remove the eye and replace with a prosthetic), they sent us to the best, as we've been told countless times by others in the field. I recently switched over for myself, and have been so pleased with their care for my vision, and how easy they are making it to find comfortable contacts for my severely near-sighted, astigmatism-riddled, very dry eyes. As a twin, our other daughter required very thorough checking to be certain her own eyes had developed appropriately. Her continuing care is through Dr. Schloff, and it gives us, her parents, great peace of mind to know that both girls have such competent and committed care, and with that, the continuity of an eye doctor who knows their whole history. And across the board, staff has been friendly, helpful, and courteous. A great association, indeed. read more

Everyone is very pleasant and I trust them with my eyes! I've been going fo Associated eye for years.

I have nothing but good things to say about Annika E. Williamschen. She is thorough, compassionate and genuinely cares about her patients. She is the only person i will see! The front desk staff is always great as well and referrals are put at top priority. I have only dealt with eye appointments/annual checks so i don't have any experience with the optical department/purchasing glasses. I highly recommend Annika and this location. read more

First time visit to this clinic for a yearly eye exam/new prescription for eyeglasses. Plentiful parking, ample waiting space, friendly, smiling, professional staff. Seems to be a very well run business. I was seen about 10 minutes after my appointment time. From the moment I was seen by the first associate until I ordered my glasses and was out the door - 1 hr 20 minutes. And they were very respectful of the fact that I had a commitment to drive to afterwards. Very pleased overall. I am hopeful my glasses will turn out well, too! read more

As a young man I worked at a full service gas station in Stillwater. When a customer pulled up to the gas pump I was taught to drop what I was doing and wait on them immediately. I went to Associated Eye Care today for correction of a simple problem with my glass frames and noticed 3 assistants, one of whom had no customers. I sat across from her and was told to wait a second so she could complete the paperwork from a previous customer. After a 4 to 5 minute wait watching the young lady shuffle papers and punch keys on her computer a different assistant became available so I went to her desk only to be told to wait a second so she could complete the paperwork from a previous customer! When I complained she apologized and immediately solved my problem. I know my wait was not that long but as a 76 year old codger I don't have much time left. Maybe I've lived too long... read more

I went to Associated Eye Care for treatment of wet macular degeneration and was very pleased with the treatment I received. The staff was very friendly and professional throughout my visit. read more

Dr Park's is a knowledgeable, caring professional. My eye car with Associated Eye has spanned several decades; I recommend them without reservation. read more

Awful. You're just a number to them and they'll rush you through.

Used to be a great place to go. Used to be a place my elderly mother used to look forward to going to because everyone was so nice and efficient and we got to know the people we always see. At our last appointment my poor mother was shuffled around to many different places on one far side of the building before we had to make our way all the way far to the other side of the place. This is hard for her. She is very with it but she has a tough time getting around even with her walker. We didn't even get to see any of the nurses we usually see and she told me she was disappointed and everything seemed so rushed. I don't know what happened but it isn't a nice place to go anymore. read more

I was very impressed with everything about Associated Eye Care, from the receptionists, to Bruce who did all the eye measurements, to the contact lens specialist, and lastly Dr Chapelle. The process went speedily and I never felt rushed. I highly recommend Associated Eye Care! read more

My son who has Down Syndrome has been going here for a few months. Every time my wife leave she calls me crying because of the long waits of an hour or better. He is only 21 months old and is very active, it is not easy for parents to expect a child of this age to wait patiently or of his family either. At the end of the most recent visit my wife could not wait any longer and walked out. Nice work Associated Eye Care of Stillwater. When I call to complain, the call went to a call center. The call center rep asked me to hold while she reached a manager at that location. Then I was told managers do not take call complaints and that I would have to continue to hold so I could fill out a complaint survey. I refused to do that and said I would be taking my complaint to the internet and social media. Sincerely, Disappointed read more

I've been going to Associated Eyecare many years. Dr Lang is great and I can get my eye visit and contact lens evaluation done at the same time. I paid $50 for the contact lens piece and then am able to get my contact lens prescription filled online. read more

I was unreasonably nervous to have Lasik done so I carefully selected Associated Eye and specifically Dr. Lane to work with after an extensive search. I had perfect vision within 24 hours and minimal discomfort after the procedure. I still can't believe how well I see. I highly recommend both Associated Eye and Dr. Lane. read more

That Dr. Goddard is sure a nice doc. He really listened to me and he answered my questions but didn't talk down to me like lots of docs do. He didn't make it seem like he was pushing me out the door real fast either. Also he has a pretty young thing who does the computer for him. I'm sorry can't remember her name but she had dark glamour hair if that helps. She was real nice too. She even walked with me to the desk and helped me make sure I got the right eye drops. Usually I go to a doctor and I feel like I don't matter so much but those two seem like they cared. It was a good day. read more

1. Misrepresents pricing 2. Unusual billing format - doesn't make any sense, to say the least - even to accountants 3. Business office can not explain billing and say they will have someone call back who can explain it. However they do not return calls giving any explanation, never did get explanation from them even after numerous phone calls over a few months time. 4. Follow up appointments after surgery were to be included in cost, though I received bill of more than $500 for a follow-up appt. This was after I affirmed that there would be no charge for follow up appointment when making that appointment & tried to affirm at appointment. A direct answer would not be provided during appointment & they kept me waiting more than 2 hours.. 5. When I had an early follow up appointment for eye surgery, Dr. Park strongly was recommended surgery on the other eye. 6. They would not provide my records to my primary ophthalmologist although the request was made at least twice. I wanted their opinion re additional surgery. On the next follow up appointment Dr. Park had a complete change of opinion regarding recommending surgery on the other eye. 7. I'm still having problems with my vision, however, I cannot say for certain if its related to the surgery or not. 8. They will not submit their entire bill to an insurance company for processing. Although they were clear that part of the surgery cost would not be covered by insurance, which I agreed to and isn't an issue, they would not submit that portion of charges to insurance which I believe needs to be done so the insurance can deny so it can be reimbursed from HCRA and/or deducted for tax purposes. read more

Long wait and rushed service. Asked about contacts when I called then asked the assistant and the doctor who brushed it off like they don't have time today to deal with it. Never going back. Plus I asked a question about my glasses and they never answered it. I don't trust them with my sight. read more

Went to see a glaucoma specialist in the Stillwater location Nov 2016. My medical records from my optometrist were requested 1 month before my appointment but they were not available at my appointment. No one cared about that including the Doctor....but I did. When I suggested someone call to get the records, I was told by several people, we don't do that. What a poor practice. The equipment used to examine my eyes was dirty. When I pointed that out to the Glaucoma Specialist, he didn't care and it was not cleaned. His evaluation seemed incomplete, diagnostic testing results were not adequately shared and communicated with me and my summary printout did not match with what the Doctor told me. Because my vision has deteriorated I asked for a refraction to get a pair of glasses to help me see better. I was told that I didn't schedule it so they wouldn't do it. My vision was not checked by the specialist or his numerous techs anytime during my visit with him. He didn't care that I was not seeing well, it wasn't HIS JOB. This practice is horrible. Health of the eyes is not the focus here any longer. Just rush people through, and do the minimum. If you leave with poor vision and no plan to make it better that was not the concern of the doctor/specialist at this visit. Although I have had glaucoma for over 10 years and had been having problems with eye pressures, he wrote in his record that my glaucoma was minor and just starting. I too have had issues with excess bills and very poor follow up for having it corrected. I'm afraid to use this practice to have cataract surgery. read more

This place is terrible. Took me 2 hours to get out. The employees I encountered were not friendly. One was impatient when I asked questions. When I finally interacted with the 4rd employee, who was the first to seem like she actually wanted to be there, I commented does everyone hate their job here. Feel like they are just trying to go thru people for money. My eye pressure readings were high with the puff test. Other places have then done the one where you read directly on the eye. This place wanted me to come back in for another office visit. Forget it. I went to my old dr and paid 1/5 the cost for better care. read more

If you are a UCare member, just pay the $30 co-pay for your visit. Once you have your letter from UCare telling you what you owe them, just pay that amount. Associated Eye Care has been collecting from BOTH UCare and from UCare subscribers for the same service. read more

We have stayed with Associated Eyecare, reasonably happy with one of the doctors, but I think you can do better. Our daughter has had relatively serious eye issues--serious enough to require surgery. Over a decade of care in different states, our least favorite encounters were with Susan Schloff. She doesn't have a great bedside manner at all. It isn't just me, but others in my family, who see her as arrogant. That comes off in little things...like, she doesn't allow me (a 40-something professional with a PhD) to call her by her first name. If I say, "Hi, Susan," she'll say, "Dr. Schloff". And it comes out in her judgment. If you present a piece of evidence that might contradict the current thinking about a diagnosis, she really dismisses it quickly. That's not good science: you can't latch on to your first conclusion and ride it in face of contradictory evidence. She'll say things that suggest she has read the right self-help books: "I hear what you're saying, but..." but that isn't the same as an actual open mind and engagement with someone. So after a couple years of this, my wife and I, and even our daughter, agreed to go with another doctor in their clinic, and that has been better. There are still wait time issues at the clinic, and there are other frustrations, but we make do. read more

Astounded at how bad the communication is within this office. I have an extremely tight schedule, like a lot of people, but I researched which eye doctor I wanted to see before calling to make my appointment. I was not told until I received a barely understandable electronic voicemail a few days before my appointment that it was with a different doctor. I called, they apologized, and I kept the appointment. I arrived early as requested to fill out my new patient paperwork, and was left standing at the front desk for 7 minutes while the only employee took phone calls and entered things on the computer. After waiting 20 minutes past the time my appointment was supposed to start I asked how much longer and was told sorry, the doctor was running 15 minutes behind (which meant I should have been in 5 minutes before). I was there a full 2 hours before my exam was finally completed, and only then was I told that I'd have to make another appointment to actually get contacts--the entire reason I was there to begin with. I decided to take my business elsewhere, and when I called to have them send my prescription they told me I didn't even have one, they'd examined me for eye glasses only! They absolutely wasted my time and my money, and while the actual medical personnel seemed competent enough I would seriously think twice about going here. read more

I went in for exam and new glasses as mine broke, the tech took my old glasses and based my new script on that pair, I said don't go by those they're over 10 years old. I broke my current glasses and am wearing old pair, but she wouldn't listen. She said she was having trouble getting a good refractory. Then the doc came in and examined my eyes and said as you get older your eyes get to the point where we just have to go with the refractory we get. I said , but I could see better with the broken pair than what she came up with as the new script. Again no one listened. So when I picked up the new glasses I couldn't see but I thought I would give my eyes a few days to adjust. After about 5 days I returned to associated eye end the man at the counter called St. Paul eye clinic for my latest script to compaired, and he started apologizing , he said wow we were way off ,no wonder you couldn't see. So they had me go back in to the exam room and the clinic manager redid my script as I did not want the woman I had before. Wow I could see great. Then came making the glasses. 2 weeks went by and I hadn't heard a thing so I called, the lab scratched the lenses and so they had to do a " redo". Ok , so I waited another week ,heard nothing so I called, and the lab chipped one of the lenses from the first re do. So another redo,, then that set of lenses broke. So they promised that the lab manager will walk them thru personally. So after redoing the lenses 3 times and 8 weeks later I finally got my glasses. No offers of giving me a little money off of my glasses, as a customer service move. I tried associated eye as I live in stillwater. And changed jobs so I didn't want to go to maplewood at my usual place . St. Paul Eye Clinic. My son wasn't impressed with Associated Eye either. Thank goodness St. Paul Eye Clinic is coming to Stillwater. I'm going back to the pro's at St Paul Eye Clinic. read more