I switched from Crown Optical to America's Best years ago, because the glasses are so much more…read moreaffordable. The two stars are because I've been happy enough with the glasses, and they have a very good guarantee. The problem is the eye doctors. In that regard, it seems to me that America's Best is the optometry equivalent of Great Clips. The overall impression I get is that the doctors that work here are either brand new doctors in their first job, or they just didn't do very well in school, and this place is the only job they can get. I'm not sure I've ever had the same optometrist twice, and I have found them to be generally subpar.
I have had significant issues with my eye exams for the last two years, and both times, the problem was the doctor. Last year, the doctor told me that my prescription had barely changed at all, and then he proceeded to drastically change it. When the glasses arrived and I went to pick them up, I couldn't really see through them, and I said so. I was told that I needed to be patient and give my eyes a chance to adjust to the new prescription. I accepted that and drove home. I actually drove with these glasses, but it really wasn't safe for me to do so. I gave the glasses another week, but I never did "adjust." Luckily, I also didn't try to drive anymore while wearing them, because that was completely unsafe.
After a week, I called and spoke to the manager, who checked my old prescription and was shocked to see what a drastic change the doctor had made, after telling me that it had barely changed. The manager was lovely, and she seemed completely baffled as to why the doctor would have done what he did. A different doctor examined me and confirmed that the prescription was completely off. They reordered the glasses with the correct prescription, and everything was ultimately fine, but it was a lot of hassle for no reason.
Then a few weeks ago, I went back for my annual exam. My mother and my grandmother both had Wet AMD, and I thought the doctor might want to know about that history, so I mentioned it. He scoffed at me and acted like it was the stupidest thing anyone had ever said to him. He told me if I was showing signs of Wet AMD, he would know it, and he completely dismissed me.
And that wasn't all. I had recently begun experiencing what I believed to be ocular migraines. I described in detail what had been going on, hoping that he could advise me. He looked at me like I was making him late for happy hour and he said, I kid you not, "Sounds like you should probably see a doctor about that."
I was dumbfounded. I asked him what kind of doctor? My primary? An ophthalmologist? He practically rolled his eyes and said, "Well, you have cataracts, so you're going to need to see an ophthalmologist eventually." And that was the end of that. He never really answered a single one of my questions, he just acted put out by them.
You can get your eyes examined at America's Best if you want to, but I do NOT recommend it. I will still buy my glasses there because no one beats their prices, but I will never get my eyes examined here again.
