Warning: If you go to Dr Tavel Eye Care you might want to rethink it! my husband made our appointment online we never got a confirmation. I called the Bloomington number to be sure that we had appointments and got a central line with Cheyanne after repeating everything at least 3 times, I thought I needed to draw her a picture. Finally confirmed appointments. Appointments were 12:00 and 12:15. We drive from Greene County deal with construction, and traffic. Get there my husband drops me at the door because we were running close. I had to wait for the person coming out to clear the door get to the desk and this girl that looks to be all of 12-15 said your appointment was at noon we can't see you. I look at my watch I said I show 12:01 she says rudely my computer says 12:02! Honest!! Dr Jones who we have seen for years. We followed him when he changed places of employment came out with the patient before us, I shook his hand and told him it has been nice knowng him but we won't be back. I want to add an additional warning the glasses I have gotten from them have never fit correctly. We have only got our glasses there twice, got exams only because of the shoddy service and products they offer. I just wonder how long they will remain in business?? read more

They messed up my prescription twice and then expected me to do a third exam. They even checked my old glasses twice and got THAT prescription wrong. They had me three steps lower than my original prescription. Tried to tell me that I can change sometimes really fast even though my old glasses I can see just fine and the new glasses they gave me. I can't see 6 feet in front of my face. And then they wanted me to wait an hour and a half to get another exam that they screwed up twice before I will never ever go back to a Dr Tavel again. read more

You get what you pay for. It took them almost a month to get me my first trial contact lenses. I'm pretty sure they forgot to order them at the time of the initial appointment, because the second trial lenses took less than a week. My first pair of glasses had me seeing worse than my prior pair (from another optometrist), so what did they do? Gave me a new prescription that was essentially identical to my prior prescription (from another optometrist). Gee, thanks for wasting two months of my time. I gave up and went elsewhere (that's more than twice as expensive). read more

I've lived in Bloomington for 3 years and hadn't had an eye exam yet. I chose this place based on the recommendation of a friend. I scheduled my appointment with Dr Ball. I must say I had a great experience. Dr Ball is awesome, personable and adorable. The staff were all helpful and polite. I got a cute pair of glasses and an eye exam including a test for glaucoma and cataracts all for $55. The Dr also checked my optic nerve since I'm a type 1 diabetic .I do have Aetna so what I paid was a copay and the difference between what I owed and my glasses allowance. I will be going back! read more

While we were in town for our anniversary, we spotted in here to get an updated eye prescription. I was getting headaches from my current prescription, and Rob was having issues with his glasses too. Called ahead and set an appointment. Everything went smooth, and the doctor was decent. My prescription is now perfect, and no more headaches! My only complaint was the front office staff. They all seemed like college kids just hanging around chatting loudly. One guy just couldn't stop talking. Quite annoying, and not very professional. read more

When I went there were 3 college ladies at the front who were so kind, helpful, and welcoming. And they're all studying to be in optometry! It was so fun to get a new prescription for contacts there! I thought I was just going to go and wait 3 weeks for contacts and be treated like a number. Nope! I got to try all the different coloured contacts there same day, decide which one I want, and got contacts the SAME DAY so I could try them out as a rookie. And the eye Dr. is down to Earth! I don't usually trust doctors but here they made me feel safe. Everything was quick, polite, and to the point with the staff. Great experience!! read more

The best thing about this business is the in-house Optometrist, Dr. Steven I. Ball. He is highly competent and efficient, and is an entertaining character to boot. Dr. Ball has taken care of my eyes for over 20 years at this location, and he is the reason I keep coming back. There was a time when the front half of the operation was excellent. They had an in-house lab that could finish most prescriptions "in about an hour". The friendly staff was knowledgeable, courteous, and kind. They had a good selection of frames at reasonable prices. They had toys for kids, and a fish tank filled with beautiful fish for folks to watch while they waited. I was a satisfied customer, and referred many of my friends (we live in a college town with a lot of population turnover, so people are always asking for recommendations) to this business for many years. Unfortunately the business has descended rapidly downhill over the past several years. The main problem seems to have to do with management. There is one "in-charge" woman in particular, who is most disagreeable. She tends to listen-in on the conversations of her colleagues, and is constantly correcting them. At the same time, she hardly ever waits on customers herself. She frequently misinforms customers, especially about matters that could save the customer money. She has tried to deny me warranty service I had paid for, has refused to allow a simple glasses repair to be performed on my son's, Tavel-purchased glasses (which another shop later did free of charge). She has treated my family rudely, including once accusing my 6 year-old daughter of stealing something (which, of course, she hadn't done). Other ways in which this shop has deteriorated in the past few years: ~The in-house lab has closed and all prescriptions now take 1-2 weeks to fill. ~The frame selection has dwindled, and the prices have gone up significantly. ~The once knowledgeable, long-time staff has been replaced by inexperienced youngsters, none of whom seem to stay for more than a few months. ~The fish and toys are gone, and there aren't even any magazines for folks to read in the dingy, darkly lit waiting area. Kids seem to be considered a nuisance by current staff. So why-oh-why do I continue to go back to this shop? Well...Dr. Ball is terrific, I like him, and he's been my eye doctor for a long time. He probably wonders where all of his customers have gone. Today I had an experience that finally has convinced me to take my business elsewhere, despite my positive history with Dr. Ball: I wanted a complete copy of my current prescription from my last visit, which occurred 2 months ago. What I got did not include the P.D. (Pupil Distance) measurement, which I then specifically requested. I was then told that they "don't give out this measurement" because it "wasn't a part of the prescription". I knew this to be completely untrue, and I also knew my patient rights to anything in my record. When I stated this, I was forced to sign a medical release (to myself), and charged twenty-five cents for the copy of my prescription which, lo-and-behold, included the PD measurement in the same prescription graph with all of my other prescription info. I'll now be going someplace where I am not insulted and lied-to. I will miss Dr. Ball. Maybe he will relocate his practice, and I can enjoy being his patient once again. As for Dr. Tavel in Bloomington...I suggest you stay far away. read more

I have taken myself and kids to this location. Since the overbearing manager is gone has been a pleasant experience. The staff yet young has been very honest and open about frames and try to save me money. Dr ball is very quirky yet great and eccentric. He knows his stuff and makes you feel welcome like family in his little exam room. I highly recommend dr ball if you like a straight shooting down home kinda doctor read more

I wanna start off by saying all the staff at the Bloomington Dr. Tavel are very welcoming and nice. With that being said my child stop qualifying for Medicaid and I knew if I went to Walmart it would be cheaper on my budget. I went into Walmart in bloomington Indiana on 3/14/17 to get my son new glasses at Walmart eye center. They contacted Dr. Tavel since my son as been a patient there which Dr. Tavel was told to fax my child's eye prescription over to Walmart first thing in the morning on 3/15/17. I show up on 3/15/17 around 1:30p.m at Walmart only to be told that Dr. Tavel had not faced anything over to Walmart. So I told the nice young lady at Walmart named (terry) that instead of her going out of her way I would drive all the way to the east side of Bloomington to get a copy of my sons prescription to save everyone else the hassle. I get to the dr. Tavel here and Bloomington and also talked to a gentleman named Scott on the phone who was SO helpful,understanding,and respectful! When I arrived to dr. Tavel I was informed that they don't have a fax machine and that they are still in the 90's??? I think ma be corporate could look into updated the electronics which good be helpful to fellow co-workers and customers as well. When I called on 3/15/17 I spoke with a very sweet lady named Morgan who was more then helpful and gave me two different web sites so I could write a review. THANKS again doctor Tavel Bloomington again for your great service! Way to go Morgan and Scott! read more

The staff is very helpful in trying to get you the cheapest deal on things. Dr. Ball is hilarious and makes going to the eye doctor a pleasant experience. read more

I've been going here for 4 years now and I absolutely love them. Dr. Ball remembers me every time...down to my favorite football team. My RX is always perfect! read more

Exam was fine. Told them I only can wear a certain lens. They assured me it was a manufacturer they offered. Found cute glasses. But never could see well thru those lenses. At recent exam elsewhere, I learned Tavel gave me a poor quality substitute (paid for the better lens). I complained but they only offered a new pair at 50% off. I'll never darken their door again. read more

After researching the eye doctor choices in Bloomington I decided to give Dr. Tavel's a try. Big Mistake! My eye exam was one of the shortest I've ever had in my 40 years of wearing glasses and when I came in to pick up my glasses which took almost two weeks to come in the prescription wasn't correct. I don't know if it was the tech who made the error or the Dr. It's now been another week and half and I still don't have my glasses. The staff, while pleasant didn't offer any clear information and don't seem inclined to find out who can. I would not recommend this eye care business to anyone. read more

I called to make an appointment for my 3yr old son that has a disability and is nonverbal. I was told that Dr. Tavel family eyecare does not see 3yr olds even though they saw my non-disabled 3yr old with no questions! I will no longer bring any of my children here, especially my special boy. I usually don't write reviews but appalled by the discrimination! read more