We've been going here for many years- can't say enough good things about them. Mindy is amazing and always so helpful! Thank you guys, you're the best! read more

One of the sales person was rude and not helpful. Apparently she does not enjoy working with people.

Totally oblivious and giving wrong information. Tried to order contact lenses and was told my Rx isn't valid as I never had a 2nd appointment for verification, I did. Then I get hung up on after requesting my Rx be mailed to my home address so I can actually make a contact purchase elsewhere. This store sure knows how to make one feel somewhat important... NOT! I suggest you look elsewhere for competent eye care. Should have been as easy as, "What lenses would you like to order?", but I got something completely different and quite upsetting. read more

The "receptionist" will look right past or maybe it's through you - hard to tell which. Despite the advent of Warby Parker they insist you MUST BE SEEN by an optometrist (to measure you in person) - so you'll need two trips. In my case she was sure she didn't use my insurance: until she looked it up. Then she didn't have access to it on the computer - a manager does but she wasn't there, so again - another day at another time. While I was there an African American woman waited and waited and was leaving and as she headed for the door they offered to help her?! Huh? Okay, so I'm guessing this business is doing everything in its power to repel customers so they can have quiet afternoons. They literally repel people. read more

Lack of communication and customer service. When I entered and checked in, I was told of my insurance benefit for glasses. I also inquired if there was an additional insurance benefit for Contacts and was also given an amount. So I did the exams for both eyeglasses and contacts paid for both which the Contacts exam was not included. Then was only able to order glasses. Was then told there was no contact benefit and that it's usually just better to do the glasses. Very little assistance in selection and honestly staff just seemed stand off and not friendly more like processing people through than actually caring about customers. I guess I'm just used to smaller hometown care and next year I will definitely be taking my business elsewhere. read more

I love that they will fix my glasses if i walk in.. always so friendly and helpful!! And they have a good selection!!

Originally this would have been a good review. Although my experience getting an eye exam and choosing glasses took longer, the staff was very helpful and kind. It has been over a month now and I have received no updates on the 2 pairs of glasses I ordered. I called and followed the incredibly long prompted answering service to be told there was no order under my name. I called again and sat on hold for 8 minutes to speak to a person before being hung up on because nobody answered the phone. Happening to be in town, (I live 35 mins away, mind you) I decided to pop in. The gentleman at the desk says there are 6 people in front of me and didn't even bother to check if my glasses were in!!!! I asked if anybody would answer next time if I called back and he said NO!!! He said there is nobody to answer the phone. I understand they are busy and short staffed but this was honestly ridiculous. I feel like I'll never get these glasses at this point and wasted $400. I have worked in retail and public service for more than a decade. Not every customer is difficult and unfortunately this guy made me feel like me wanting to even know if my glasses were even being processed (again, over a month ago...) was too much work for him. Will not be going back after this. Shame on you, Ithaca. read more

Employees prioritize looking at their phones over helping customers. I waited and waited and finally walked out. They all held a steady gaze at their phones. read more

Beware: 1. This eye glass facility does not provide live customer service by phone. The only way to speak to someone is to make an appointment weeks in advance. 2. Poor record keeping. Had no record of a pair of glasses I returned. 3. Low inventory of frames. Limited stock for medicaid patients. 4. New rigid policy does not allow for medically needed changes or upgrades - even with paying out of pocket. 5. It took weeks of numerous phone calls with the main 800 company phone number waiting on hold which yielded no available agents and much frustration to resolve an issue due to a lack of live customer service. Finally my insurance company was able to reach them. 6. No longer an optician on site. Only remote appointments. Even with a pandemic, this disrespectful treatment of patients in a medical facility is unprofessional and completely unacceptable. If this eye facility is short staffed and unable to provide basic customer service, they should not be in business. Unfortunately, this is the only eye glass company that my insurance provides. read more

I haven't actually had an appointment but already upset there isn't a live CSR!! I was told by my vision insurance rep. That Empire Vision took Ameritas insurance. I called Empire Vision and the guy I spoke to rudely informed me that they never have accepted this insurance! I had scheduled a appointment 6 weeks ago only to have to cancel the day before! I didn't get a good vibe with Empire Vision and after reading all the reviews I will go elsewhere. read more

Their standards on service has gone down in a big way. I have been using them for about 10 years, through name change included. Now there is no lab with no attempt to rehire for it. I ordered a pair of glasses in the middle of June, got them within 2 weeks. The were no made to the order that I paid for, so we sent them back. Three weeks later they came back with the same mistake. I requested my money back. It has been over a month with no luck. I have been back several times and made numerous phone calls receiving only a runaround. Next will be a phone call to the Better Business. read more

Over a month ago, I scheduled an initial appointment for my daughter. I received several text reminders about the appointment. The morning of her appointment, I received a call saying the doctor quit back in October and that they were short staffed and only doing telemed visits but that since my daughter was a new patient she couldn't be seen. Had I known this 7 weeks ago when I scheduled the appointment, I would have found a different doctor. I was able to get my daughter an appointment with a different local doctor, but need to wait an additional 6 weeks for their first available appointment. I'm very upset about the lack of communication and the waste of our time in waiting for an appointment that couldn't be filled. read more

Going to this Visionworks Ithaca is a nightmare. 1st appointment - the front desk person has no clue, there's a system issue, cannot pull out insurance information. I called VSP customer support, they tell me it just a matter of call from vision work to fix the issue. 2nd appointment - appointment confirmed, but there is no doctor available on the appointment date. Another waste of time. 3rd appointment - appointment confirmed and even got a call of confirmation, but coming in to appointment date, the system tells that I am not on the list. Another waste of time. They tell me I should call as well, but no body answering the phone, I was hold for more than 30 minutes for nothing. Their phone is useless, it seems only for outgoing call, I witnessed front desk can make an outgoing call , there is no point of calling this place. It is so STUPID!!!!! read more

Buyer beware.....we made our appointment online as it is still impossible to get a person to answer the phone. Same reason given as least year, and the year before (before COVID) - we are short staffed. Imagine my surprise when I learned it was a 'tel med' appointment- that my son would not be seen by a doctor. Basically you get the same machines as usual, a refractionist then works with you (also tell med) and then they send it to the doctor someone rights a prescription from a distance. When questioned on this explaining I wasn't aware he would not be seeing a doctor I was asked how I made the appointment - answer was online as no one answers the phone. She told me that it would have told me when I made the appointment. I found the email confirmation and it did not state anything. When I readied and offered to have her look at the email she changed her tune and said she really wasn't sure. So....if you plan to really see someone go elsewhere. Add on: my son has some issues and will only wear on frame. It's been years, when they discontinued the frame I bought an extra as change is very hard for him. I was a little confused as to which pair was his most recent as he had to go to a back up pair given the lens fell out due to a screw / noise pad issue (also common with their glasses). I ask them if they could read the four pairs to see what the prescriptions were....which they did and printed out slips with the detail for each pair. Thing is, they didn't match the prescriptions they had given him in the past. I asked the tel med doctor about it and was told they absolutely should. I guess what they have been providing didn't match what was ordered. My son has told me in the past that he still couldn't see well, we've had them 'checked'. I was told everything was fine - I put it down to a combination of his general eye site and some of his struggles. Well, I was wrong - and I reconfirmed them in years past. Then the real winner - I asked what discounts they had - lenses were 25% off with no insurance and a full pair were. 45% off with no insurance. Earlier that day I had received a junk mail advertisement for 50% off a new pair. Seems it was a valid offer - either they didn't know about it or they just were not going to offer it. As I can't get into a local doctor before 6 months from now (that's why I went to Visionworks) I moved ahead in ordering lenses so he would have a new pair for school. Guess what, they told me they don't guarantee them not to get broken as 'they go to Texas'. They will sell you lots of frames but they really don't want to have you use them more than a year. Given the frames alone were over $200 this place is feeling less of a great deal. Personally this is my last trip here. read more

this place takes wayyyy to long i had 2 appointments and together it took about 3 hours

Not only were these people the rudest most inconsiderate eye "professionals" I have ever come in contact with, they don't care about their patients and are obviously just out to make money. They haven't adapted to the market and despite the fact that you can buy plastic frames for $6 from eye direct, they still charge you $300 for a pair of plastic frames plus $60 for lenses. I was so offended that their sales tactics involved them basically not letting you leave the store without buying a pair of glasses. When I still declined they treated me like crap and tried to sell me on a fake warranty for my contacts that turns out, I wasn't even eligible for. I went back and returned the portion of contacts my insurance didn't cover, and when I did they acted like angry toddlers. When I asked for a copy of my prescription, they knew what I was doing and that I was going to buy glasses somewhere else, so they refused to give me the measurement of the distance between my eyes. The one star was for the optometrist, who was nice and helpful and honest. That guy should fire his whole whiney, crappy staff and clean house. read more

I don't know, I just went back there again and came back without the glasses. Nice holiday cheers, with cookies, raffles and Santa hats, but ... no apology/acknowledgement about the botched appointment the day before, and because the appointment I had today was "late in the day" even though "it usually takes about an hour" to put the lenses in the stock to the new frame, I have to come back "tomorrow after noon." Well ... obviously these people are not aware, or deliberately oblivious, to the fact that I am making the trip for the second time because of their mistake, and for that, I'm yet punished to make another trip. Now usually with these types of places, it is a hassle to get a copy of the prescription. I had my son also try fitting of the contact lenses and I'm hoping that they will give it up to me without hassle. Why? Of course, it's less expensive to get contact lenses online. I'll see. read more

Tried ordering new contacts and kept getting "they've been ordered" when they never were actually ordered. They also never answer the damn phone. It's worth going to a different store if possible. read more

Visited store, picked out frames, gave ALL info to proceed but needed to have the Dr. measure my daughter's eyes quick. No one available. Was told they'd call me the next day. It's been over a week. I cannot get a human being from this location to call me. I've tried online chatbot, email, calling corporate helpdesk - still no call from local venue. read more

Reviewing just the eye appointment and contacts, didn't buy glasses. Chose this place because my Cigna insurance covered it and it had good appointment times on the weekend. Had to do a little paperwork and a pre-test thingy but was into the exam around 10 minutes after I got there. Dr. Jester was good, efficient and had some interesting tidbits on the exam I had never heard before. Exam took about 15 minutes. Worked with Jeff to order contacts which was great because they didn't cost anything after insurance. Jeff was really nice and no pressure on anything. He even offered to print both my prescriptions that I can take anywhere else, which was nice because I have had other places pressure me into buying there and being difficult about getting the copy. Contact order should be in in about a week. Overall, nice service, efficient, and fine cost given my coverage. Was in and out in under 45 minutes. read more

Dr. Jester is fantastic! Went to Visionworks just to update a prescription as they were in-network for me. Everyone in the office was friendly, efficient, and helpful. They gave a thorough exam and didn't pressure me into buying frames like other places have done. Also took extra COVID precautions, which I appreciate. Highly recommend! read more

This fall I realized my well-used trifocals needed updating. Following a summer exam by my eye physician, scheduled appointment with my local Visionworks. Needed to make sure the exam results were provided to the Visionworks office, and the staff there then placed the order for replacement lenses and a fresh frame. They were able to apply current charge discounts, which I had not been aware of, and provided me with a copy of the order (which would go to the Texas center where the lenses would be manufactured and assembled in the frames.) The Texas office predicted about 2 weeks time for completion of the order. About a week later received a confirmation from that office and fresh estimate of a somewhat delayed arrival time in Ithaca. As that time arrived, unfortunately as our locality was expecting major snowstorm intervention, the local office was able to confirm that the glasses were on their way after some delay. They were due to arrive during the end of that series of snowstorms, and in spite of the potential road closings, the local office took delivery and I was able to check out my new glasses. They worked great! Am very grateful for the assistance of the local staff, who have been working hard while managing with a staff shortage, and unpredictable weather situations. Can't say enough good things about the local staff and office, and would hope they will get some more assistance for the local office which can receive considerable business in a busy 3-college town like Ithaca, NY. - Ward Romer read more

I ordered transition lenses and paid for them. I did not get transition lenses. Now I have to go waste my time to figure it out. Bummer!

I was reluctant to visit a "chain" optical place based on past experiences, but my boyfriend highly recommended I try Empire Visionworks. After comparing Yelp reviews between this store and another non-chain provider, I chose Visionworks. I couldn't be happier. Everything from the initial phone call to the eye exam to the eyeglass fitting was perfect. The sales assistant allowed me to pick out frames by myself without pressuring me and compared discounts to find me the best deal. I even received my filled prescription the very next day, and for far less than I expected! (Although I don't think this is typical.) I will happily visit this store for all future eye care needs. Highly Recommend!!! read more

Stuck with this office because of insurance coverage. Didn't call when glasses were ready and when I called to check if they were ready-2 weeks later i got a nice dose of attitude. Optometrist is a nice guy but the office staff is TRASH. what are the qualifications to work there because 2 of the women look like active alcoholics. I just dread having to deal with them. read more

Doctor was fine. Rest of the staff was almost incompetent. Did not follow doctors directions, lost my release form, did not get my insurance correct....bumbling! Wow, I hope all Vision Works offices are not like this one! Really bad experience! read more

These folks really stepped up for me when I was desperate to get new glasses fast. Props to Peter and to the very helpful young woman at the reception counter (red head), they really went above and beyond. Much appreciated! read more

I accidentally sat on my glasses and broke them right in half last night. I walked into Empire Visionworks at 11 this morning, and walked out at 11:15 with the same lenses popped into a new frame. They even discounted the frame for me by 25%! Emily S. was amazing at customer service. I thought I was going to have to walk around without glasses for the next week and spend hundreds of dollars. I can't even believe how easy and inexpensive that was. Highly recommend. read more

Admittedly my first appointment and experience was less than satisfactory. However; the Regional Manager made every effort to mitigate all of my issues and sincerely work towards ensuring that Visionworks Ithaca become a better establishment. Thank you to the Regional Manager and Corporate Customer service for expeditiously resolving all issues. read more

I really don't understand the incompetence of this place. Simply tried to reorder some contact lenses over the phone from a preexisting order at their store. Lucky for me, the girl I talked to was new and couldn't complete the simple order. This was after being put on hold for a while. She then said someone would call me back as everyone (!) who knew how to complete the order was at lunch. Really. She took my name and number and assured me a call back after the aforementioned staff lunch break. Two hours later - insert Spongebob voice - no call back. Ok, I'm steamed, call them back, get a different girl, says yes, the first clerk was new. Mind you, I only want to reorder some contacts, nothing more. She then proceeds to put me on hold for so long , I'm forced to hang up. Wtf. What is going on down there? My god, how busy are they? I wouldnt even have bothered with ordering them at the store but the website is even worse. Didn't have the type of contacts that I had only received a few months ago. Empire Visionworks needs a total, complete overhaul and reworking from the top down. Disgraceful. read more

Every time I have had to come here to have my glasses adjusted or fixed the staff has always been helpful and friendly. Sometimes there has been a wait but it hasn't ever been too long. read more

Not helpful at all. I walked in to get my order filled at 3:15 pm (and they close at 4pm). They told me I couldn't get an order filled since there was a person ahead of me so I was told to leave. I drove 30 minutes and showed up 45 minutes before they closed just to be turned away. They will now not be getting any service from me. read more

I went in for my yearly contact lens exam. I was there on a Saturday afternoon so the wait time was not bad. The appointment was quick but I was given the wrong prescription.The eye doctor asked me if both my eyes typically have the same prescription and I said yes. For some reason he still gave me a different prescription in the left eye, and when my new contacts came in, my left eye was blurry. I went back in for a contact lens check, which was free since they screwed up, and a different doctor gave me a new prescription for the left eye. I had to wait another week until my new contacts were in and when I picked them up a staff member realized they ordered the wrong prescription. I have to wait yet another week until the new contacts come in. Needless to say I will never be back to this place, and have never experienced such a hassle when getting my eyes checked. read more

I rarely write yelp reviews but the other reviews here make this place seem subpar when it is far far from that. First of all, the employees here are all professionals and all rock, each going out of their way to be kind, courteous and helpful. From the moment I walked in the store, I had a great experience having my eyes tested by the excellent and kind optometrists and then selecting glasses with the help of a staff member who helped me choose glasses and helped get them to me in a very short amount of time. It was fun and I am so thankful to all there. I didn't wait for anything and ended up leaving the store with 2 pairs of stylish frames on order! There's a wide variety of frames all at decent prices. They take a ton of different insurances too. In fact, I'm trying to think of a better experience buying glasses anywhere in my whole life and I haven't had one. Amazing customers service, great eye doctors, great selection of frames. Thanks all to visionworks for helping me see and look good in my new frames! read more

Receptionists are abrupt and not friendly. The reception desk is about 3 ft. away from where waiting patients sit so I heard everything when the receptionists were on the phone. After phone calls they would often discuss the phone call and I heard that too. I went two times and have yet to get contacts or glasses that work... and I have to wait TEN days before either will be ready. I feel that is too long! Both times I saw sassy attitudes from one girl towards her superior. This office is NOT very professional! read more