I had a very disappointing experience with this office and would not recommend it based on my experience. The biggest issue was the complete lack of transparency regarding the protection plan that was sold to me. When I purchased my glasses, I specifically asked what the protection plan covered because my primary concern was losing my glasses. I was clearly told that the plan covered both lost and damaged glasses, which is why I agreed to purchase it. When I later called after losing my glasses, I was informed that the plan does not cover lost glasses. That was the exact opposite of what I was told when making my purchase. When I called to discuss the issue, I spoke with Karen. While she never raised her voice, her tone and choice of words came across as dismissive and unprofessional. Rather than listening to my concerns or acknowledging that there may have been a misunderstanding on the office's part, she repeatedly implied that I must have "misheard" or "misunderstood." It's frustrating to be told that the mistake was yours when you specifically asked questions to avoid this exact situation. My concerns didn't stop there. During my eye exam, I explained to the doctor that I had previously worn bifocal lenses and did not like them because they caused more problems than they solved. Despite sharing my past experience, I was strongly encouraged to get bifocals again. I trusted the doctor's recommendation, but unfortunately, I ended up with the same issues I had experienced before. I also expressed concerns about my family's eye history and my significant light sensitivity, which continues even while wearing these glasses, and I requested a referral to a specialist. Instead of feeling heard, I left feeling like my concerns were brushed aside. Patients know their own experiences, and those concerns deserve to be taken seriously. Overall, this experience left me feeling misled, dismissed, and unheard. Honest communication, respectful customer service, and listening to patients should be the standard at any medical practice. Unfortunately, that was not my experience here. read more

Had a 12pm appointment. Did not get out until 2:30. Waited 1 hr before I talked to anyone. When I left the place was empty. I don't know why they overbook certain time slots. Makes no sense. I would've gladly booked another time that wasn't so busy. Very disappointed in the scheduling mgmt of this place read more

Worst customer service anywhere around! Always a long wait rude workers and they are incompetent. Go anywhere else if you don't have 45 minutes to waste every visit. read more

Easy access off Niagara Falls Blvd., easy parking and a great staff make this store my choice when I need glasses. The store is clean and bright. They accept most insurances and have a great selection of glasses and accessories. They take their time to things right. Dr. Llakatura is extremely thorough in giving eye exams, she's easy to talk to and will discuss any issues in a kind manner letting you know what your options are and how to proceed. The insurance can be hard to figure out but they deal with it for you and come up with the best suggestions to get the most for your money. They have deals like buy one get one quite often. I don't enjoy doing these kind of things but Visionworks makes it easy and comfortable....that helps a lot. read more

On June 16th, I was at Visio works on Niagara Falls Blvd in Tonawanda NY. I was greeted by a very nice woman named Judy, then went back for a range of test by Nancy who was knowledgeable at this. Then I saw Aurelia Llakahura , OP for my progressive prescription for my new glasse. Then fitted for them by Lori who was quite nice and knowledgeable at this. All in all it was a good experience. Two family members were with me too, and purchased glasses too. Marty read more

This place is terrible I can't understand the person working up front I've been here a hour just to drop off my glasses I know aren't repairable but they still have to have me wait for whole hour just to tell me something I told them. read more

I never made an appointment with them while contacting them by phone just to ask for some information. They sent me a text that I never asked for the next day to remind me that I had an appointment which I didn't have or make with them. Now 2 days later they text me again to remind me that I missed my appointment (that I never had) asking me to reschedule the appointment that I never had. So I called them and told them to stop texting me and to remove me from their system and to never contact me again...!!! I also informed them that I had already gone some place else and did my business with them instead. I told them that I will never do business with them as they are way to pushy...!!! read more

Another year, another great experience! I scheduled my appointment about three weeks in advance online for the first Friday of December 2019. I had no problems booking the appointment and received plenty of notifications via email and text message prior to. I arrived a few minutes before my appointment to fill out paperwork. The front desk staff seemed new as they came off somewhat discombobulated, but they were friendly enough! I appreciated how they broke down the different services that were and were not covered by health insurance and, for a select few, you could select if you wanted that service (like getting your eyes dilated). The eye tests and exam were very quick. Kyle, the associate who performed the initial eye tests, was very pleasant to talk to! The doctor was very courteous and straight-to-the-point, which I very much appreciated. I did pick out my frames here and there is one woman I seek out to help me. Rachelle is incredibly friendly and easy to talk to and work with! Her, along with another frames specialist, helped me to pick out a new set of frames, a style that is different for me. She broke down my health/vision insurance benefits for me and helped me pick out a new lens option to help with blue light, since I sit in front of a computer nearly nine hours a day for work. My new frames are estimated to be ready right before Christmas, so Merry Christmas to me! haha I have great luck at this location and I really appreciate the friendly staff. No doubt I'll be returning next year! read more

they take walk-in's on the same day. I had to wait an hour for my eye exam then I got to choose my glasses. Then 1 week later I got my glasses and the later that fitted them was very nice. I was only waiting for 10 mins to get my glasses. I love my glasses! read more

Empire Visionworks - Optometrists Near Me - Tonawanda, New York

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The optician who helped me out really knew her stuff. She made the whole experience fast, easy and seamless. The insurance part was spot on and made for a low stress handling of the money part. But the best part was her detailed knowledge of the frames. She understood my prescription and narrowed down the daunting number of choices to just two! And the one I picked I love. Left to my own devices, I would have wasted an enormous amount of time and gotten very stressed out. I wish I could remember her name right now but I told her how very helpful she was at the time and thanked her for her great service. Going back to pick up my new glasses soon. read more

It's an organized assembly line in there with someone to check you in, someone to do the basic tests, someone to check your eyes, someone to order your glasses, someone to fit your glasses. You may sit at a station waiting for the person to be ready for you but there's a separated continuity to their process. Some appointments are virtual with an eye doctor not present. Minus one star because 3 people tried to find my file from last time I was there and no one knows where it went. What person has all my info in their file? No one knows. read more

Their website says they take Medicare and medicaid, so I booked an appointment and when I got there they tell me they dont except either. When I tell them I read it online that they do, they then tell me they do take it if I only have fidelis insurance also. But they have a payment plan though the store they can set me up with if I still want to get eye exam and glasses. Well the website just says they take Medicare and medicaid not that there are restrictions to it. It was very misleading and a waste of my time, I have late stage kidney failure and it not easy to get to these places so I told them they should update their website so this doesn't happened to someone else, the lady behind counter said it there just in fine print, that it was my fault for not reading every little thing. So looks to me they know about this and are trying to get people in on false pretenses. read more

I've always had excellent service at this location until this past appointment. Dr. Llakatura is excellent and a few years ago, found an issue with my eyes and suggested I see an ophthalmologist. Her findings were instrumental in receiving treatment. Up until this last appointment, I've also had excellent service from the front-end personnel and the opticians. I've never had a co-pay for any service previously and the optician said the anti-glare coating was now a $27 co-pay. I paid it and later found through my insurance administrator that there are 4 levels of anti-glare and the lowest is no co-pay; the Elite is the $27 co-pay. I called Vision Works to have the glasses made with the standard anti-glare and for a credit (which can take 30 days). Secondly, when I picked up the new glasses, they were made in purple color and I ordered brown. I did not have my copy of the order and the same optician said I'd ordered them in purple. I took them (not that bad!) and checked my order when I got home: clearly indicated BROWN!! And he said he knew that the anti-glare is available in 4 levels, but they always order "Elite." When they don't explain that to the patient, it reeks of "UPCHARGE." I'm not sure what changed from last year to this year, but there seems to be a high turnover with disengaged and unhappy employees. Since I like the Dr. I will continue to go to this location and hope their practices turn around. read more

This location is like a dumpster fire that you can't escape from. Appointment for 430 and didn't get in to the doctor until 530. Once in the room she rushed through the exam which lasted maybe 5 minutes. The perplexing thing is she couldn't be bothered to close the door. Who performs a medical exam without closing the door for privacy or darkness for proper eye assessment? Besides being untimely and rude, she didn't even change her gloves at any moment. When she came up front she already had the blue gloves on. When she was finished she brought me back with the same pair on. Never took them off to wash hands once. One employee apologized and mentioned it's always like this. If you can't maintain a schedule don't book appointments 15 minutes apart. The only person who was useful was Scott the optician. read more

Didn't get frames here, but I liked this place the best of all eyeglass places I've visited so far. I have a unique issue in that my face is wide, and I need wide glasses frames. It's not only a fat thing, I just have a wide face. I have my whole life even when I was slim! I do have fantastic cheekbones though so I will never complain. Anyway... wide frames are super hard to find. Wide frames that do not look like something a grandpa would wear are even harder to find. So in addition to what seemed like 100 other places, I decided to scope out Empire Visionworks. Their selection was really nice. For average sized faces, you'll probably find something good here. The prices were great too. Not too expensive, but not cheap either. Good brands. It was kind of chaotic when I went in. My largest annoyance was this couple: the wife was looking for frames, and was ridiculously indecisive, while the husband made fun of her the entire time, and was rude, though masking it all as a "joke". Dude, go sit down. Or better yet, go sit in the car and play Angry Birds, ya' jerk. Ugh, I hate that kind of behavior. Hover over your wife to berate her the entire time. And if she wanted him there, then shame on her too. Get a spine, lady! LOL! But I digress... I probably would have purchased frames here if they had some larger, plus-sized frames, but alas, I walked out empty-handed. Well worth a gander though if you need new glasses. read more

I stopped by while getting some car work done at Goodyear and they had time for a quick eye exam. The staff was all busy but everyone was helpful. They take UB Graduate student health care and my copay was only $10 for a full eye exam. It was so easy to do, and it felt very thorough it will definitely be something I check up on every year! I hadn't gotten my eyes checked in over a decade so it was definitely something I was due for. I would advise to schedule an appointment as they seemed really busy, but everyone was helpful and quick. read more

I had a great experience here today. I had been seeing the same optometrist for years before I made an appointment with Empire Visionworks. I procrastinated making an appointment for an eye exam because I just got new insurance and thought the process would be time consuming or unpleasant. I was wrong. They were able to look my insurance information up over the phone which made things simple and hassle free for me. The store is welcoming, clean and a great atmosphere. The doctor I saw was exceptionally nice and professional. The appointment was straightforward and I was able to get contacts and a new pair of lenses, all for free/covered by insurance without even a copay. The general manager was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and let me take my time picking the frames I wanted without hovering at all. She also helped me pick which pair looked best when I couldn't make my mind up between two. They also have a few great deals going on if you join their club. I highly recommend them anyone looking for an outstanding eye care. I love this place! A bonus is Tim Horton's is right next door, so if you want to grab a coffee or a snack before or after you stop in, it's super convenient! read more

Love going here & seeing Rachelle- always helps my wife & I pick the right glasses. Repeat customers for many years & many more !!!

Friendly and helpful staff who have your best interest in mind and Dr. Llakatura was very amicable and knowledgeable.

I chose Visionworks for my annual eye exam (with contacts fitting) based on my insurance coverage. I was very pleased with how easy it was to make an appointment online and how efficient the store clerk Kyle was in beginning my eye exam. Dr. Dizazzo was pleasant but not overly friendly. Very routine exam and it shows in how she conducted the exam. I returned at a later date to purchase eye glasses and was assisted by Safi who was very helpful in picking out the best pair. He was very patient as I was torn between two pairs and spent a long while deciding. He was able to answer any of my questions and made sure to explain all of the current sales being offered. I will definitely return in the future to this location. read more

I cannot say nice enough things to express my gratitude for Visionworks. I suddenly lost vision in my left eye and called Visionworks for an emergency appointment. I got in immediately. The optometrist confirmed a retinal tear w/bleeding. I needed an Opthalmologist to repair my retina. The optometrist at Visionworks called around for an immediate appointment, got my insurance info to them, then made sure I got safely home. Because of Visionworks' going above and beyond, I had laser surgery done 5 hours after my injury. Visionworks gave me the best chance of keeping my sight. Thank you. read more

Every time you call you are on hold for over half an hour. The employees in store ignore the phone.

Have been going here for a few years, great selection and great staff. We always work with Rachelle, she knows us the second we walk in and always feel very welcome and well taken care of. When selecting frames there are rows and rows to select from, and the latest and greatest style. I always have people comment on my frames because I usually like to take a chance and get something "different" every time I go. Rachelle definitely helps in the selection process and she hasn't been wrong yet! If you are looking for a great selection of frames, great prices, good promotions and a friendly and helpful staff, this is the place! read more

Terrible customer service. Rude employees. Rude doctor. Poorly put together. After making my appointment. Getting confirmation emails and calling to confirm as well, when my family got here they had no information about me ever having an appointment. They insisted I stay and get my check up when I asked if I should just reschedule. They got me to the pretesting station right away and then crammed us all in the room while we waited for the doctor. After waiting over half an hour for him to get in there he was very short and rude with my daughters and I. Will not be returning to this location. Very upset and disappointed. Cancelled half way through. read more

Normally I would give them 5 stars. But on my last visit I was not given a very pleasant welcome. I was there to exchange my glasses for a different frame. They were just too big for my face. You could tell the manager was highly irritated because this was the 2nd pair I was returning. But I have a very unique health problem. I have TMJD and have a very hard time finding frames that are comfortable and don't put me in spasm. - which was the case with the first pair. The other staff member that helped me was great. However, she adjusted my current frames so tight that I feel I have a vice around my head. I've been on pain pills and now have to go back and have them readjusted. This is not something I relish. I've been going through this for years. Unfortunately not all vision centers are sensitive and understanding to the medical conditions that some individuals suffer with read more

they take forever to get to you and the lady who fits you for glasses talks about everything to customers that is not work related last time I was there she talked to a lady for 25 minutes.Will never go there again. and all they do is apologize but don't do nothing about the workers. read more

They failed to tell me I was out of network until after I took my eye exam. Because I'm not in the network they charged me for my exam. I took my script to another place in network to get my glasses and now I can see out of them. I explained to the new place how my new glasses are blurry and I'm getting headaches with them. I scheduled a new eye exam with the new place and found out my first script is wrong. This workers are rude and unhelpful. I was told my eyes where terrible but the exam I took today and all other years was 20/20 with a stigmatizum. read more

EXCELLENT!! LeeAnn is EXTREMELY professional helpful & caring. I highly recommend ! 10/10. Best part is I can see perfectly and it was such an easy pain free process! read more

Great service and selection. Every single person I have dealt with at this location has been super nice and helpful. The staff as a whole seem to be in a good mood each time I've been there. Special shout out to Lauren who is just the sweetest girl ever! Highly recommend this location. read more

Always receive excellent service every time I visit Empire Visionworks. Very helpful and friendly staff. Rachelle the Mgr. is awesome. Highly recommended! read more

TEN STARS! Excellent experience, I cannot say enough about them. I received an email the day before my apt which allowed me to submit my forms online saving me time in the office. Love that. Walked in and was greeted by several nice people and the store was spotless. The exam was thorough yet very fast. Great selection of frames. Lee Ann was the person who helped me with my check out process, selection of coatings, tints, etc. She was AMAZING TIMES 100, no pressure, just very happy to help me. After having a nightmare experience with Sterling Optical a stones throw down the road for two years in a row, this was a breath of fresh air for sure. Look no further- this is your optical place for sure! read more

The staff at my location has gone above and beyond to help my children and myself receive the best vision care. I recommend this facility to anyone who wants to feel confident and comfortable with a vision provider for their family. Keep up the wonderful work! read more

Terrible experience this afternoon at this Visionworks. I have been to Visionworks previously when I lived in Pittsburgh and came to this location after moving to Buffalo because I expected the same quality and level of service. Unfortunately the doctor was less than friendly and super unhelpful. She pressured me for all types of extra testing when my previous doctor had recommended the optomap as opposed to the field vision test and dilation she insisted that all were necessary and continued to push me on it. As a migraine sufferer I did not want the dilation as the blurriness causes migraines and with the optomap as a suitable second option I felt that I didn't need it. The doctor kept pushing it and told me that she cannot give me a recommendation without completing all the testing. If it was all required it wouldn't be optional. I needed a small prescription but didn't feel comfortable staying in this Visionworks after how I was treated by the doctor. I took the script and will fill elsewhere. Shame on Visionworks for having a doctor that lacks empathy or care for their patients. read more

Very nice staff who will take the time to help you find frames that look great on you. However, Dr.Dizazzo, the optometrist, has a poor bedside manner. She did not smile once and spoke quickly in a monotone; she wanted to get me out of there. Either she was having a bad day or obviously dislike her job. If she's still there next year, I'll get my exam elsewhere, but come to Visionworks for frames. read more

Very easy experience with both eye and contact lens exam. Great doctor, great optical assistants. Lots of variety of glasses. Absolutely zero pressure to purchase your contacts from them--in fact, I suggest getting your prescription to go and looking around online. My glasses were ready for pick up in less than the 10 days that they quoted me. All of the staff were friendly, I was able to schedule an appointment super quickly and I felt like I got a through eye exam. read more

I cannot speak to the quality of the eye exams here; I had my prescription done elsewhere. With that being said, never, ever EVER again would I purchase glasses here again. The sales staff is WAY too pushy when you're shopping for them. Yes, I am one of THOSE people that tries on something like 35 pairs (but I put them back in their respective places!). I'm about to spend $700, I think I should be permitted to take my time and pick out glasses that work for me, especially as the store didn't close for 5 more hours. I didn't want any "style" advice, I just wanted time to try on different glasses and take my time. That would've warranted a 3-Star review, and I may have even returned in the future, but then I had the pleasure of dealing with some holier-than-thou-spikey-hair manger lady when I picked up my glasses. Upon trying them on, I noticed a weird reflection in my vision; I told her that and she repeatedly said I was just adjusting to the new glasses. Okay, I've been wearing glasses for 25+ years, this is the first time I've seen freaky light reflections in my line of vision, but there's a first time for everything. I asked her to check the lenses to make sure everything was ok with them. She refused to, told me it was my imagination, pushed me out the door. So driving home with said new glasses, I realised "I can't see the road really well because of this reflection". So I turned around and I demanded my money back or I wanted new lenses. Then she accused me of trying to trying to scam them for new lenses; she reminded me of her many years of experience and how there's nothing that could have possibly caused this to occur! Finally, a co-worker of hers came over, looked at my lenses and said "Actually, the customer is right, there are narrow strata scratches, it sometimes happens when they place the lenses into the frame". Spikey haired lady could have murdered her co-worker with her eyes, "well I guess you get your way!" I had the new glasses sent to another store in Cheektowaga, no way I'm dealing with that attitude after dropping $700 and two trips. I didn't remember the woman's name, but I guess because I wasn't over 50, overweight with a horrible mannish haircut I don't deserve any respect. Never, ever again. read more

On Tuesday August 4th, 2020 they said my glasses would be ready in about a week or so. Now it has been 5 weeks and today they called to say they BROKE my glasses trying to get the frame in and that I would have to wait at least 2 more weeks! This is very unprofessional in my opinion and I'm very disappointed about this because my online school starts in a week and I will have to use my old glasses that I've grown out of. They also had rude employees that were very snotty. The handed Masks and every thing pretty well thought. read more

I had a surprisingly good experience here today. I made an appointment the other day. It was so easy. I just went online on their website and made an appointment that was convenient for me. They sent me a confirmation and reminder. When I got there it was a relatively short time before I went back for my exam. The gentleman who did the preliminary was very nice. Dr. Llakatura was fantastic. I had cataract surgery on one eye a couple of years ago, so I only needed a new prescription for a contact lens for my other eye. She told me I had an astigmatism in that eye, so she tried an appropriate lens to correct that. WOW. I've been putting up with sub-par eyesight for so long! Now I could see like a HAWK!!! She explained all of my questions and then some. It's a breath of fresh air to have a Dr. explain things to you! Most of them (all kinds) just tell you this and that and don't tell you why. She made things "clear as day" in both ways. Thank you Dr. Llakatura!!! Also, the young man who helped me with glasses was very nice as well; I asked his name, but now I forget what it was. All in all a great experience. Thanks, everyone! read more

Ridiculously poor customer service. Three text messages, four emails, and a voicemail but not a single mention my insurance was not accepted until I walked in for my scheduled appointment. My pre appointment paper disclosed my insurance and a scan of the physical card was emailed. When attempting to return a vague voicemail, as soon as my name was given I was placed on hold and no one returned to the call. Told I could pay out of pocket for an exam when I came in for my appointment. Total scam and waste of time. Do not go here . read more

Complete lack of communication from the optometrist. I have learned that I may need additional pair of glasses from the sales person, after my exam, in the store. The optometrist had never mention what was the reason behind and why I may benefit from the additional pair. The reason may have been justified but I had a strong feeling they were pushing for sales. Overall everybody else was really helpful and nice. Besides, they don't call you to inform you that your glasses are ready to pick up and you only have four weeks to make any changes, if you aren't satisfied, from the day of your purchase. It take a 10-14 days to have them ready. read more