Dr. Wesley was great. Superb skill & equipment. Staff are pleasant. However, don't buy frames here…read more A lack of information and questions ended with me spending around $1650 on eyeglasses that had to be replaced twice and ended up being just ok for my needs. Less than a year later, I'm having to replace them again.
Driving is what brought me in to the optometrist. I was beginning to have trouble with focus at dusk and at night when reading street signs and dealing with headlights, traffic lights, etc. I'm also a grad student, so I read a lot - A LOT - but not on screens. This was my first pair of wear-all-the-time eyeglasses, so I decided to try progressives. When I went to the optician side, someone should have asked me all of that right off the bat: how/when are you going to use these glasses? What brought you in for your exam? Is there a specific issue that you're dealing with? What kind of insurance coverage do you have? None of these questions were asked.
Information that wasn't made clear up front: the actual cost of neurolenses (which I do recommend - if you have money). The cost of the frames that were chosen was also not made clear up front. Options like transitions, blue light blockers, oil resistant coating, etc. No mention until much, much later. No mention was made that I could restyle if I didn't like the frames, either. No mention was made that they could be adjusted for fit, until much later, either.
The first frames that were chosen were highly recommended by an optometrist there. I was uncomfortable with their size, but open-minded and willing to give it a try. After all, they *were* my first pair of eyeglasses. They go on your face. I knew I would have to get used to them. I asked if they were too big, and was told they were perfect. I ordered them. I thought I'd be looking at about $400-$500. Two weeks later, I pick them up and am told upwards of $1500!
I should have walked out but I was shocked, and also needed them. So, I paid for them, tried them on, and was instantly aware that I wouldn't be able to read in them. I said as much to the optician, who made no adjustments, said she'd call me in two weeks to see how it was going, and that was that.
Again, these were my first pair, and I knew I would have to try them for a few weeks to give my eyes a chance to adjust, so I went along with it. Two weeks later, the optometrist did call, and I asked about clip-on sunshades because I was experiencing headaches from the brightness of the sun when driving. There were none available, but she could add Transitions lenses for $138.
Two weeks later, I go to pick up the new glasses. As I'm leaving, I mention that I'm still getting used to the frames, but looking forward to using the Transitions for driving. She got a strange look on her face, but didn't say anything.
The Transitions lenses were so weak, I ended up buying clip-ons from Walgreens and cutting them to fit. I looked like an idiot. On top of it, I couldn't read in these glasses unless I physically held the frames higher up on my face with one hand. The other option was looking so far down on the lenses that people would ask me if I was asleep while reading. My neck was a mess. I also felt like a clown in the frames.
I finally sent an email asking if all of this was normal. A different optician invited me in to restyle. What?! You can do that? No one told me that. I made the 40 min drive out - an hour and 40 back each time, btw, because of the freeway situation - and we went through about 10 different frames, none of which were great, but at least they weren't clown glasses. He also told me that there are different types of Transitions, and the wrong type had been ordered. He also adjusted the reader Rx and ordered a different pair.
Two weeks later, he's adjusting the 2nd pair so I can really read in them - not just check a text or read a pay terminal for 12 seconds - but there was a moment when he suggested I get computer distance glasses instead. Why would I want that? I have three perfectly good pairs at home: one was fully covered by insurance, one was $20 from Walmart, and one was about $150 from Zenni Optical. I don't get it.
The new Transitions worked well, but when I got home, I noticed that these frames weren't the ones I'd ordered - and were equally disturbing. Now I looked like my mother - which is not ok. Again, I tried to get used to them, but was so embarrassed in them that I actually blew off a friend's birthday party at one point.
The optician told me we could do one more restyle. They were decent. However, I can't read in these either for any length of time, and have utterly given up. I don't think it's even been 6 months since the final pair came in, and I need a new Rx. They were pleasant, Dr. Wesley was very good. But too much time, gas, way too much money, limited selection of men's frames, not enough information shared, and they should've asked a lot more questions. Mediocre end result. A real miss.
