Sam & Stephanie did a good job. Stephanie made the experience very pleasant and sam did the technical part that went smooth. Very recommended on that side and i would give 5stars. But what made me give a 1 star is the billing part. A true cash grab. Be aware. Please take my advice seriously: please clarify things twice with the front desk representative "Zari". Make sure you double check twice prior of proceeding. Didn't expect my eye test to be $ 135 ... my benefit plan only covered for 75$. Initially i went there to inquire about the eye test. I was told they don't do direct billing. I left. They called me back and they said upon checking with the head office ... Yes we do direct billing. They asked about my benefits plan provider. And they said: oh yeah we will do direct billing and they will cover for it. I was not told the price of cost of the eye test. I was told that your plan will cover it. But after i did my test .. i was surprise by Zari asking me to pay a balance of 60$. I was in shock. I felt the cash grab feeling .... ! I told Zari that i was not told .. and she said: oh we probably didnt because you were in a rush. I didn't wanna argue! I paid 60$ but definitely made sure to never ever buy a thing here "i'm writing this review by the way while i am still here". I was planning to buy contact lenses and glasses and sunglasses. But after i was screwed for 60$. They won't get an extra penny from me. I will make sure to have this same review on google and other sites. read more

IRIS Optometrists and Opticians - Vancouver - Optometrists Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Great service here and very warm, friendly staff. They definitely have my future business

This review is for Dr. Epstein (5 stars). Like the other reviewers, I've not had good service from any of the Iris staff (1 star). Compared to other high end opticians, They don't seem to know their products very well, nor do they understand what shapes to recommend (oh just try everything on and let me know if you have any questions... not helpful). Dr. Epstein is fantastic though, great equipment, clear explanation, doesn't push anything on me and lets me know if a procedure is right for me or not. Slightly more expensive for an eye exam, but only by a few dollars. He was recommended to me by two different colleagues over 10 years ago. I've seen him 4 times now and it's always been helpful. Set up your own Yelp review page Dr. Epstein, and split your stars out from Iris! read more

I've had my eyes checked twice by Dr. Epstein. I've found him to be easy going, informational and highly skilled in his area of expertise. I will be returning to see him again as my eyesight needs to be checked again. He was recommended to me by the people at Bruce Eyewear in Gastown, where I continue to go to buy my eyewear. If you're looking for something special in eyewear, I've found them to be a great choice. read more

I was initially turned off by the costly eye examination. The store is conveniently close to my work and I didn't mind absorbing the difference in cost between my company's coverage and the price I paid. I thought: fine, I'll go through it and buy my glasses elsewhere. I got my new glasses elsewhere and they're all wrong. Or so it seems. Turns out I was sold the newest and greatest "Digital" lenses, which will take my eyes 2-3 weeks to adjust. Meanwhile, I go back to Dr Epstein to have him explain how he could have screwed up my prescription so wrong. No, he says, your eyes are adjusting to the new lenses. Your prescription seems right, but he offered to check it again. Yup, he was right. He then explained what the other optometrist did not explain regarding newfangled digital lenses, told me of their benefits and drawbacks, and what I should expect over time. This is the service I was looking for. This is why you pay money to a professional: to get advice that helps make a proper decision. So: Yay! I'm a fan. And you should be too! read more

This location recently moved directly one block North of it's old Pender location. It's a smaller space than the other, but in this case, size doesn't matter at all - same great service and selection. I usually purchase my contact lenses from Iris. I can really do this anywhere, but what makes this location stand out is the service. One time, I ripped a contact at work and needed a spare one desperately; I called up Iris and they told me I could come by for a trial pair. Recently, I had ordered a box of contacts and (through no fault of the store), there was a backorder and delay; when I let them know I needed my contacts soon, they gave me a week's worth of trials to tide me over until the shipment came in. Thanks for making things convenient for this hapless clumsy contact wearer! read more

I gotta put in a plug for Dr. Sam Epstein at this Iris. He is the best Optometrist I have dealt with, ever. He will give you the straight goods on laser correction surgery. I used another company for the surgery but stuck with Dr. Sam for pre and post follow up. Now I see him once a year and don't need anything from his shop so if you need a Downtown eye appointment go in and see him. read more

I was looking for an optometrist a couple of years ago and randomly selected Iris downtown and booked an appointment with Dr. Epstein. He was so easy going, friendly, well educated, professional and a pleasure to deal with. I recommend him to anyone looking for a new Optometrist. I also asked him about laser eye surgery...I might look into it more in the futue and am curious as to reviews from people that have had the surgery done by Dr. Epstein. I'm giving 'Iris' only a 4 out of 5 as I found the above NOT to be true for the support staff, including the lady that fitted my contacts. The first pair I tried didn't feel very comfortable and she came across more annoyed with my suggestion to try a different brand or style. The receptionists were only OK as well. Overall - great place to go. Good selection of eye wear as well. read more

Iris was extremely helpful to me today. I had forgotten my soft contact lenses back in the US. Upon visiting IRIS I was able to get a prescription from my US doctor and they were able to fill it in a short time. Special thanks to Donna for all her help and professionalism. read more

I've found Dr. Epstein to be friendly and competent. I too though have found the front of counter staff to be on and off. Some are friendly and some are not. One thing I just found out was that to get a pupillary distance measurement for buying glasses online, which I've done myself unofficially in 10mins costs an extra $50. The difference between a regular eye exam at $120 and $170 for the PD is ridiculous. I'm happy to pay extra, but $50 seems a lot. I think the thing is they do that measurement anyway, which is annoying. read more

I recently got a job downtown so decided to get my eyes checked close to where I work. I booked an appointment with the receptionist over the phone for the following day. On the day of my appointment I went there but they had no record of my appointment. The young lady apologized and booked me in for the next day since they had no openings that day. I always like to book my appointments at the end of the day so I can just go home afterwards. Not a big deal things happen and I work close by. I came back the following day and dr. Epstein did an amazing job. He was thorough and explained that I needed a prescription change since I now needed both reading and distance glasses. He explained how "progressive" lenses work. I was taken onto the floor and an older lady said she would help me pick out frames. We tried about 10 pairs but I'm very picky and didn't really like any of them I was looking for something a bit more stylish. During our conversation she asked me some personal questions and even asked me how much I make. I am an executive and make pretty decent money but that is not a subject I like to discuss with strangers. I lied and said I was an entry level clerical worker. She then seemed to lose interest in helping me. She became very pushy and tried to convince me to buy one of the glasses I had already tried on and said I really didn't like. When I said I needed to think about it and asked for a copy of my prescription she was downright rude. I also think it was this woman who didn't record my appointment in the first place. I left the store feeling angry and frustrated. I will not go back which is a shame because I liked Dr Epstein. read more

Dr. Epstein is an awesome eye doctor. I saw someone else mentioning him on Yelp and felt I should add to the praise. I have seen him three times (wasn't sure where my stupid migraines were coming from) and I appreciate that he is kind, friendly and honest. He is not one of those shady doctors that make your problems bigger than they are so they get to make more cash off of you. I learned I have 20/20 vision and will probably never need glasses. In fact, I don't need to worry about another eye exam until I get quite a bit older or notice a change in my vision. I kinda like glasses though, so maybe I'll just have to score some fake ones from Claire's? Oh the plight of perfect vision... ;) read more

I have been seeing Dr. Sam Epstein for over 15 years, maybe 20. Very thorough. He enjoys his work and likes to give his clients the full picture. An ideal professional ! Iris, as a company, came later. It is harder to judge an eyeglass company because so many of them are good--much depends on style. read more

I have been going to Dr. Epstein for years and he's fantastic. He tells you the best type of lens for your vision issues (and often discourages the fancy and expensive ones you don't really need). The sales people in the store are wonderful and very helpful. I now have the best frame and lens for my needs, thanks! read more

Dr Epstein should be given an accolade for the BEST OPTOMETRIST. Over the last 15 years, I have consulted so many optometrists but none has anything close to Dr Epstein. He takes his time to examine, explain and educate me during my visits over the last four years. What makes him truly a professional is his humble self unlike others who simply care too much about their 'status' or whatever. Thank you Dr Epstein for helping me with my vision. read more

I agree with a lot of the other people rating this Iris location. Dr. Epstein is a great caring doctor but the staff are rude, pushy and too aggressive trying to sell overpriced frames. The Manager in particular (Zari) was just so interested in selling and didn't listen to my concerns. She was just downright RUDE! The frames she picked out for me were really way too big for my face. She was so obviously lying when she said that I looked good in them and had a sickly sweet way about her. I ended up going Optiks International where the service was soooo much better. Their staff take their time with you and really listen to the customer. I ended up with frames that so many people have complemented me for. Stay away from Iris. read more

Dr. Epstein is great, friendly and professional. However, I am not happy with the support staff. I tried to book an appointment but the support staff tells me to call back a week later to make an appointment which I don't understand why I need to call back a week later and I asked why. The only explanation she gives me is that she doesn't have his schedule. Well in most doctor's office, we at least have an appointment book to make appointments. Regardless, I do call back a week later then she gives me an appointment a week later. So from the date I call it took me over two weeks to see him for a 15 minute appointment. I arrive at the appointment, someone helps me and says that the doctor will be out to get me. Next the support staff that made my appointment lets someone else goes ahead of me while I was waiting, granted I was just a few minutes late and to top it off she tells me that I was too late and needs to rebook. I was so upset with the service with this particular person. I even asked her why she let someone go ahead of me and cancelled my appointment and makes me rebook, she only replies, I can't go in now and interrupt the current appointment. I told her that is not what I'm asking you to do. I found the entire ordeal just wrong and a waste of my time waiting to book and rebook appointments. I'm very unhappy with this particular staff who is rude and disrespectful. No problems with Dr. Epstein but unfortunately I would not go back because of the terrible support staff and her attitude! read more