Johnson Curran Optometry Center in Blacksburg, VA, replaced my former optometrist's offices (EYES on MAIN). My first visit to this new center was for an eye examination and, if necessary, an update on my two glasses prescriptions--reading glasses and driving/distance glasses.
Pros:
+Service was prompt and professional. Office staff as well as professional staff were available and helpful, even during a very busy day. Upon returning later for fittings, staff were again available and helpful.
+My driving glasses were "edged" (inserted into my current frames) promptly at the Christiansburg Johnson Curran center. The prescription was an excellent upgrade. While my current prescription was good enough, these were better.
Cons:
-I was prescribed "desk work" glasses, with multiple bells and whistles which I neither needed nor understood. My goal was for improved reading glasses but I received instead an expensive pair of "desk work" glasses for distance work on a computer, with a weaker reading strength than I already had.
-"Sapphire" component is added to driving glasses to reduce night driving glare by 20%--an excellent option. I purchased this for my driving glasses. It was also prescribed, however, for my "deskwork" glasses (an additional $140 expense). Since I neither read nor use the computer while driving, I asked that this be removed from the prescription. It was.
-A second feature ("Eyezen") was added to both pairs of glasses, filtering blue light (not needed for driving) and giving a "boost" (I was told) to the glasses. I did pay for this in both pairs, realizing only after purchase that it was particularly helpful for eye strain for those who spent long hours before a computer. Happily, that is not me. I needed better reading glasses for hard-copy books. I continue to use my old pair, since their strength is better than the "desk work" glasses I was prescribed.
~The office staff member was both patient and helpful in trying to resolve my dissatisfaction with the insufficiency of the glasses meant for my reading. The only no-cost option, however, was to have a new prescription written for a reading-only set of glasses that would have been a weaker prescription than my current pair. I opted against that, and now use the "desk work" pair for back-up.
Conclusion: Be clear and firm with your expectations, and don't purchase the add-ons unless you are certain you both want and need them. I would recommend other area optometrists with more established records. read more
