I had an eye exam today at Brand Optometry after not going for a while, and I left feeling…read moreextremely frustrated.
The appointment started off great. I checked in, filled out paperwork, and everything was smooth. The technician who helped me first was incredibly kind, patient, and professional. Shoutout to her. She did the preliminary tests (the hot air balloon / green dot machine), and this is where things began.
She told me that to use a certain machine, my eyes would need to be diluted. If I didn't want that, I could pay $39 extra to use a different machine. Since I drove myself and could not have my eyes tweaked (and I also didn't sign the diluting eye drop consent in my paperwork), I agreed to the $39. I even asked if it would be billed to insurance because I had budgeted for this visit, and she told me no, insurance doesn't cover it. Not one singular problem, completely doable.
Then I went in to see the doctor. He was friendly, easy to talk to, and I actually felt very comfortable with him at first.
He started asking me about my contact lenses, what brand I use, what color, how often I wear them. I answered everything and made it clear that I am very comfortable with my current lenses and happy with them. This was just a normal conversation that he initiated, not something I requested. Or so I thought.
He then did my vision test and told me my prescription was slightly inaccurate, that my right eye was around -1.75 and my left was -2, as opposed to both eyes being -2 like my previous eye exam from 5 years ago said. Based on that, he said he was going to bring out lenses for me to try on "to confirm."
That is exactly how it was presented, as a quick confirmation of his own findings.
He brought out clear trial lenses, had me put them on, and we did another quick vision check. The result? My original prescription (-2 in both eyes) was actually still correct (or preferable for my eyes). So not only was this step unnecessary, but his initial assessment was off as well. That is still no problem, I'd rather a doctor try 50 things to be sure than take 1 look at me and brush it off. Respectable.
BUT more importantly, at no point, not even for a second, did he say this was a "contact lens evaluation."
He never said it was optional.
He never mentioned it would cost extra.
He never gave me a price.
He never asked for my consent to perform a separate, billable service.
It felt like part of the normal exam, especially since he was the one who brought it up and framed it as a confirmation.
After the exam, I went to the front and was told my total was almost $130, including the $39 I had agreed to, plus an additional amount for a contact lens evaluation.
That was the first time I had ever even heard of that charge.
I immediately asked the receptionist, very nicely and politely, "Did I request that?" because I genuinely had no idea what she was referring to. She glanced at the paperwork and said, "Yeah, here it is, the doctor did it."
I explained to her that this was the first time I was hearing about it, that the doctor never told me he was doing a contact lens evaluation, never said it would cost extra, and that I never asked for it.
Her response was essentially just, "Oh," followed by, "Well, it's still going to be this total."
That was it.
She didn't go speak to the doctor.
She didn't try to clarify anything.
She didn't attempt to resolve the situation in any way.
While she was polite on the surface, the response came across as completely dismissive and indifferent. There was zero effort made toward addressing the concern, retaining a patient, or even acknowledging that this might be an issue.
And that's really the bigger problem here.
This is not about the money, it's about the principle.
You cannot decide, in the middle of an exam, to perform an additional service that the patient did not request, not explain it, not disclose the cost, and then charge them for it afterward. That is completely unacceptable in a medical setting.
What if I had only brought enough to cover the $39? I specifically asked about pricing beforehand because being hit with an unexpected charge like that is not okay.
It's really disappointing because the experience started off so positive. The staff and doctor were kind and professional at first, but the complete lack of transparency and accountability completely destroyed any trust.
I don't usually write reviews, but this has been bothering me all day. Congratulations to Brand Optometry for swindling me out of almost $130, I hope it keeps your light bill on. But you will need the world's luck to get me (and my friends and family who are equally appalled at the principle behind the action) to walk through your doors again. I will not be coming back, and I would not recommend this place based on how they handle billing and patient communication.