When Optica Optometry arrived here, I was hesitant to visit, unsure if they were connected to the old place. Whew and hallelujah, they have no affiliation to the now thankfully defunct Millbrae Vision Center! I wanted to be open and give them a chance, especially because they are literally a few blocks away from my house. Trying Optica proved one of my best decisions ever. Dr. Wilson Lee is the best optometrist I've been to (and since 5yrs old, I've been to dozens) ... most of my visits have been with him, and my encounters with Dr. Chew and Dr. Florendo, have also been very positive and professional. I've seen Dr. Wilson Lee several times, two years in a row, for an eye exam, follow-up appts for tweaking/problem-solving, and adjustments to frames for my myriad glasses, and had 5 pairs of glasses (incl. one pair rx, sunglasses) made, plus 2 more in the works (I'm obsessed with eyeglass frames :-) My husband also saw Dr. Lee for an exam and pair of transition glasses. Over many visits, I see Dr. Wilson's committed to patient care, his clinical philosophy, and ethic is top-notch: he's young, but sufficiently experienced in being absolutely confident in what he knows, and he buttresses his knowledge with action. He's the real deal--never phones it in, never goes on auto-pilot, in command of the science and enthused about his profession and passionate about doing stellar work, unwavering in his efforts to solving hard problems, e.g. when we made a couple of pairs of glasses with the correct rx., but I continued to have problems reading, the issue was exasperating, and bewildering, seemed to make no sense, given their lab was giving the correct rx. They made two separate glasses with the same rx., and though I could see distance, words on a page were blurry. It was not an issue of having separate rx's for near and far sightedness because I wear glasses fitted with monovision. The initial difficulty fitting me properly was a strange and seemingly unsolvable problem. Yes, I felt frustrated for myself, but also felt empathy for them, felt bad that they were going to so much trouble for me, afraid I'd become the 'problem patient.' If the doctors were frustrated, they did not show it and were consummate professionals. Though I was frustrated, I could not blame them, because my eyesight is a mess, no joke--very high rx., difficult to fit, and extraordinarily expensive lenses to grind. To dig deeper into this, Dr. Lee had set up an appt for me on a Sat afternoon, making sure I was the last patient of the day, where we wouldn't be rushed and could devote sufficient time to solve the issue. He spent a good bit of time, trying x, y, and z, did sort of another exam, checked a and b...and voila! He stumbled upon a possible hypothesis and solution: digitally surfaced lenses don't work...apparently, I need the conventional blah blah. I don't understand the theory and technology behind the solution, but I don't need to grok it; I needed only for him to fit me properly, which he did in spades. Btw., if ever you want an optometrist with ready nerdy in-depth explanations of the biology, mechanisms, and processes of the human eye, Dr. Lee is the guy; I get a kick out when I ask what I think is a simple question and am treated to a dissertation length precis--I've learned more than I did in biology, lol :-) One of my frames, though I did not buy from them, but bought from a niche specialty boutique that specializes in infant/children's frames,I took into Optica and asked them to put in my current rx.,m which they did willingly. I loved that they did not warn me that if they break, they won't be responsible, etc. I've gotten this attitude from other optometrists, which always leaves me with a bitter taste. Instead, Optica was gracious about it, and the frames are currently in process. Vivian and Casey, the two receptionists do much much more than admin stuff--I wouldn't be surprised if they're trained optician's, e.g. dispensing advice about frame size and fit on my face, etc. They're both super responsive, warm, and friendly. They answer calls and emails in a timely fashion ... I adore them both. They're each willing to hunt down my needs for cute, stylish, funky frames, which is no small feat because I have a very petite face and need children's frames, e.g. 41, 42, 43 mm max, most of which are boring, and require Vivian and Casey to scour the earth and hunt down stuff I might like. They're also willing to look into frames I send them via email, locating their availability, etc. I've found their prices to be more than reasonable for the services, from eye-exams to glasses, even for a high rx like mine--they're eminently well-priced and no way do they gouge their patients. Did I mention they accept VSP? It's my annual treat. Having them here literally at the end of my street is like a shimmering rainbow at my feet :) read more
