I get it, going to the eye doctor isn't something we all particularly look forward to. Being on MediCal, my options are limited for practitioners that accept my insurance. I chose optometry care on a whim and it is the best place ever! Dr. Santizo really takes the time to understand your lifestyle, habits, and your overall health. She truly looks at you as an entire person, and explains how your eye health is reflective of that. When I noticed I was getting headaches, she gave me some eye exercises that could help my focusing ability, and a year later I went back in and it had improved!! I'm an active person and often wear contacts. Dr. Santizo asked me about what I like to do and introduced me to a different contact brand that was more breathable and suitable for longer wear. As a grad student, I also spend a lot of time at my computer and Dr. Santizo considered that as well when writing my prescriptions for my glasses. It's a bummer I have eyesight that keep getting worse and worse with age, and I know that contacts and glasses aren't cheap, but the staff have been SO HELPFUL in finding me the best deals. I ordered contacts through them and they provided me with all the paperwork for a rebate so I could get some money back from my purchase. They also directed me to a place to get my glasses that could be more affordable for me. Dr. Santizo and her staff do everything they can to treat every patient with respect, gentleness, and equity. I recommend this place for everyone who has eyeballs. read more

Unfortunately, repeated interactions with the front desk have been consistently unfriendly and at times rude, which ultimately led me to change providers. I would recommend Dr. Burris, but be aware that the front desk experience has been a significant challenge. read more

I saw Dr. Natalia Santizo after struggling for months to update a complicated monovision gas permeable contact lens prescription. Two previous optometrists had left me frustrated with inadequate lenses and/or extremely costly bills. Dr. Santizo was incredibly professional, patient, and competent, determined to get it right. I have never had such a thorough exam or detailed explanation of my eye health and vision challenges. I am incredibly impressed and would highly recommend her! read more

I have had significant difficulty finding appropriate eye care in Santa Barbara for the past several years. Dr. Natalia Santizo has changed that! After being told I could never wear contacts again, she has worked with me through each step. I now have comfortable contacts and glasses. The staff has also been so helpful. I appreciate their time. read more

Fantastic eye doctor, Dr. Stephanie Burris and optician, named Stephanie as well! But the front desk, Rosa, was quite rude when mixing up appointments - When my husband went for his appointment, he was simply dismissed - she told him no appointment was made on the date or time for him. Same happened to me several months later. She didn't own the mistake but implied I was confused because of my English. I copied and pasted her personal conversation with me to my calendar event for the specific appointment as I confronted with her. Her boss showed her how to use the text confirmation system while I was present. The appointment quality for me was so much better since. As I returned later, the optician treated me so well and always professionally, it propelled me to amend the relationship with Rosa as I made the payment, by expressing sorry to make her feel bad last time. She brushed me off immediately like it was never her technical issue and mistake again! Wow! Do never tolerate her attitude, not even feel bad for her if she was told she needed PR training. read more

One of the most hostile and condescending front office experiences I think I've ever had. Not an exaggeration. I'm a new MediMedi patient whom needed some direction, in order to provide them the paperwork they required, before I came to my appointment. Instead of a single offer of any direction to HELP me give them what they wanted... I was told what I needed to provide. On repeat. Over and over. Got it. I so got it. I WANT to give you what you need. All good! Can you help me navigate where I might find that? I was truly trying my best to work with them, give them what they needed. I need this appointment. I received not one single suggestion of assistance. Just a verbal loop of "ma'am. Ma'am. Ma'am.... you have to give us what we are asking for." Got it. I'm doing the best I can. Please help me. "Tell you what. I'm cancelling you until you can come back with what we are asking you for." Then hung up. Called back. Spoke to another woman: Who told me I was being "too emotional." Then launched into this bit of bullying: "Okay. Lots of feelings!! Tell you what. We're going to take long, deep breaths today, aren't we? Yesssss. I'm breathing now. We're going to breath together. Because you need to calm down. You ready, Elizabeth? Here we go... In..... and out..... ahhhhh.... Are you breathing with me, Elizabeth? Okay. Relax. Calm down now. Let's calm down.. in...... and out now. Relax now, Elizabeth. Calm down, now, okay? Are we better now?" Wow. Who even talks to another adult like that? Unless of course, you're wanting to prod them, make someone even more uncomfortable. Since when does telling someone to calm down work? lol yeah. Of course it doesn't. And everyone knows that. It's intentional bullying. As condescending as it gets. From a business. To a potential client. If this is what they approve for front office, there is zero way I would trust them with my precious eyes. I would have zero voice in my own care. Update: Medicaid just informed me that this office HAS access. That they have the ability to garner my info if they have my approval. And that they CAN begin with my Medicare card. How about that. Plenty of other, more reputable optometrists to give my business to. Not a problem. Avoid these folks. read more

The docs are great here but the front desk guy needs more training. If you're a minority, it's bad, he'll ask you what you do and talk badly about you in front of your face like you don't understand English. And if you're not fluent in English, you'd miss it. I honestly didn't even want to talk to him because I was rushing to work after.....I should have just gone to the ER because everyone is very professional there and won't make you walk out feeling like an undervalued paying (surprisingly) customer. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Santizo for several years now and I am so pleased with the care I receive every visit. She takes her time to do an extensive evaluation, gives great suggestions on how to support better eye health and never rushes through the exam. I highly recommend her and her team. They also are very helpful and pleasant. Great help with picking frames too! read more

Dr. Burris has been my doc for many years & continues to be so knowledgeable and kind. Always current with the latest testing equipment. Very patient & really listens. Steph in the eyeglasses area is amazing & understands the very picky clients like me. Office staff great. A great plus for Santa Barbara! read more

They did not notify me before my exam that they didn't have my insurance on file. Post exam, they told me the bill and I showed them my insurance, and then they proceeded to tell me they do not cover my insurance. The doctor said they should have called me before my exam to get my insurance info, but "it must have just slipped through the cracks." Terrible customer service. Most people cannot afford out of pocket eye exams, especially those customers that have vision insurance. Do your job. read more

Made an appointment for my son. At dr burris was never told if i didnt cancel my appointment or i missed it they would charge me the lady working for the dr called me telling me they were gonna charge a a fee for not showing up. I still have the voice mail where she never says if i dont go they will charge a fee misleading will never go there i dont recommended this place at all read more

My experience here was top notch. I needed to see an optometrist on short notice and they were able to schedule me on the same-day. The staff was very friendly, accommodating and helpful. Dr. Burris who examined me was very patient and thorough in her examination. I would highly recommend this optometry office. read more

I have been going to Dr. Santizo for many years. She is a great doctor and genuinely cares about your eye health and your overall health. The service is very good and the office staff is very nice. read more

Hostile glasses staff, uncoordinated administration, disorganized lengthy ordering, and expensive faulty products. OCSB is by far the worse customer service I have ever experienced. The doctors and certain staff can be helpful, but it is concerning that glasses sales staff are allowed to yell, hang up, mislead, throw hands up, walk out, slam door, and close the door on customers. After 6 months of trying to get glasses, I requested my money back, switched to another optometrist, and am finally getting the respect, services, and eye care products I need. read more

Since the drug Optometrists use to dilate your eyes gives me bad reactions, I'd been dreading getting an eye exam. I was told that Dr. Burris at Optometry Care of Santa Barbara had a special high tech machine that'd do the looking at my retina without the dilation drug. So I made an appointment. She's pretty, friendly and oh so knowledgeable. Dr. Burris is genuinely excited by her field and made the appointment very interesting. And plus we have the mom thing in common. I'll definitely be a repeat client. read more

Dr. Burris at Optometry Care Santa Barbara has been my optometrist for about ten years, and she is excellent! She is really knowledgeable and she works hard to ensure that I have the best vision possible. The shop has a good selection of frames, and the opticians there, Stephanie and Elsie (I hope I've spelled their names correctly), do a great job too. I ask a lot of questions and they're always very patient. I recommended Optometry Care Santa Barbara to my girlfriend, and she's now a happy customer there too. read more

Thank you Yelp for leading me here! I just saw Dr. Burris for the first time today. She was the sweetest, kindest lady to me. She saw that I was anxious about the appointment (I get nervous at new places and when I feel trapped somewhere), so she kindly opened her window to get some fresh air into the exam room, and also told me to get myself some water or take a break if I felt the need. No other doctor has been so kind or accommodating to my anxiety when first meeting. Anyways, the great thing about Dr. Burris is that she is kind and very intelligent. She is willing to share her knowledge with you, and also explains everything that she is going to do during the exam. I liked that she did everything herself. At my old optometrist, they had various people do tests before you saw the doc. It's nice to just have 1 person do it. Also, the building they are in seems large (it used to be a house). Parking is on the street, but I got lucky and found an open space right in front. The receptionist seems a bit short or cranky sometimes, but it's okay- the doctor makes up for it. :) read more

While attending UCSB, Dr. Burris and Dr. Santizo were both my eye doctors and I'm so thankful for that. They were both incredibly knowledgeable and so thorough with their exam. You know how sometimes you feel rushed out of an office because the doctors trying to cram in as many patients in a day's work?! Well I've NEVER felt that way with Dr. Santizo or Dr. Burris. They were so great, thoroughly answering my questions and addressing any concerns I had, really making sure I understood what was going on with my eyes even if it took an hour to explain. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac... Also Rosa, the receptionist, really completes my experience there. She's hilarious and can always bring a smile to my face! I only wish I could find something close to the care at I received at Optometry Care, back home in LA.... read more

My experience at OCSB was great, I relocated recently from LA and needed a new eye doctor. I saw Dr. Burris - I'm a huge fan. She is very knowledgeable and thorough, very patient, takes time to explain things very well, very experienced. And I always appreciate when a doctor references (as she did) lifestyle and nutrition throughout the session - as most doctors seem to ignore both in favor of pharmaceutical solutions only. I highly recommend her - she also has a lovely personality and demeanor which made the visit an absolute pleasure. I've been fortunate to have great eye care over the years in both NYC and LA, so the bar for me is high, I think she's the best eye doctor I've seen and I'm happy to have found her. I have read several posts about the staff that were negative, but I did not experience that at all, in fact quite the opposite, they ones I interacted with couldn't have been nicer. read more

I just got back from my appointment with Dr. Burris. She was friendly, thorough and nice. I appreciated how she discussed things with me, keeping me informed about my eye health. I'm glad I went, but my entire appointment did take 1.5 hours (with me looking at frames). Sorta a long time, but I assume my next appointment will be quicker. Also the frame selection isn't the most extensive. read more

Dr Burris and team just terrific. She take lots of time...questions answered, suggestions made ...and I feel like I'm in good hands.Thank you all. Marla read more

Dr. Stephanie has been my eye doc for about 7 years and she is fantastic! Very caring, always explains what is going on and open to trying new approaches to what's best for my eyes. And last year when I had a challenge she pretty much saved my eyesight. I came to pick something up and while on her lunch break she noticed something was off in my eyes. Long story short if she hadn't caught it, handled in the spot, and send me to the specialist right away I would have had a major issue. Needless to say.... she's is a great, caring eye doctor and an amazing human being. read more

OCSB is wonderful. Dr. Santizo performs a very thorough and HEALTH-conscious exam, and is an excellent teacher - explaining carefully how the eye works, eye health and prescription considerations for a variety of situations. The gals that work in the frame room have a really great eye for face shape and design and made picking out affordable frames much easier! Without insurance, cost was a concern to me and they were very good about showing me things only in my price range and discussing how the lens materials and the coatings made a difference to eyesight. My eyes and face feel much lest strained and tired than they did after my last set of glasses. Thank you to everyone at OCSB, I highly suggest you go for a visit if you could use someone looking out for you! read more

Love this place. Stephanie Buress is a fabulous optometrist and so thorough in her exams. She makes you feel very comfortable; not rushed. She explains everything to you each step of the way. The staff is very friendly. It's just a very enjoyable experience every time. read more

Optometry Care Santa Barbara - A picture of my retina with the fancy new retina imaging device!!!!! Pretty cool!!! - Optometrists Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Stopped by to have a specialty nose pad replaced on my 7yo daughter's glasses. I'm from out of town. They had the part and had me out in 5 mins. This was my second stop as the one on the Mesa Cliff and Meigs is closed on Mondays. It should have been my first stop. Very nice people and only $5 for part and labor. Would be my regular if I lived in SB. read more

Dr. Burris is very sweet and kind. Unfortunately the the staff: receptionist and Raquel are not very pleasant. Their collection of glasses are not extensive. Kinda pricy, I thought. read more

My wife and I just saw Dr. Burris and, as mentioned in other reviews, she is very friendly, professional and perfectly competent. My only reason for striking 1 star is that the retail aspect is a racket (here and I suspect at any optometrist) where the push towards frames and lenses seems to become the ultimate objective in this form of healthcare. OCSB has a pretty excellent selection of frames and, if you have a plan like VSP, you can score deep discounts on merchandise that is uniformly overpriced at any retailer, online or otherwise. It's expected that OCSB would push towards frames when some plans are willing to foot much of the bill, so my specific issue is not with OCSB's approach to frames so much as their push towards special lenses that can triple your total cost. While pushing expensive frames and lenses undoubtedly helps their bottom line, it is critical in any health field that the primary consideration remains the health and well-being of the patient instead of the schilling of questionably useful merchandise (like anti-glare) that may be of limited benefit to the consumer - er - I mean patient... Overall, I was very pleased with the care we received in terms of testing and diagnosis, but the concluding pass through the retail lounge (and the bill my wife brought home later) felt like we got taken at the proverbial car dealership where we got fleeced for rust-proofing. read more

Dr. Stephanie Burris is amazing, and if this review was only about her I would have given her 5+ stars. Unfortunately, her receptionist is the reason I won't be going back. More often that not, she is rude, abrasive and just unfriendly in general. I've put up with it for about a year, but I won't be returning. read more

The logo from my designer glasses fell off so I called Optometry Care asking what they could do about it. I spoke with Raquel Hicks and luckily I was still under warranty. Since I live on the east coast I let Raquel know that it was time sensitive. I shipped my glasses and Raquel replaced my frames and shipped them back promptly. Thank you Raquel! read more

I went to see Dr. Burris last week. She is friendly, knowledgeable, patient and I was very pleased with her overall service. She gave me lots of options (based on my insurance, med costs, etc) which I really appreciate! I highly recommend her! read more

I haven't put anything but Visine in my eyes for 56 years, but Dr. Santizo could not have been more helpful, efficient, personable, and professional. I appreciated her common sense way of addressing whole body along with eye health, too. As they say, the eyes are the windows to the soul. This doctor is IN. read more

I've been seeing Dr. Santizo for about 6 years - I went to her on a referral after having two bad optometrist experiences. She is thorough and professional, but extremely friendly and personable. She is very interested in and informed about holistic care, so will talk about your overall health habits and history in relation to your eye care, which I really appreciate. Once I went to Dr. Burris when Dr. S. wasn't available and she was extremely thorough and good too. I would highly recommend them both. They also have a very nice selection of frames in the shop, and excellent staff there. read more

Dr. Stephanie Burris is an eye doctor with a great personality and genuinely cares about her patients. She takes the time to explain to me everything that's going on. read more

Dr Burris provides the best eye care I've ever experienced. Her professional and sensitive approach is a pleasure.

Dr. Burris is one of those people, when she talks just makes you feel so relaxed, I think it's because she is a healer. She was very understanding when I had to come back shortly after my first appointment because a new med was affecting my eyesight. read more

Dr. Burris was great - spent a good deal of time making sure my prescription was going to be correct. They are upfront and clear about their fees, which is very helpful! read more

So got a check in the mail, apology from the Doctor (who wasn't at fault) Call from the 3d vendor stating that the incident occurred because of a "heavy finger." Overall I'm satisfied with the outcome and agree that it was a fluke occurrence... yet it just goes to show you that when things like this happen investigation should occur first and not judgement. read more

Two words. Stephanie and Racquel. They will hook you up with thee best brands with thee best service in Santa Barbara. They also offer next day shipping free on any contact lenses that are available by your manufacturer. Check them out ! You won't be disappointed! read more

Been going there with the family ever since Dr. Burris took over from Dr C a long time ago. Then, last year, I had the chance to work with Dr Santizo as well. I would recommend either of these two for eye care. They don't miss a thing and have some very good equipment. They are proactive and health supportive. Really great place that takes care of three generations of our family and we can't thank them enough. read more

I was excited to find an optometrist in town with good recommendations. Unfortunately, the receptionist who was taking my information for my first appointment was so rude that I cancelled the appointment and decided not to go here. read more