My experience with Riverbend Eye Care has been for optical services. Both for purchasing eyeglass frames and having eyeglasses made last year and prescription lens sunglasses this week. Had I posted a review based solely on last year's experience it would have been "AOK". But this year it's a big four star "yay!". Here's the summary of my experience and number 6 in the following list is why the rating moved up! 1. Convenient location with ample parking in a private lot. 2. Extremely friendly and helpful front desk staff. 3. Bright and welcoming office and optical display space. (Although small and so a tad cramped when you're trying to look at frames.) 4. Good selection of frames for men and women with mid range to upper range brand options including Helium, ProDesign, Vera Wang, Coach, Nicole Miller, Mykita plus many more. None of these are inexpensive brands but the prices here are fair and competitive for what they are. I was delighted by the price of the Nicole Miller sun-glass frames I chose, which were nearly $50 less than I expected! 5. They offered to deduct 10% off the total cost of my glasses, without me asking, given I do not bill insurance for them. 6. .A big improvement in optician staff service this year over last. This last point deserves explanation. The optician last year seemed competent but over stretched and always "on the run" frantically busy. Were it not for one of the uber helpful front desk staff who stepped in (and I think is now an optical staff technician) to help with selection and follow up, I probably would have walked out with the sale to Riverbend lost both that time and for return business. But, the glasses were well made. Which is one of the things that led me back in this year when I was looking for sunglasses. The other being "hip" but affordable style options. I found that this year, there are two new folks as optical staff at Riverbend. Knowledgeable about product inventory, skilled to help select the best frame for a customer's face and budget as well as in lens technology options. And perhaps most important, skilled at getting the right fit of the glasses for great vision. I could happily recommend Riverbend for glasses just for the experience of working with the opticians these days. I am happy to say there are other things - see list above - to add to the "I'm a fan" experience to recommend Riverbend for optical needs. My hubby will need new glasses soon and based on my experience, Riverbend will be his new "go to" place. read more

Riverbend Eye Care - from facebook page - Eyewear & Opticians Near Me - Bend, Oregon

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I needed 2 appointments to complete my initial exam. The Dr. Was running late but they failed to let me know as I sat there. I paid for one contact. I never heard back and finally called and was told the contact was there.....almost on? month later. I went to pick up and was told I needed to pay the balance. I had already paid but was told I still owe $5. They explained they had gone through changes in the office and the price may have gone up! REALLY poor customer service Would never return read more

I called to see if I could order contact lenses through them using my insurance and delightfully, the receptionist/other team member replied that they accept my insurance. Since I had never visited this office, I needed to come in and fill out some new patient paperwork which I was fine with and did within the hour. I went in with my information and was out in less than ten minutes. My experience was extremely pleasant, easy, and the ladies in the front were kind and thorough. Thank you! read more

I am over 70 and throughout my life have been to many optometrists/ophthamologists. This is the best ever from reception to processing and informing the patient of all the details. Additionally, the staff is very friendly and easy to work with. I would recommend Dr. Ayers and Riverbend eyecare without reservation. read more

We asked for a referral from our ophthalmologist and were given Dr. Ayers' name - with very high recommendations. Neither of us were disappointed in the least. My girlfriend loved Dr. Ayers, who spent as much time as needed in his exam and consult. He has superb education and training, and made sure she understood everything. Granted, this office might be a bit more expensive than many others, but it's your eyes and you get what you pay for. Wonderful people to boot. read more

I was really nervous about finding a new eye doctor upon moving to town as I have CRT contact lenses and not very many optometrists seem to know about them. The entire team at Riverbend Eyecare immediately put me at ease. Once arriving for my appointment, the front desk staff was very friendly and helpful. Dr Ayers spent a remarkable amount of time with me, getting to know me and my needs. I am so excited to have found them and HIGHLY recommend their office for all of your eye care needs. read more

We've been using Riverbend for just over a year for both my daughter, so when it came to update my contact prescription, I decided to give them a go. Our experience with Dr. Ayres has been great! He is absolutely fabulous. However, his office manager/ front-end staff leaves much to be desired.... The gal at the front desk talks to you with a tone of someone who would rather be doing anything other than helping you, and doesn't seem to understand her job at all. After my initial eye exam, I asked for a payment receipt to submit for FSA reimbursement. I was told they are unable to supply me with a receipt, but would mail me one. This seemed beyond odd.. What business can't provide a receipt for payment?. Within a week of the initial exam, I went back for a follow-up to check the contacts. Since I wasn't loving the new prescription he gave me, Dr. Ayres gave me a second prescription to try (the same as my previous prescription prior to coming to him) and said to call back in a week or so and let them know which contact prescription worked the best. When I called to confirm my prescription and let them know which one was working the best, I was told my prescription was already finalized and would be ready at the front desk. Since I was given two prescriptions to try, this seemed really odd and I asked the front desk manager to ensure this was the correct power to which she assured me it was. I also inquired about the receipt I never received via mail. This time she said she could print it and have it available with my prescription.. Which seemed crazy. How could she print a receipt this time, but not last time? I went and picked up my prescription as well as the receipt for payment and my daughter's new glasses... The next day I ordered new contacts from a different company. After I placed an order for contacts, I noticed the prescription was different from the previous order I had placed which meant they had written the new prescription with the wrong power. (remember when she assured me she had the correct prescription?). Immediately upon learning that the prescription was incorrect, I called Riverbend and was transferred to Holly who updated the prescription. Although she was very nice (unlike the other gal), she didn't seem to understand why this was so frustrating. I ended up having to call the company I ordered the contacts from and have them update the order then call Riverbend to sort out the prescription. This whole fiasco wasted lots of time and could have easily been avoided by paying attention to the customer and having clear processes in place to ensure accuracy and a pleasant experience. read more

I can't say enough good things about this clinic, about the staff, and about the doctors. I would HIGHLY recommend this office. Caring, attentive, and all around good humor. I give the name of the clinic and doctors to anybody that need to find a optometrist. I have serveral medical disorders including 26 years with type one diabetes, and they have ALWAYS taken excellent care of me. read more

What a great shop! Really friendly staff and a great selection of eye glasses. I didn't have an exam here this time but definitely will next time. I was very pleased with the service that I received. Just be sure you make it in early on Fridays, as they close at noon! And they accept vision insurance! read more

Their staff is rude and unprofessional. Plenty of other options in Bend.

I'm 25 and have advanced keratoconus, which has made it hard for me to see well (even with prescription glasses). Last year I was referred to Dr. Ayers to get scleral contact lenses. I was told the process of getting scleral lenses to fit right is typically kind of time consuming, but some how he got it right on the first set of trial lenses! He got me to see 20/20, which no one else has been able to do in a few years. Dr. Ayers was super helpful, detailed, and always made sure I understood what was going on with my eye disease and my contacts. I would highly recommend him to anyone in the Bend area! read more

I have used Dr. Ayers for approximately 10 years and most of the time I have had good to great service. About a year ago, I tried a new type of contact he recommend for me and worked through the difficulties of using these contacts. After trying them for some time, I found I could not wear them as they made me dizzy. I shared this information with the office and was not offered a solution to the problem, but was told they could adjust them if I did not like them. (No mention about when I had to have this change made by). A few months ago, I purchased a pair of glasses from another provider and they also made me dizzy. I then realized that was the same feeling I was getting from the contacts. I scheduled a recent exam and they recommended a new prescription for the contacts. I was under the impression this was to correct my original ones. When they arrived, I was told I had to pay the full price for these special and expensive contacts. This is not something I had budgeted for and had just purchased new glasses so I could not pay for them. I wrote a letter explaining that I felt these should be fixed due to the prescription issue and they responded that it was not their fault and no compromise would be made. I would think after all years I have used them that they would offer some compromise. Oh well, I guess it is time to find a new provider. read more

Excellent service for many years. Friendly, efficient staff, reliable doctors. All personnel are eager to be of service.

While in Bend on vacation my glasses suddenly developed a coating that wouldn't come clean. My husband's sunglasses suddenly had a screw loose. We stopped by Riverbend Eyecare to see if they could help us. The staff there were so nice and took care of our problems right away, at no charge! They even gave me a new cleaning cloth and small spray glass cleaner. If this is the way they treat their guests passing through I imagine being their patient is just wonderful. Our deepest gratitude and admiration go to the team at Riverbend Eyecare. Thank you! read more

The staff at Riverbend Eye Care are so very kind and compassionate. They went out of there way- above and beyond- to help my homeless mentally ill daughter get new glasses as she was sleeping in the one pair of contacts she had and was getting corneal abrasions. read more

I discovered Riverbend Eye Care following a very disappointing experience at an alternate optometrist's office. I'd been calling around trying to find an office that would order the frames I already knew I wanted and was impressed from the first point of contact, Jen. Jen offered to order me the frames despite the fact that I wasn't an established patient (YET!). Unlike the office I'd previously mentioned, she was not going to pass the shipping cost onto me for the frames I was seeking. Our conversation was so pleasant, efficient, and encouraging. I was so impressed by Jen, I scheduled a visit with Dr. Kristen Gaus (per Jen's suggestion after patiently listening to what I looked for in a doctor) and I could not have been happier with my experience. I LOVE, LOVE Dr. Gaus. She is AWESOME! She has the sweetest, most down-to-earth, and genuine personality. She's focused and incredibly smart. Despite me just having an eye exam with a doctor I didn't feel confident in, Dr. Gaus gave me a full exam. I left feeling very confident in her evaluation and in the prescription she ordered (which, by the way, differed from the other doctor's Rx). Dr. Gaus is a sweetheart and I have not stopped referring others to her. I genuinely look forward to our exam next year. In addition to my initial office visit being perfection, my follow up experience was consistent. I broke my old frames recently and had to go back in their office to replace them. Jen, who I now consider the O.G. of opticians, replaced my frames quickly and easily. It was such an easy process I'm still in awe of it. I loved this office and their frames so much, I just ordered another (third) pair. I recommend Jen, Dr. Gaus, and Riverbend Eye care whole-heartedly. I trust them fully and they consistently exceed my expectations. read more