I hadn't had an eye exam in about two years, I needed new glasses and a new prescription as mine…read morewas outdated, so I decided to make an appointment at Stanton Optical. I normally go to America's Best or order my glasses online, but I came across Stanton and thought their deals seemed reasonable, so I figured I'd give them a try.
My first impression wasn't great. When I pulled up, the building looked pretty run down, and there was graffiti on the outside walls. I tried not to judge based on appearance and went inside for my appointment.
At the front desk, I was told that the eye exam was FREE with the purchase of two pairs of glasses, which sounded great. Then I was asked if I wanted to see the doctor physically in person or have the exam done with a doctor online. I honestly thought I misunderstood him at first. An eye exam with the doctor ONLINE? I find that crazy, and it genuinely doesn't make sense to me how a proper eye exam can be done with the actual doctor through a screen. If I'm getting my vision checked and potentially getting a new prescription, I personally want to be examined by a doctor who is physically there.
I told him I wanted to see the doctor in person, like I normally would for an eye exam. That's when I was told it would cost an additional $59, even if I purchased the two pairs of glasses. So the "free eye exam" that brought me in was only free if I was okay with seeing the doctor remotely.
That was incredibly frustrating and felt very misleading. I did not see anything clearly stating when I booked the appointment that the advertised free exam was for the remote option and that seeing a doctor physically in person would cost an additional $59. That is something I absolutely would have wanted to know before making the appointment.
What concerned me even more was the lack of privacy. While I was completing paperwork on an iPad nearby, the employee began helping another customer and openly discussed that customer's eye issues and how they could potentially affect his health. I was standing close enough to hear the entire conversation. Personal health information should not be discussed where other customers can easily hear it.
When I looked toward the waiting area, I also noticed that some of the exam equipment was out in the open right next to where other customers were sitting. There seemed to be very little privacy, which made the entire experience feel even more uncomfortable.
At that point, I decided to at least look through the glasses before making my final decision. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any frames that I liked or that were really my style. On top of that, many of the display glasses were noticeably dirty, which didn't help my impression of the location.
In the end, I went back to the front desk and politely told the employee that I wanted to cancel my appointment because I didn't feel like Stanton was a good fit for me. I was honestly a little surprised by the response. Instead of asking if there was a reason I wanted to cancel, asking if there was anything they could help with, or even saying they were sorry to hear that, he simply responded, "Okay, no worries."
Overall, the location felt poorly maintained and temporary, almost like a Spirit Halloween setup rather than a professional eye care office. Between the condition of the building, the dirty glasses, the confusing "free" eye exam advertisement, the additional $59 to physically see a doctor, the idea of having an eye doctor examine me remotely, the lack of privacy, and the complete lack of concern when I decided to leave, I was extremely disappointed. I went in genuinely excited to try somewhere new, but unfortunately, I left without even completing the appointment.
