I've been getting both my regular and sunglasses here at Vision Essentials for years and I have always received the best service and choice of glasses. For the majority of my visits, Mark Isemoto has been my dispensing option and he's gotten to know my color favorites and the styles that work best for my prescription and nose shape. I've been wearing glasses since I was in grade 2 so choosing new glasses is like buying a car: they need to look and feel good because they're part of your wardrobe. I'm grateful to be on a plan that gives me a 50% discount every year because my prescription alone costs considerably more than any frame I pick out. This year I picked out some gorgeous Kate Spade frames and I simply love them. Mahalo, Mark, and the staff of Vision Essentials on Pensacola. read more

Vision Essentials by Kaiser Permanente - Here he is: Mark Isemoto, dispensing option extraordinaire!! - Optometrists Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I decided I would give this place a try a second time, even after having a bad experience years ago. I called just to see if they were open. I was not happy with the tone of the older Asian woman's voice. She was not friendly or helpful. I will not be going to them ever again. You're better off going to Paris Miki or Lenscrafters at Ala Moana. read more

My appointment went well and got the exact prescription I needed! Would go there again to get another pair of glasses

Eye Glass Repair - free: DARIO DE LEON gave me superior service in repairing an expensive pair of Seiko titanium frames. One of the special elements of his repair was his use of Loc-tite to prevent the screws from slipping. Dario also gave me some valuable advice about other frame providers in the community--his choice as an alternative: COSTCO. I have found EVERY staff member of Vision Essentials to be both cordial and expert--from the clerks to the ophthalmologists. The selection of frames is very good, and prices are reasonable. read more

I understand during Pandemic everyone is cautious, limiting the number of customers, totally acceptable. The place is a decent size, can fit dozen people with social distance. The first time I tried a drop by right after the exam to see if I can take a look before the appointment, it was at the end of the day, and only 1 customer, pretty sure no upcoming appointment. They said no, got to make an appointment... again, there was only 1 customer in there and I am not asking for assistance. The second time, the day of the appointment, I arrived about 15 minutes early, I see there is 0... ZERO customers, ask if I can go in ahead look around, got denied, and told to wait until my name is called. read more

This Vision Essentials idea is a winner. IMHO, If you are a Kaiser Permanente member and need eyeglasses, you can't go wrong by signing up at kp2020.org. I shopped around at all the usual places, and went back to Kaiser (Folsom Ca) for my purchase. My previous research helped me to understand some of the issues to think about before going in to talk with the Kaiser Optical Dispenser (Kristina). Once there I found Kristina to be professional, knowledgeable, pleasant and very easy to work with. She covered every aspect of my coverage, and fully explained every option available for the frames, lenses (photochromic, progressive, polarized etc) and pricing. I picked out frames (RayBans as it turned out) for my eyeglasses and supplied my own RayBan Aviator frames for the prescription sunglasses. From there Kristina worked her magic to fit the frames to my face. It was amazing how the adjustments she made transformed them into a perfect fit. I could not be happier with the service, experience, or my purchase. read more

Vision Essentials by Kaiser Permanente - Me in my straw Stetson. - Optometrists Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I always buy my own designer frame before placing a new order which has been about 2 years. I bought channel frames, had my eyes evaluated and had the new prescription put in them and was thrilled and happy with it putting all add ons into the lens. 2 years later my vision was advancing so I had my eyes tested again and was told my vision hardly changed. I had bought porsche frames 2 years prior and placed my new prescription with all add ons recommended by the employee and was shocked it cost over $500! when I received my new glasses I was satisfied but noticed I had to clean my lenses more often now. And after a month, the wind blew my glasses off the table and cracked my frame. Picking up my frame and lenses, I noticed it was plastic and not glass lenses. So I bought the same frames again went back in to have my lenses put in it and was irritated because they had to be cleaned very often, and also noticed 1 lense were scratched because I thought I could not wipe it off. I then decided to get my other channel glasses instead and to my surprise! I could see better with it instead of my newer Porsche glasses! Very upset with Kaiser Optical Waipio because they charged me $500 which is the highest I've ever paid for glasses and yet, I see better with my old glasses instead and feel I got ripped off and was not told my lenses were going to be plastic lenses. I'm 77 years old and the sales person ripped me off and don't even use my new glasses because Can not see good with it. FYI I thought you should know this when you buy new glasses. Very Unhappy Customer of Kaiser Optical Waipio. Barbara Jean Nino, Ewa Beach, Hi. read more

Vision Essentials by Kaiser Permanente - My son Tama gave us this portrait for Xmas by Turn Me Royal. - Optometrists Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Made an appointment for eye exam about 1 month ahead. Kaiser insurance covers glasses and exam once every 2 years on the Kaiser ins plan. Appointment was 11 am and checked in on first floor at cashier window. Sent to upper floor for exam. Waited about 5 minutes before called in and eye exam underway. Doctor was very pleasant and friendly. Doctor asked tons of questions- asked me to read line #5,#6 and what lense looked clearer to me. She added eyedrops that felt weird in my eyes and napkin looked yellow. Standard procedure all the way. Received vision prescription in about 10 minutes. 5 shiny gold stars for DR. KIM-LIEN T NGUYEN OD, OD. Highly recommended! Went down to first floor to pick out frames and place my order. Plan pays for up to $40 credit for frames and picked out a cheapo pair. 1 week later received message that the glasses were ready-fantastic! No out of pocket expense. 5 stars Going in this week to do the pickup-will update review soon. read more

This review is only for Dr. Michelle Okabe as I have not visited any of the other optometrists at this location or made any purchases in the retail eyeglass space on the first floor. I made my appointment online via KP.org and everything was in order when I arrived. Save yourself time by skipping the check-in line on the first floor and check-in directly at Vision Essentials on the 6th floor. Although I've used Kaiser's optometrists in the past at another location, this was my first appointment with Dr. Okabe. My appointment started on time and I found the private exam room clean and comfortable. Dr. Okabe was very friendly, professional, thorough, and answered any questions I had regarding my vision. I plan on returning to her again for future appointments. read more

Nice people but whoever makes their glasses do not know what they are doing! I had a unbiased third party check my glasses and they were not the prescription they said they were! read more

Unfortunately, due to my Kaiser Plan - I have to use their Vision Essentials. In all my experiences - they are THE WORST place to go to. Although my appointment went smoothly - overall - they kept me in the office for 1 hour, even though I was quoted 20min wait time. Moreover, I have called 5 times... yes... FIVE times over the past two weeks trying to order contact lenses. I've left numerous voicemails asking to be called back, and never got a returned phone call. This practice is so unprofessional. Yes, I get that we're in Hawaii and we go by island time, but my contacts are running out and I need to re-order ASAP. Their message machine states their business hours and when they're out to lunch and that they will return your call by the end of the business day. They do NOT. My advice: Please, take your vision business elsewhere! read more

Best division of Kaiser in HI! Keep in mind, I'm not fond of Kaiser in general for the State of Hawaii. Parking: You can park inside the garage up with ramp off of Pensacola St. and you can pay for the parking upon check in. If you opt to not park in the garage then you can park on the street. I've seen some people park in the parking lot at Walgreen's but park there at your own risk! This location is also bus friendly with stops on Pensacola and King St. Eye Exam: My copay was only $14 which is normal but I definitely got a lot for my money. I was scheduled to see Roxanne Gushiken and she was awesome! Not only did she take time to get to know me and why I was there, she explained to me how my 10 day transformation/detox was affecting my vision. This was the quickest visit I had at Kaiser! Once I checked in, I was advised where to sit. Roxanne saw me shortly after and started the exam after some small talk. She gave me my prescription and I was on my way downstairs (ground floor) to pick out a new pair of glasses. After signing in at the optical shop, I was seen within 15 minutes. The sales rep made the process easy by starting off the process with how much my insurance would cover since I lost my glasses in Orlando. I got a $150 credit which helped ease the pain. I knew which frames I wanted so that only took a few minutes. He went over the lens types and after picking the one that he recommended, I was set. It would take about 2 weeks to arrive and they would call me once it's in. I went to the cashier and paid then was on my way. That whole process including wait time was less than 30 minutes! Very efficient! Service: Everyone was awesome which made my experience memorable. Don't think it could get any better? I received a personally written thank you card from Roxanne a few days later! Who does that anymore? That's awesome! Not too long after, I received the call that my glasses were in and I went to pick them up. They have a sales rep put them on to make sure it fits right and everything is okay before you leave. Great way to keep QC consistent! Overall, I'm very happy with my experience with Vision Essentials by Kaiser on Pensacola. Definitely would recommend them to anyone with Kaiser. read more

Received the best service from Noe today in the optical department. She was so friendly and patient with me. I always get so overwhelmed when I need to choose frames but she was helpful and recommended some cute frames for me to try. She made choosing easier. Thank you Noe! read more

They ordered the wrong contacts to be shipped to my house. I call they admit they made a mistake, and order me new contacts. However they can't ship to my house now, they need to ship to them and I need to come to them to actually exchange the incorrect contacts. I guess those incorrect contacts must have a high street value. But now it took a week for them to get my contacts, it's Friday afternoon. They are not open weekends at all. I've already been blind for a week. Now I need to take off work get to them before 5 pm on a Friday in town. The supervisor had little remorse nor could make an action plan that I could possibly pick them up anywhere in the clinic that is open on Saturday, like check in or pharmacy or anywhere. She made no effort to help out or do her job or correct her own staffs mistake. read more

I was treated poorly from a worker there who made me feel unwelcome. I didn't get her name but she looked Korean, she sat on a desk on the left side going in. I was looking to purchase prescription reading glass but I will do my business elswhere. read more

My doctor was awesome. He was very thorough and best part, told me that my prescription was less than what I originally had! Best "bedside manner" and I would highly recommend him. But I did discover that a cheaper way of getting contacts is to get the glasses prescription at kaiser for what every your copay is and then get a contact fitting at Costco for $50! so $75 instead of $150 for the fitting and glasses at Kaiser which is the biggest rip off ever. read more

I came by to repair my glasses that just broke but they were just closing for a lunch break. Adriana saw that I was in need and took my glasses in the back and made a quick repair. I appreciated her going out of the way to get my glasses working again so I could see. She is an excellent example of great Kaiser patient services. read more

I have been seeing optometrists at Kaiser Permanente Honolulu for decades and I get all my contacts (gas permeable) from this location and I have gotten my frames for my eyesglasses about 90% of the time. Sometimes appointments can be hard to get as one time you had to book two weeks or three weeks prior so that is possibly the only con I can think of. All the optometrists I have seen have helped me with my vision, contacts, eyeglass prescriptions and recommendations that I get gas permeable contact lens (hard contacts) as each optometrist (Dr. Mirikitani, Dr. Suzuki, and Dr. Ling) are very personable, friendly, great explainers about the contact lens, eye and prescription and other things such as solution to use for the gas permeable contact lens. The wait is worth it for 3 weeks or so because these optometrists are really good and it is best to be proactive and think about your appointment a month in advance especially when you need contact lens to be looked at every year and eyeglasses/eye vision every two years. read more

i ordered my eye-glasses 12/29/2016, already over one month eye-glasses still unavailable to pick up? finally, 2/10/2017 i got a call to pick up eye-glasses To get eye-glasses, quicker, better price and warranty, recommend other location such as Costco Wholesale optical department... read more

I've been getting my glasses here since I was a kid. The doctors are very helpful and give their honest opinion on frames that would match your facial shape. However, the old lady who works at the check-in counter is not friendly! I personally ignore her and go straight to the first doctor I see. read more

The staff here at Vision Essentials is Awesome! The 2x I visited, everyone was smiling, real friendly & always willing to help. My appointment was 3 weeks ago & today was just a check up on my lenses to see how they fit etc. 3 days after I had the appointment I lost the right side of my contact lens kayaking so I called to get a new pair and they were super cool about it! It was free of charge and they weren't even mad that I lost them. Fast forward to today & I'm ready to order my 1 year supply of contacts (its cheaper if you order 1yr supply with a 20% discount??). The lady explained everything really well, what I'm being charged for and she even helped me get rebates!! +1 for rebates!! :D I was able to get rebates for my contacts and she also explained to me how to get reimbursed from my insurance with VSP. She stapled the 2 forms with my receipts together which was nice of her cause knowing me i'll probably lose them and never get my rebates. :( She also informed me that if I order my glasses from them within 30days, I'll get 40% off the lens & frames!! thats fricken awesome!!! (click the "COOL" button if you love discounts)!!! :P The store didnt have THAT many frames compared to say lens crafters but its over $100 cheaper on alot of the same frames that lens crafters carries. + I get a 40% discount!! IM SOLD!! :D If you need glasses or contacts, give them a try! I was with another DR. before but I thought I'd give Vision Essentials by Kaiser Permanente a try and I do not regret!! I actually saved $28 on a 1yr supply with Kaiser vs my previous doctor. I highly recommend!!! read more

I got lasik done here about 3 years ago. Overall, it was an excellent experience. Dr. Fong was great pre op, during the operation, and post op. I was a little nervous about the whole thing, but I felt completely comfortable with my eyes in his hands. the surgery went off without a hitch and I was able to see without contacts the very next day!! I had check ups with him over the following months and everything went smoothly. My eyes were dry and a little scratchy for the first few months, but by they 6 month mark everything was back to normal. I don't remember the exact price, but I know that it was a little more expensive than the cheapest lasik in Hawaii. But I'd rather pay a little more for top notch doctors that you know aren't going to go out of business because they are part of Kaiser. Overall it was a very good experience and I would highly recommend Dr. Fong at Kaiser. read more

Service was pretty good. Only waited 20 minutes to be called. I love that everything is just a walk away....stores, bank and restaurants. Employees are friendly. read more

Vision Essentials is an over-priced service contracted by KP, who gets a huge kickback on revenues. I was charged $350 for simple replacement lenses with the cheapest (1 of 3) progressive lens addition. You can go any where that provide optical services and get it for about half this price. Plus, they play games with you on what frames they can provide, usually only the frames they sell. Took me nearly a month to get my new lens. I used them because I'm a Senior Advantage member of KP, and get a $200 once every 2 years savings, which still make the lens over priced. Take your business elsewhere. read more

I've always been satisfied with Kaiser Permanente. However, I am very disappointed with its Vision Essentials department. Today is exactly one month since my classes were ordered, and still no lens. I called a week ago and someone said that there was some technical problem with the lens and it had to be sent back to the lab. Whether this is correct or not, I do not plan to use the optical services again. I'll get my eye examination from Kaiser, but get the lens from some place that is more dependable. read more