Great place. I had an amazing experience at Winking Bee Optometry! The staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. I love Dr MJ and they do explain everything they do before they do it AND if it is an extra charge and not covered by my insurance, they always asked me whether I wanted to incur the charge etc, I highly recommend Winking Bee Optometry to anyone in need of quality eye care. They truly care about their patients and go above and beyond to ensure satisfaction. read more

I had regular eye checks and had gotten two prescription glasses from Winking bee. The first one was years ago and it worked fine. When i needed a second pair i went through the same routine which was eye exam and prescription glasses. Nothing has changed much from the exam so i asked to make the same prescription because it makes me dizzy if we increase it. So they made the glasses and it didn't feel right. I went back and forth with appointments only to be told it's the exact same prescription, and some explanation that it may the glasses and it will take time to get adjusted. Two years later it still makes me dizzy. It is definitely not the same glasses as my first one. And Im disappointed esp after spending all this back and forth. I am not going back and will recommend people to be cautious on prescription glasses. read more

I was in need of an eye exam and on the hunt for optometry offices in my area and came across Winky Bee. I called their office to inquire and spoke with Janine who was very helpful. She got me an appointment the next day and sent me all of the new patient intake forms within 30 minutes of hanging up. Their online portal for completing the new patient intake forms is very easy to use and follow. On the day of my appointment, getting there was a breeze. Their office is located in a very convenient shopping plaza and parking is plentiful. Once I walked into their office, I was greeted by their friendly staff. Check in was quick and the time I spent waiting was a few minutes. Their tech (I think her name was Theresa, sorry if I am wrong) was very friendly. My exam was no more than 7 minutes and the process and transition between the different machines was very efficient and smooth. I was seen by Dr. Dino and she was extremely pleasant. She spent a good amount of time with me to learn about my health and finish off my visit with her explaining the results of my exam. I was out of their office within 30 minutes and on my merry way with prescriptions in hand. I will definitely be seeing them for all of my optometrist needs and bringing my family as well to their practice. They run a very efficient and kind operation and I appreciate their kindness and care. Definitely recommend. read more

Was looking for a new optometrist and SO happy I found this office. First off everyone was so welcoming and nice. Office is SUPER CLEAN and up to date. They took care of me and answered any questions I had. They have a ton of eye exam machines which is always a plus. My old optometrist was from the dinosaur ages (bless his soul) and I always dreaded coming in for my annual checkup. They're super straight forward so if you're looking for a new spot, come here! Highly highly recommend! (And how stinkin cute is the name?) read more

Great service at Winking Bee Optometry, the staff is awesome. Dr Dino was great. She explained every test that was being conducted

I had my eye exam here and after that I was told my insurance is not accepted and I have to pay by my own. I have filled in their questionnaire with insurance info (and it even said they must review it before I can go to the appointment). Obviously no one reviewed my insurance info they asked for. I got some discount so there is one more star. But still I paid most part of it. read more

Great front desk (answer phone calls, in person very helpful), great office (multiple machines, all the tests I needed) and great provider (I saw Juleanne Dino). efficent, friendly, clear! For a first time eye exam person: recommneded. read more

Dr. Lew was probably one of the most impressive optometrist I've seen. She was referred to me by my niece and I have pretty high expectations for my Dr. The equipments there seems very new and advance. And she was very knowledgeable. I was impressed with her efficiency and attention to details. So far, over only been here once. Though she's better than most of the optometrists I've seen in there last 30 years. read more

Dr. Liao and her staff are totally professional and completely open and honest. I don't where these negative reviews come from and why. My husband and I both go there but after cataract surgery we were referred to another optometrist at the surgery center. We agreed we found Dr. Liao and her staff so much better to work with. She explains things very clearly. Josh helped me with my glasses and knows what is best for me. Theresa the technician worked her magic with the latest diagnostic machines better than Palo Alto Medical. Prices for glasses with our insurance are reasonable not Costco prices which I use for a second pair. The glasses at Winking Bee are definitely higher quality than Costco. Don't want to leave out the receptionist who is always welcoming. Just a well run office. read more

I switched my family from cheaper vision insurance to a more expensive option just so we can come here. The whole staff is wonderful. Josh helped me pick frames that made my coke bottle lenses look cute. Dr. Lew is always super thorough, patient, and kind. Love the location as it helps me check a few more items off of to-do list. read more

Stay away at all costs, total scammers. Once you finally get through their awkward appointment process the real "fun" begins. It's been over 6 weeks and I still have not received my a sample pair of contact lenses! The entire staff is either clueless or truly doesn't care about the customer as they have no information on when things should arrive or any follow-through on getting things done. They even hold your prescription hostage and start pressuring you into purchasing from them. Telling from the smirk on one of the employees when I demanded a refund I could tell they have been running this scam for some time. Paid for an eye exam and received no prescription or contact lenses... useless. And yes they do lock your insurance the moment you set an appointment so you can no go anywhere else. read more

Shady practice. In order to try on any frames, you need to book an appointment. In order to book an appointment, they require you provide your insurance information. Then, they apparently put an authorization on your insurance where you cannot go elsewhere unless you call them to "unblock" it. read more

Always great friendly and hospitable service from Dr Jocelyn. She takes the time to know the patient and takes time out of her busy schedule to talk to her clients who may not have an appointment but is there just browsing for some cool trendy glasses. We make the trek here from San Jose. When I go to Kaiser to the optometry they admire my stylish glasses. One person even asked if they could buy the frames off of me!!! The front desk is friendly and try to really accommodate your request. We enjoy coming here and would recommend the services here!! read more

I have been getting my eye examinations from Dr. Liao for a few years and I've had a positive experience with the doctor and the office staff. Their front office POC, Janine, has always be very professional to work with, especially at the end of the pandemic where going to the eye doctor seemed sorta risky. I also have had positive experience with their eye glass fitting team. Unfortunately, I moved into the City and had to find another doctor. Otherwise, I'd still be going to Dr. Liao. read more

Dr Lew took her time with my daughter to discuss myopia management options, reviewed her habits to see how she might improve the health of her eyes, and costs were straightforward. Thank you! read more

My first visit was great last year. Fast forward one year later, I am very disappointed with Winking Bee. They need to be more upfront with their costs. I went in for my annual eye check up and my doctor asked me if I would like to check up on my contact lens prescription. I was like, sure, why not. I was NOT told that getting a contact lens exam would have extra costs. $25 copay $39 for retinal scan + photos $60 for contact lens exam = $124 total The $25 and the $39 were expected, but the contact lens exam??? $60 FOR TELLING ME TO LOOK AT A SCREEN AND READ SOME LETTERS?? At least be upfront about this instead of telling me at the end??? I didn't even leave with new glasses or new contact lenses. This is hella shady. I don't think I'll be coming back here again. read more

Friendly prompt, efficient, thorough I can't imagine a better place to go to for my eyes!

I actually loved the optometrist, but Winking Bee is let down by the poor performance of their optician team. I had a few issues with the optician and the policies at Winking Bee in general. One minor gripe is that having to schedule an appt to see an optician just to pick up frames is a hold-over from Covid that should probably go away (it's massively inconvenient). More importantly, the optician is generally just a jerk and talks down to customers. Then in my last interaction with Winking Bee my expensive frames were broken by their "lab team" without any recourse to reimburse them or partially cover the cost of replacement. I'm down a set of $600 frames and at his point I'll just cut my losses and find another optometrist. I suggest folks do the same. read more

I never thought I'd be a "Regular" at an optometry! I don't mind it because this office is amazing! I love Dr. Lew! She is sweet and fun to talk too. She is very interested in you as a patient and just as a person. I actually had a blast being fitted for contacts. We were laughing up a storm. While my husband was in the waiting room awaiting his appointment, he and Gina ( the receptionist at the front) were wondering what was going on. And then when it was my husbands turn, they were laughing just as hard. Dr. Lew is so easy to get along with but at the same time, very knowledgable and helpful. Dr. Lew did all the pre-tests for me which I typically have done with an optician at other optometry offices. The equipment used is very advanced too. And did I mention digital? I can't imagine that on Justin Timberlakes album. Gina is awesome too! She's very sweet and just a nice person to talk to. She is very helpful, both over the phone and in person. She is so friendly even though I call all the time and bug them because my contacts were bothering me. Both Dr. Lew and Gina helped us in the process of picking the right frames as well. They are fun yet professional. Winking be is very convenient and accommodating as well. They are located in our local Whole Foods plaza and open on Saturdays! read more

Winking Bee Optometry - Comfortable seating area :) - Optometrists Near Me - San Mateo, California

Stopped in because it's close to where we live and I adore the name- left really happy with our entire experience and very much so looking forward to keeping them as our regular optometry shop. First, the entire office is friendly, welcoming and delightful. We might just start stopping in for regular visits and to play. They made scheduling super easy (we were trying to get back to back appointments and come as a couple) and when we had to make last minute changes it was handled with grace and ease. When we showed up to the shop we were greeted with smiles, some candy, fresh water and a really clean and welcoming space! Dr. Lew is super sweet and smart- she is very patient answering all questions with a smile, very quick but thorough. She talked with both of us about maintaining the health of our eyes and makes recommendations down to the level of how to apply makeup to best protect eye pores. Their selection of frames have great diversity and the whole office makes picking a pair that's right for you a fun and easy going adventure. We both left happy with new contacts, new prescriptions, new frames and a good mood. read more

Great frames but very pricey. I found a pair I loved and splurged. The glasses snapped in two across the nose bridge while I was cleaning the lenses. I called but they said they wouldn't do anything for me. So now I have $1200+ pair of glasses that I can't wear. Disappointing. read more

Care and compassion through the roof!!! I could not believe it. I will only work with this company when it comes to my eyes. Staff Could answer complex insurance questions quickly and in a simple clear way to understand. You can tell the staff if intelligent and Educated. read more

The staff Jannie Is not helpful and can't get the job done. She is confused and keep asking me the same question even tho I fill out the information form. read more

You'll likely be better off going to Costco, even if Costco is considered 'out of network' with your insurance company. I wanted to get the most out of my vision medical insurance so I figured that I'd go to an In Network provider since I have a higher allowance for frames. With In Network providers, I get $125 toward any frames and only $71 from out of network providers. I just wanted something basic as I only occasionally wear glasses. I was surprised that Winking Bee doesn't have any frames under $200. I know frames can be expensive, but seemed strange to me they didn't have any that would be fully covered by my insurance. (I later found out that Costco has lots high quality brand frames for $60 to $70, so this would have been fully covered even though Costco is considered Out of Network) Rather than getting new frames, I opted to have new lenses put into frames that I already had. My insurance provides basic lenses for $25 copay. To my surprise, even though Winking Bee is an In Network provider, they would not provide me with basic lenses for a $25 copay. They offered me additional lens options/features for a higher price. I told them that I only wanted basic lenses. I was informed that it was against the law for them to sell glasses without added UV protection and that this would be a higher cost. I told them that this sounded very strange as they are an In Network provider with my insurance and that my insurance provides basic lenses for $25 copay. They insisted that this was a law and that I had to pay extra for UV protection. I asked if they were refusing to provide lenses for a copay of $25. They confirmed that they would not provide lenses without this additional feature and extra cost. Thinking that they were trying to pull a fast one on me and maybe violating their agreement with the insurance company, I called my insurance company and asked them about this "law." My insurance company informed me that they had never heard of any law requiring UV protection. I told this to Winking Bee and the story quickly changed. They said that it wasn't a law, but rather a store policy. So basically, they were refusing to provide lenses unless I agreed to be up-sold on an additional feature at a higher cost. Giving 1 star for lying/providing misinformation about the supposed "law" and for having a ridiculous store policy requiring customers to pay for additional features. Also, their high prices on frames doesn't help either. I highly recommend you check out Costco as their prices are reasonable and they do not have a store policy requiring you to either pay for additional features or walk away empty handed. In addition, the staff is poorly trained in regards to how they handle client personal information. On my 2nd visit I asked the the front desk if they keep on file the new patient intake form or do they shred it. I asked because it contains sensitive information, such as name, address, birthdate, social security number, etc. Pretty much what a criminal needs to steal someone identity. I was told that they keep it. So I asked if they could black out anything that wasn't absolutely necessary for their office. Then she said, "oh, actually we shredded it." Hum... given the strange back and forth I was left wondering what they did and didn't store. I later spoke to the optometrist and asked her the same question. She said that they do shred the paper form but that they also scan it beforehand and keep it on file. This really concerned me since the front desk had just indicated that they had shredded it and left it at that. Furthermore it turns out that they have a spaces for unnecessary personal information on their intake form. For example they have a space for full social security number when they only need the last 4 digits. With the common dangers of identity theft, that is simply careless that they take personal information that they don't need. They could easily print a new intake form or simply take a pen and cross out the sections they don't need to help protect patients. I sum this up to poor training and carelessness with protecting sensitive patient information. read more

If Yelp had 7 Diamonds as Highest rating for Optometrist, Winking Bee's Josh B. has earned it for a boutique yet customer friendly store to fill your prescription and precision follow fitting. Winking Bee sets standards with Customer service and yet continuously will exceed your expectation. Team members are all Professional and congenial. Turnaround time and selection is absolutely perfect. Clear and succinct communication is a sought after skill worth learning at Winking Bee. Earnest compliments to you training program, your technical competency and sincerely caring staff. Congratulations for having the best team and Keep up the good job. read more

Came here for annual eye exam. The people at the front desk is super nice, efficient and friendly in terms of making appointment, explaining insurance details and rebate instruction and following up other stuff. Doctor is good too. She's very patient and will try to explain to me more details about my eyes than other doctors. The only thing I don't like too much is they are trying to sell me higher price contact lenses. But it's probably better for my eyes. read more

My whole family has been going here for a couple years ago, including the kids. They are great with all ages and I love how comfortable they made my kids, even my child with autism isn't scared to come here. They even fixed my glasses when my 2 yr old broke them! read more

I have received the new glasses and they turned out to be very disappointing. I could not believe this is what I get for a total price of $1500+. The frame is fine and is as expected but the glasses themselves are way too heavy and thick and are very poorly done. They are 3x as heavy as my current glasses and 2x thicker (with the same prescription) and my current glasses were done 10 years ago in China for $100 (compared to $1500+ for the new glasses). I could barely wear the new pair for an hour due to the weight and they leave a very deep dent on my nose and give me headaches. I don't think I'm ever going to wear the new glasses. read more

Dr. Lew is incredibly knowledgable and is one of the best optometrists I've ever been too. The staff managing the office was also wonderful all around. Glad I discovered this place, and will continue to go. As others have noted, there isn't a huge selection of frames and some of them can be on the pricier side, but the service more than makes up for that. Looking forward to going back! read more

Dr. Liao was thorough and insightful in her exam. She was able to explain the changes in my eyes due to the ageing process. She can even tell when I have not been drinking enough water through indicators in my eyes! She gave me several options for contact lens that fit my lifestyle and has been accommodating when I need to schedule follow up appointments. I highly recommend Dr. Liao, Dr. Lew and their staff. read more

Love this place! Though my opinion may be swayed because they had a nice snack table(laceys, cupcakes, drinks, the whole deal). I think Winning Bee is a top notch glasses spot. My family typically goes to Clear in downtown San Mateo, but we decided to try winking be because it's closer. Great customer service at this place! The lady who was helping us was extremely attentive and helpful. The selection of glasses is nice. They have zero G, Lindberg, etc. They even have a line designed specifically to suit Asian noses. The shop itself isn't big, but I think they have enough stuff for everyone to find something. read more

Although going in for an annual eye exam can feel like a chore (especially when the optometrist is no longer in your neighborhood), Dr. Liu consistently makes it a pleasant and worthwhile visit. Also, pleased to report that when I went back for my eye exam this time, there were NO negative sales associates/managers around. (+1 star) Seriously, the whole staff is on par with Dr. Liu's pleasant demeanor and everyone is so helpful and personable (just like her). She always has a good selection of eyeglasses too, brands that may not be as mainstream but are high quality nonetheless. I can't help but to peruse even though I already own several pairs. Also, Dr. Liu has all the latest gadgets for examining your eye health and vision. So, you can trust that she's doing a thorough examination whenever you go and see her. AND I love that her associates are smart enough to help ensure that you're maximizing your benefits - they get that it's a win-win situation. read more

If I could give a higher rating I would. My baby cried the whole visit and the staff and dr. Laoi stepped in and calmed him down so I could get my eye exam. They were so informative, professional and accommodating. Truly enjoyed my exam and learned a bit too. read more

I only went for the glasses, not for an eye exam, so I can't comment on the doctors here. It's a pretty small place, so their selection of frames isn't huge. But what they had was great, especially for Asian faces. I must've tried on dozens of glasses at other places, and they just didn't fit right on my face. This place carries a brand called TC Charton that's supposedly designed for Asian faces. I know that sounds gimmicky, but it's true. When I tried on these glasses, they just fit perfectly on my face with no adjustment -- unlike so many other brands. And the lady at the desk was super friendly and helpful. She answered all my questions with a cheery smile. The whole experience of getting glasses was painless -- and dare I say, even a little fun? It took a little less than 2 weeks for my glasses to come in, but I love 'em so far. read more

We have been going to Winking Bee for a few years now, our family goes there. Dr. Liao is amazing. She is great with engaging the kids into conversations while they are being examined. Our kids, especially my son are always excited to go see her since they always get to pick a treat. We love their glasses selections. There are plenty to choose from style and price ranges as well. Their staff are very professional and friendly. read more

As a first time patient, I had a great experience at Winking Bee which I found through my insurance provider. Dr. Liao and team were very attentive and thorough: I needed to see a specialist following my eye exam, and they helped me secure an appointment for the following day, and even followed up with me to see how things went. They also support email and text services which is helpful as I can't always take a call. I felt like I was genuinely looked after and supported. read more

I needed to use my insurance before the end if the year for glasses. Although I had my eyes checked else where. I had been meaning to check out Dr. Liao's new location. Her office is modern and well kept. The staff is friendly and helpful. I went in looking for a pair of glasses and potentially a pair of sunglasses. With her staffs expertise, I was able to feel confidence that I would be happy with my purchases. I will definitely come back to Winking Bee for my eye care needs. read more

Dr Jocelyn Liao is hands-down the best optometrist! I had a wonderful experience in getting myself contacts and a pair of glasses. She was patient and attentive during my eye exam and, at the same time, was very thorough. She is also very knowledgeable and answered all of my questions following the exam. Overall, I left her office feeling like I was given the best care possible and felt completely comfortable every step of the way. PS- they carry a really nice selection of classy and modern frames which is how I found out about Winking Bee in the first place, worth checking out! read more

UPDATE on my previous review... I contacted Winking Bee and they informed me that they had been working to see how could they honor the $1500 as agreed. After a couple of hours, we were able to work a solution that benefits both and the only opportunity I see is that when the customer encounters any discrepancy, there needs communication with the customer. My overall experience is still positive ( I really like the selection and above all the staff) if I had not call today to check on the refund, I would be still thinking that customers have no value as Josh made no attempt to reach an agreement nor communicated that management was involved. Winking bee ROCKS! Thank YOU read more

Love this place! Everything from the doctors, technology, contact and frame selection. As I get older, my eyesight is getting worse. Drs Liao and Lew have the BEST technology and are up to speed on the BEST lenses and course of treatment. I love that I have options when I see them. No more dilation and creepy glasses here! Oh and they have Saturday hours, too! read more