Far West Optical

This was my first trip to have my eyes checked since the one they do in elementary school as a mandatory thing, so perhaps my insight isn’t as valuable, but I was pleased overall.
I was given thorough treatment, and enjoyed talking with Dr. Weaver. He was quick to explain what was wrong with my eyes, and to help me understand what he was doing with each step. The equipment was all functioning, and the office is clean and orderly. I was helped promptly upon arrival, and didn’t feel like the front desk women were rude or anything close to it.
I did find cheaper prices on frames elsewhere, but it was much easier to have them handle the ordering and whatnot, and it places the accountability on them if there’s a problem. I was helped out by someone during the frame selection process, and felt no pressure to buy higher priced frames while shopping.
Waiting on my glasses to arrive and I will be updating this to five stars assuming that all is well with my first order.

The staff was rude and unwilling to help with selecting a frame. I will buy my glasses at another store.

UPDATE: So I ran out of contacts and needed to get a prescription for contact lenses, the one mentioned previously was for glasses.
To explain why I went back, I couldn’t afford to pay for another complete eye exam at another optometrist’s because of the trick they played in my previous visit of doing «half» of the contact exam during my glasses fitting, which I explained in my initial post. Teaser: this «half exam», as seen in the eyes of another, visiting optometrist, was in fact a full exam, yet they were certainly intent of charging me for the second half. The initial half-​exam cost around $ 150, which after a brief Google search is $ 60 more than some doctors’ full exams. I knew something was wrong.
Anyways, I call and the front desk staff runs down the charges for the second half of the exam, a «fitting» (I’ll explain the quotation marks later), saying that with my insurance and because I’ve had part of the exam done (the hidden charge I mentioned in the previous post), it would cost around $ 90. I thought I may as well finish here because it was less money (albeit not by much), plus the exam wouldn’t be as long. So more than $ 250 for a $ 100 exam at many places. They completely took advantage of my insurance, and while I’m mildly embarrassed at not doing more research before starting the process, I didn’t think I should worry about a devious local business. DON’T BE FOOLED, THIS PLACE IS CROOKED DESPITE APPEARANCES.
So, to get to the story, there was an outside optometrist filling in for the regular one because she was on vacation. Long story short, he looks at my chart and doesn’t think I need another exam, gives me a sample pair of contact lenses, and writes the prescription. So the $ 90 «fitting», the «second half» of the exam was completely bogus. It just took an honest outsider to say it. No explanation by the staff and, actually, for some absurd reason the staff at the front desk was rude to me when I went in to pick up my prescription; they were literally silent when I went in to pick up my prescription. No greeting, courteousy, nothing. Like someone who’s just been caught. And here are the caps:
THIS PLACE IS ABSURD! I’M NOT A PETTY PERSON, THIS PLACE IS JUST THAT BAD! THEY HAVE LIED DIRECTLY TO MY FACE, IN ESSENCE STOLEN THE CASE I PURCHASED WHEN I BOUGHT MY GLASSES, CHEATED ME OUT OF MONEY, DECEIVED ME INTO THINKING I NEEDED UNNECESSARY EXAMS, WERE UNBELIEVABLY RUDE, WASTED MORE TIME THAN I THOUGHT AN OPTOMESTRIST COULD WASTE. NEED I SAY MORE? BECAUSE I CAN.

I saw Dr. Weaver for the first (and only) time in December, 2014. My poor rating is because he misdiagnosed an eye condition, costing me an additional ophthalmology consultation expense, not to mention inconveniencing me and causing unneeded concern.
I went to Weaver for a routine eye exam after my prescription sunglasses had broken and I needed new ones. His clinic was clean, the wait time negligible and his staff was polite and professional.
However, during the eye exam Dr. Weaver claimed that I had a choroid nevus (mole) inside my eye and tried to refer me to Dr. Berger, an ophthalmologistthat he said he referred to regularly. The referral was for the intent undergoing further evaluation to make sure that the nevus was not a melanoma in my eye. Rather than accepting his referral to Berger, I opted to follow up with an ophthalmologist, Dr. Chandler, who I had seen previously and who I knew was an excellent clinician. Dr. Chandler examined my eyes and said there was absolutely no evidence of any nevus on my eye exam and he couldn’t understand how Weaver could have thought there was anything in either eye exam to be concerned about. He said that there wasn’t even an area of hyperpigmentation on the exam that might have been mistaken for a nevus.
I don’t know if the issue was that Dr. Weaver had poor diagnostic skills or if he had some vested incentive to refer me to an ophthalmologist – Either way, I will not return, nor will I recommend him to anyone.

Well. I thought I would give this place a chance, since it was the only place that could get me in as soon as possible, cause I have really been needing new glasses. However I should have NOT! I drove 20 mins to get there. Not a big deal.
However I got there I started getting bad vibes. They was asking me about some very personal stuff.
They also wanted a copy of my Personal Medical Insurance. Then they saw what kind I had and the did not want it. OK, I get through all of that and get called to the back. The start performing OLD tests that I did as a kid in the 80’s. I started getting even more of a bad feeling.
Then I go on back to the Dr. Office. I see the equipment and it was for sure old and felt like 1980’s. It just felt so OFF!!! So we get through all of that, and eye torture with dropping stuff in my eyes and the lights ugh I left with a headache. So next I am going to pick out my frames. I looked at what they had to offer. Was not happy with the choices or price. The price was crazy high for the frames they was offering. Soooo, I decided to take my prescription and go elsewhere.
I end up over at Wells Branch Vision Care.
I go in and find a very nice pair of glasses for cheap!!! I ended up picking some Ray Bans. Cool, I am well on my way to new glasses. I wait 10 days and I get a text saying my Glasses are in. So I leave work to go pick them up. I put them on… Guess what, I feel like I am in a Fun House!!! Or wearing drunk goggles!!!
I could not see out of the right eye at all! Soooo, My glasses have been delayed!
Come to find out my old glasses had a Axis of 5 and the new ones 117 which made me totally blind.
I was advised to go back to Far West but I just did not feel like going back there. I called VSP my insurance provider and asked if they would work it so I could go visit Dr. Hamilton at Wells Branch. So this coming Monday 10-​6-​2014 I will get a proper eye exam! No extra cost either. THANK YOU VSP.
To Far West. I well not see them again that is for sure!!!

These people will rip you off.
Went in for an eye exam, and was told I needed reading glasses to help my headaches (1.25 strength). After the exam, I was pressured into buying a $ 250 frame (they don’t have anything under $ 200 in their store!!). I asked why I couldn’t just go to a drug store and buy glasses and they said because it wouldn’t work the way I needed them to. So I got talked into buying these frames PLUS $ 300 for lenses. During my week wait for the glasses I purchased readers elsewhere to get me by while I waited for my «custom glasses», turns out. they work just as well and a FRACTION of the cost. I called to cancel my order and was told they were unable to do that, but they could refund me my frames… so now I am stuck with $ 300 lenses that are useless. They also couldn’t ship them to me without charging a ridiculous amount.
GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! These people are rude and do not know how to handle customer service.

I cannot say enough good things about the people here. From Dr. Weaver to the rest of the staff I have only good things to say. Eye exams are thorough, they take the time to check everything and talk to you. I never feel rushed through an exam or pressured to buy something. My entire family goes here and will continue to do so.

Both my husband and I went to see (both) doctors at various times. We had to go back again and again, because the prescriptions were just off. My husband’s especially (he is diabetic, which affects the eyes).
And don’t get me started on the glasses. While the two ladies who operate the store are very nice, I was never and still am not happy with the glasses I received. As somebody else already mentioned, they are very expensive, and the pair I chose just plain SUCKS. I have gone back (fortunately, we live close by) I-don’t-know-how-many-times to get the screws tightened (and my husband tightened them many times in-​between). No effort was made to get the problem fixed permanently. They just kept tightening every time I went. That’s it. As a result of constantly having loose and not properly fitting glasses, I have huge indentation on the bridge of my nose and have even developed some permanent skin tags as a result.
The last time I was there, I told them that this is the last time I will ever come again unless they can do more than just tighten the screws. Needless to say, nothing…
Neither my husband nor I will ever go to that place again or recommend it to anyone. It doesn’t matter how nice the people are, if they are incompetent, and the customer does not receive a good product.

Dr. Weaver is so great!

The doctor I saw was Doctor Coldiron and she was nice. She was very attentive to my needs but in the end the selection of eyewear that they provided was just so minimal. Also in order to look at their glasses, they keep insisting that you provide your information. Sometimes it is just nice to be able to walk in and look around or be asked what we are looking for but asking ALL of my personal information just in order to look at some of their stuff seemed a bit over-​the-​top to me.

Never buy your prescription glasses here. They are extremely over priced. I bought a Nike (model number: 51÷18÷140) here for $ 305. Later I found out Sears was selling the exact same one for $ 187.
It is a rip-​off. I called for cancellation the day after I had ordered them but they refused to do so, saying that the custom order has gone through. Initially they had told me that it was a slow process and it would take 7 – 10 business days for the glasses to be ready. But after I called to cancel, they said now it’s too late. Yeah sure! The sale person wouldn’t let me talk to the manager saying that he’s always in meetings. And she refused giving me the wholesale company’s number so that I could talk to them, maybe they’d accept the cancellation.
Lesson: Never ever buy your glasses here. Rip-​off! AND horrible customer service. Terrible liers.

Dr. Coldiron is very good at her job, and has an excellent bedside manner to boot. She just seems extremely thorough in addressing whatever issue is at hand as well as answering questions. I’d feel confident in recommending anyone to her, including those with special eye needs. Some of the equipment in the office seems dated, but I’m sure it’s all in working condition.
Unfortunately, the receptionists seem like they don’t really know what they’re doing or how to talk through your insurance options. I’ve had multiple miscommunications with them. The staffer who sells glasses also doesn’t seem very thorough in helping you choose glasses either. I don’t buy my glasses here, honestly. I just like Dr. Coldiron.
The huge head cutout on the building is a little cheesy, but at least it makes Far West Optical easy to spot from the road!

Dr. Coldiron is absolutely the most thorough doctor I know. She never rushes and is always willing to answer all of your questions. Her bedside manners are excellent as well!

LOVE Doctor Weaver and the staff. Yes, it may take a couple of visits to get the fit correct but these are the BEST FITTING CONTACTS I have ever had and I have been wearing contacts for 20 years.

Dr. Weaver is WONDERFUL! Front Desk — not so much.
Dr. Weaver is OUTSTANDING! Never have I ever had an eye doc spend over an hour with me. The amount of tests and measurements he took put my past optometrists to shame. While i was misdiagnosed by my last doctor (so my contacts were blurry and my eyes were always in pain) Dr. Weaver found that my eyes did not in fact change, my original prescription was still correct and he sent me home with 4 types of contacts to try. Apparently i have flat corneas which effect my night vision — something that has deteriorated pretty quickly in the last few years. Also, my insanely dry eyes were remedied with daily contacts instead of the 30 day type. He informed me the solution i was using to keep my contacts was also detrimental to my vision (who would have thought a saline solution would have an impact?) … He told me I am not a good candidate for lasik and recommended restasis if the contacts he gave me did not provide enough moisture. Happy to report the contacts he gave have been so amazing, i forget i am wearing them! Usually my eyes are gritty and blurry — but since seeing him I can see and not constantly think about it! I have my followup appointment with him tomorrow. Fingers crossed all goes well!
A WORD ON HIS FRONT OFFICE STAFF –
*** On that note however — you have to grin and bear it with his unbelievably rude, standoffish front desk. Not only do they seem entirely bored and apathetic about their job, but they are not welcoming in the slightest. Interacting with them without having met Dr. Weaver yet made me very nervous. i did not like the atmosphere and was nervous the entire experience would be just as awkward. They treat you as if you have just done them a severe disservice by arriving to your appointment early or on time.
The rude manner in which the receptionist called me to remind me of my appointment tomorrow is what encouraged me to write a review. Dr. Weaver is a wonderful, friendly, personable and intelligent individual. His front staff does not properly represent the kind of service you will get with him****

Go see Dr. Weaver at Far West Optical if you want the most thorough eye exam you’ve ever had. These optometrists really enjoy their profession and care about fitting you properly with contacts or glasses so you can get the most out of your eyeballs.

Dr. Weaver is great. I had an excellent experience at Far West, he prescribed me some computer glasses and identified something about my vision (that I needed prism) that no other optometrist had spotted.
Friendly, convenient, timely… highly recommended

I’ve been going to Dr. Weaver since 2006, and I can’t think of a better eye doctor. I will admit that’s he’s a bit quirky, but that’s not unusual in Austin. Even though he’s quirky, he is the best at what he does. I lived in DC for two years and had to go see another eye doctor there for an emergency prescription and that place didn’t even do the right eye exams (I have high eye pressure), and they charged me more!
Dr. Weaver always takes the time and due diligence to make sure you eyes are well taken care of. Plus, they sell great frames at reasonable prices. I am fan for life!

I like some of the Dr.‘s at Far West optical but one of the girls who helps with contact and glasses fittings is the worst! She ALWAYS (been going here 4 years) running late and she has these obnoxious conversations with coworkers and customers knowing full well that she is running behind. Once she showed up late and I missed way more work than I intended. I’m switching to a new business this time.

A coworker referred me to Far West Optical because she loved Dr. Coldiron. I ended up making an appointment with Dr Weaver and have been seeing him for the last 4 – 5 years.
Dr. Weaver is thorough and nice and my glasses prescriptions have always been great from the first try. But I especially recommend him if you have really bad eyesight and toric contact lenses. I’ve always had HORRIBLE night vision with my contacts and every previous optometrist/​opthamologist had just acted like it was because of my toric lenses. But not Dr. Weaver… He patiently tried 5 different prescriptions trying to get the halos and starbursts to go away and … I can now see clearly at night!
There is a extra fee that you pay when you’re first being fitted for toric lenses and it seemed like kind of a lot… maybe $ 150… but after I went back for 6 extra appointments and they’d ordered me 5 different pairs of trial lenses, I felt it was totally worth it. And honestly I would have paid $ 400 to be able to see clearly when driving at night. Even 5 years later, I get excited about it :)