Christine J J Chao, OD

Outstanding service! I have been a patient for over 3 years now and I am completely satisfied with my care. Today I accidentally ripped my last contact. I emailed Dr. Chao in a panic because I have my last fitness test today and I really needed my contacts. Dr. Chao offered to call in my prescription so I could get contacts the same day!!! I am beyond relieved and thankful to have a great optometrist.

I broke my glasses and needed to get a new pair as soon as possible. A friend of mine referred me to Dr Chao’s practice and I was very satisfied! This was my first time picking new frames on my own so I needed some help; Stephanie was very patient: she assisted me with looking at different frame styles and options. They also told me that the glasses would take about 2 weeks but they were able to get it done within a week and a half. All of the staff members were also very friendly and helpful!

I really appreciate the service I get here. Dr. Chao is patient and is willing to hear me out about my vision issues and explains the medical side of things so I can understand. The lady at the desk is really sweet, too, and she helped me figure out my insurance/​cost stuff, going above and beyond to help me out with that.
I got both new glasses and prescription sunglasses here some years ago, and I recall how they figured out the best arrangement with my plan so I would save money.
Not sure about the negative experience one person wrote about below, but truly, they’re really professional, kind, helpful, and efficient.

Really nice people. They were able to book me quickly and I didn’t have to wait too long. Eye exam was really quick and everyone was really friendly throughout the process. They also clearly broke down all the costs so there were no surprises. Frames selection was a little limited but I found exactly what I wanted for both regular glasses and sunglasses. Would definitely love to come back.

I made an appointment for both my husband and I with Dr Chao because our insurance changed and we weren’t able to see out regular optometrist, she had good reviews so decided to make our appointments with her.
First off we were the only 2 people in for appointments as well as her first appointments of the day. It took them over 20 mins to take us in. So that set us back a lot. Then our exams took almost 3 hours to complete. For a regular check up that was ridiculous to me.
My husband needed new glasses. The selection of frames is minuscule, I decided to get my prescription and get mine else where. My husband REALLY needed his so he just decided to chose frames they had there. I asked how long it was going to take they said 2 weeks. Seemed like a lot to me but he decided to just do it. I emailed them
On October 7^th (2 days shy of 2 weeks) I emailed them to see when my husbands glasses were going to be ready. All they said is that they were in process at the lab. I guess they didn’t want to bother to call the lab to see when they were going to be ready and give me a more specific answer. 3 weeks go by and nothing, finally after almost a month I call to see if they were there, and they were! They got them on the 9^th of October (our appointment was on the 26^th of September) and it was now the 21^st.
My husband was furious. We had not received any calls or anything. When I went in to pick them up they said they had emailed me. Which I’m guessing went into my junk folder (I’ll accept responsibility for that) but I had made it very clear to them more than once that my husband needed the glasses badly. After that initial email they never attempted to email again (even after no response) or call. They tried to rectify the situation by giving us a 10% off for which I thanked them. But we will definitely not be going back to see Dr Chao. I don’t care if I have to pay everything out of pocket to see our regular optometrist…
Our whole experience with Dr. Chao was a nightmare!!!
Never again.

I only write reviews when I’m compelled to write one based on a very good experience or a very bad one. I don’t have time for mediocre experiences.
1. Dr. Chao, Stephanie, Ernest and the rest of the staff here are very informed and respectful to their customers
2. I don’t feel pressured when buying my contacts or glasses from them, they informed me of my options and I choose the rest. I grew up in SF and this is by far my best experience. (Not exaggerating!)
3. Up to date equipments, knowledgeable staff and good advice on the type of contacts I should get and no pressure to buy back up glasses.
Most importantly from the first email I’ve sent to my most recent visit, I’ve always felt comfortable communicating with this office.
P.S.
Thanks to Dr. Chao I’m not walking, biking, or driving straight into you. You should be thankful.

You can trust Dr. Chao and her staff to always give you the best eye care possible.
I leave every visit feeling like Dr. Chao took the time to explain any issues or just to educate me on my eyes. But most importantly, she knows what she’s doing. Also, her staff, including Stephanie and the assistants have always been very nice.
After 4 years of being a patient, I might just return to Davis whenever I need an eye checkup.

Professional services only = 5 stars. The office is clean and updated, there is a lot of parking outside and Dr. Chao is very nice and personable. A young student (I think) administered an eye test (the «game» where you click the button whenever you see a light and that thing where they shoot air in your eye) on me. Dr. Chao tested my vision and was very efficient and quick.
Sales experience = 0 stars. The only reason I wouldn’t come back is because the lady at the front desk is SO overbearing and hard to work with. She was completely comfortable pushing me for every dollar she could. She kept asking me if I wanted to exhaust my available insurance amount. I finally agreed and purchased a year supply of contacts from them (of course, paying ~2/​3 out of pocket). I asked if I could get a prescription in case I run out before the year is over (life happens and i always end up tearing my contacts or throwing them away before the 2-​week time-​period has passed; hence, I need more than 12-​months worth of contacts in one year). They said, no, that they don’t do that. Then they qualified that statement to «prescriptions for emergencies only» and of course, you would be buying through them. Then she pressed the issue of whether I needed new glasses OR maybe I needed new lens in my current frame? At that point, I really just wanted to GTFO. I wouldn’t come back here. I’ve never been to an optometrist that had a sales person more pushy than this one and I honestly have never been to an optometrist who will not write me a contact prescription after having sold a 1-​year supply (I suspect this is yet another sales tactic to force you to come back to buy directly from them).

Before purchasing my second pair of frames from Dr. Chao, I shopped around Davis to see what my options were. I still found 2 out of my 3 top choices here. Dr. Chao and her staff are extremely kind and knowledgeable and give excellent feedback regarding your eye care needs. I made a noon appointment between classes and while I was trying on frames, Dr. Chao would check in to make sure I wouldn’t miss class. Great customer service! I am happy with the unique sea-​glass green frames I chose and get compliments on them all the time.

My eye exam wasn’t rushed at all, Dr. Chao was very nice and so was her staff.
I took a long time to pick out my frames (45 minutes) and I was so grateful for their help, especially the receptionist, who took the time and didn’t get impatient with me. When I finally chose the frames I wanted, I noticed it was 5 o’clock exactly and it was closing time but she had another patient to help choose frames for after me which made me feel really bad because I was very indecisive…
Needless to say, very professional and they were straight forward with their billing fees and took the time to explain that to me also. I would definitely come back again. =)

Been going to Dr. Chao’s for several years & always appreciate their great customer service! They are more than willing to talk about what will be the cheapest for students with SHIP health insurance plan which this poor student appreciates!

Really nice optometrist and really nice staff too! Too bad that I graduating and won’t be able to come to Davis anymore to come here.
The appointments are not rushed for me at all (they only take a short time anyway).
There is a lack of many glasses options, but there can be some great pairs! It doesn’t hurt to try on anything. And the staff help out in the selection, so if you’re not sure of something, they will assist you whenever they can.
I definitely recommend!

I’ve been going to Dr. Chao for close to 6 years. Before going to her I was having headaches and it was because she found that my prescription was too strong (prescription was from kaiser doctor). Since then, I’ve found Dr. Chao & her staff to be attentive, patient, and accommodating. I used to be a student at Davis so it made sense that I went to her, but even moving out I still come back to Dr. Chao for my yearly check-​ups.
*the only downside is that her eye glass selection is not very extensive

Dr. Chao goes above an beyond what you would expect from a normal optometrist. Plus with a friendly staff and great office this is a win win for anyone.

I’ve never had a bad experience with optometrists, and this is true with Dr. Chao as well. So what usually determines whether I go back to an optometrist or not is their staff, because I tend to interact with them much more. Stephanie is the most genuinely friendly and helpful staff I’ve ever interacted with at a doctor’s office (ANY doctor’s office for that matter). And for this reason, I miss Dr. Chao’s office and wish I could go back to Davis for my new prescriptions!

Not very impressed with Dr. Chao’s office. I went onto Daviswiki and Unilocal to read the comments before going for a checkup. Seeing how every comment on here was very positive, I had a high expectation. I feel that majority of the comments are exaggerated. I been wearing glasses for 11+ years now and felt that the service was subpar. I felt rushed during the eye exam and they were not busy at all. Very limited selection of eyeglasses frame and restrictive office hours. Bought glasses that did not come with a courtesy micro fiber cloth for cleaning (stingy).
On a positive note– All the equipments are very new. They have much better equipment than any other places that I have ever gone to.

I’ve been coming to this office for about two and a half years now for my eye check ups! It’s amazing, since I normally avoid seeing the optometrist if I can help it – but each visit with Dr. Chao has been very professional, welcoming and positive! The staff is very helpful, as they will take the time to help find the perfect frame or make adjustments to glasses. Even though I’ve moved out of Davis, I won’t go anywhere else for an optometry appointment!

This place has the best customer service I have ever seen. Doctor Chao can even cure optometristphobics. State of the art technology, brilliant minds, and friendly smiles, even though its not a dentist office. Incredible.

Awesome optometry office! Small but efficient AND they treat you like family. They spent at least an hour helping me find the best frames for my face before openly recommending that I take their prescription elsewhere to find the perfect frame. They didn’t mind at all that I wasted an hour or so of their time trying practically every frame in the shop on! I once strayed to Golden Dublin Optometry, which only served to make me appreciate this office that much more. If you’re in Davis, this is the best optometrist in town!