Vision Essentials by Kaiser Permanente

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.

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!

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.

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.

what: eye care at kaiser!
something good: it’s my first time back at kaiser! i haven’t been to kaiser in eight years or so because of my work places not providing them as insurance! i’m so happy to be back! the thing i missed the most was the convenience of getting my eyes checked at the hospital! i had dr. jan r. she was really good! i would recommend her! she was patient and nice and took her time to check my eyes! i love how easy it is, they direct you where you need to go and you’re out of there within 45minutes! so happy to be back here!
something not so good: nothing! everyone was really nice and patient here!
something to try: eye exam

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.

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.

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!!!