Robert L Shapiro, OD FAAO

I went to Dr Shapiro’s office when I had an issue while I was in LA on vacation and the staff saw and helped me right away. Highly recommend!

The staff was incredibly nice and helpful – very easy to walk in without an appointment and was able to get my eyes checked after a very short wait. The doctor was so kind and informative… and out of all the optometrists that I’ve ever gone to, he was the most thorough in his checks. He’s also very respectful of what you want and didn’t push one product or another. He was very mindful of what you were comfortable with. I’ve already recommended him to a few of my colleagues today.

Dr Shapiro is amazing! He is very friendly and professional! Also his staff are very friendly, easy to work with, makes you feel comfortable! Strongly recommend!

Strongly recommend Dr Shapiro and the office.
He was super nice, experienced and very fast on finishing the exams.
My husband and I were able to make the same-​day appts and were very happy with their services.

I would strongly recommend Dr. Shapiro to anyone in the DTLA area. I was a few years removed from my last eye exam and needed a new contact prescription. Having no vision insurance I shopped out a few places and found that Dr. Shapiro was one of the most reasonable and affordable.
The exam was thorough and on point. You can tell the doctor genuinely cares about his practice and each and every patient that comes to see him. If you live in or around the area, you would really be missing out on an opportunity by not going to Dr. Shapiro. Thanks Dr!

I really enjoyed my visit to Dr. Shapiro’s office. He is through, right to the point, and doesn’t have that «sell» tactic a lot of previous eye doctors I’ve seen have.
He really does «keep it real» in my opinion. He took time to explain each process in the exam and gave me fair options regarding eye wear. He’s got a great attitude and very friendly. So glad I found him on Unilocal and will definitely be back for my annual visit next year!

I was able to submit all or my paper work via email, including my insurance information. They are walking distance from my job, which is great. When I went for my actual appointment, they were really friendly and went out of their way to get in in quickly. I had mentioned to them I was on my lunch, and they were very accommodating. Doctor Shapiro was very friendly and thorough. I am now enjoying an awesome new pain of glasses and I am waiting for my second pair to be delivered!

I’m a fan of durable plastic frames. — This place has a great selection. Dr. Shapiro was very thorough during the exam. He made me feel at ease, and there was no air test thing… I have never liked that one… My eyes water easily. He also checked for glaucoma and answered any question I had. I will be going back to get my contact lens exam very soon… I am super happy they accept VSP at this Dr. The location is convenient, the office is clean and the staff is very patient and helpful.

The change in my vision occurred rather drastically within the last four months. I had been overexerting my eyes over the course of the last year, and finally I guess I just broke the threshold — meaning I really was having a hard time reading without glasses and definitely knew that I needed a check up. I was hustling at one job, while simultaneously looking for another job, and had no time to give to going and finding an optometrist. Finally I got to my new job, and Dr. Shapiro was the doctor of my co-​worker. She recommended him to me, and I made an appointment immediately. They took my insurance info over the phone in under 3 minutes, and they were able to see me in the same day! They are so accommodating. My check up only took 25 minutes, and Dr. Shapiro is thorough and really explains everything to you carefully. My other optometrist’s in the past have been very auto-​pilot about my vision loss, which I find aggravating and commonplace among a lot of doctors. Dr. Shapiro runs a tight shop, with great assistants, receptionists, and specialists. Everyone was kind, and I was able to get in and get out without any issue. Also, if you are looking to buy new frames, they have quite an impressive and fashionable selection. I found a pair of Carolina Herrera frames that definitely make me feel ridiculously fabulous, despite my impending blindness. I am excited about this optometrist because they are so local to me. The office is right down the street from my office in Downtown Los Angeles. I will be going to him from now on, and I will be recommending him to everyone I know! Thanks Dr. Shapiro!

Great experience! His technician Juan is really good. I had tweaked my old frames and he fixed the problem and then fit them for me also. Then I bent the new ones and he fixed them for no charge. He’s not there on Monday, though.

He really is a great doctor. Takes his time and explains and answers your questions. Happy about my visit.

We would not have walked in the door had it not been for the wonderful reviews. Thank goodness we did. Dr. Shapiro was amazing! So kind and welcoming. He did an excellent job of explaining things to us. Loved him! It’s so nice to find a doctor close to home here in downtown. I highly recommend! Also, they have a great selection of frames to choose from.

I just moved downtown and had noticed that my long distance vision was going. Found this place based on Unilocal reviews and had a great experience. Had a quick, thorough exam with Dr. Balfour right away at my appointment time, who was as nice as can be. They had a really nice selection of designer as well as off-​brand glasses. The ladies up front were fun and helped me pick out a pair that fit my giant head. Overall, highly recommend!

I am a new resident of downtown LA. As such, I am in the process of finding my new health providers near where I work and live.
I chose Dr. Shapiro based on his strong Unilocal reviews, and I was not disappointed. His office was small, but organized and I was seen within 5 minutes of my appointment time.
As a FYI, do not be worried by the character of the block on which Dr. Shapiro’s office is located. He is on the section of Broadway that is surrounded by random discount clothing stores and fast food restaurants. However, once you go inside his shop, you are in a very professional environment.
Dr. Shapiro did a great job of explainig everything to me and actually took his time to talk through my options for glasses, contacts, and Lasik. He definitely will be by Optometrist of choice while I live and work downtown.

I haven’t had a eye exam in years and it was about that time.
I found this place on Unilocal and read all the great reviews.
Seemed good and its a block from were I live. So I just walked there!
Dr.Shapiro was great and answered all my questions.
I will be back next week to pick out some frames

I came here for the first time 2 years ago after my mom was completely happy with their customer service. They greet you as you walk in, they respond to all your phone calls, and offer lay away if you need it. Happy! I won’t be going back to large retail companies for my optical needs.

Dr. Shapiro is amazing! He has been my eye doctor for the past five years. He is very professional and is available on the weekends which is a plus because I only have weekends off. The staff is very friendly and they go out of their way to find me the frame I want since I am very picky. The frame selection is great because it fits every budget and they also carry a wide variety of contact lenses. I recommend Drs. Balfour and Shapiro to everyone. They are in the downtown area the office is beautiful and the doctors are great. They also take my mom’s insurance Eyemed :)

I came here b/​c I tore one of my contact lenses. Grrrreat… I couldn’t work on my computer and thought I had to go home. I immediately looked for optometrists in my area and this one popped up.
In my frantic, visionless state, I had my Rx emailed to me from my eye doctor in Torrance. I came here and waited 10 – 15 min while the doctor was with another patient — not too bad for an emergency. When he came out, he immediatley greeted a Latina woman and her kids in fluent Spanish and had a whole conversation. I was floored. As Angelenos, we are expected to speak Spanish, by default, but he was the real deal. Ok, I really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but it goes to show they know how to cater to their clientele and they really seem to care.
Anyway, I told him my state and he was so kind and went to get a sample for me without charge! As the hymn goes, «I once was blind, but now I see.» Thank you, Dr. Balfour! You are the NICEST man EVER!

Great service and close to my office. Dr. Shapiro has never kept me waiting. In fact, my latest appointment was made same-​day for the early afternoon, and I was out the door with a new prescription within a half hour.
Downtown professionals, please don’t Broadway scare you away from this place.

I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl, my mom insurance paid for us to come here every 2 years to get an exam and new glasses. now that I’m older I come on my own. I had my appointment with Dr Shapiro a month ago (sorry for the late review) at 330 but wasn’t seen until 4:05 :(he was busy with a patient ahead of me. which shows that he doesn’t rush patients out the door, but I was worried because my meter was running out of time. Thankfully I got to see him on time and i made it to my car with 3 minutes to spare. The only reason why I’m giving this place 4 stars is because of the location, its downtown LA, it sucks! to much traffic and parking is expensive and so hard to find. :(oh and I asked, if you don’t have insurance its around 90 something for an eye exam.