East Bay Vision Center Optometry

Ellie was extremely helpful and patient. She helped me look for the pair of glasses that suits my face. She also honestly explained me how to optimally utilizes my insurance. She took the time going over every single frames and their prices with me patiently given that I am kind of a pickly person. I was telling her that My old pair of glasses was broken so I’m in an emergency. So she put an expidite request for me. I finally got a pair of glasses from Nike within a week! The doctor was also very nice explained me everything about my eyes in details. I would really recommend this vision center if you are looking for helpful and patient staff for your glasses.

Avoid. Have been a customer for years, returned recently. Extremely rude receptionist. Terrible scheduling, lying about times and lateness, ‘lost’ paperwork to force delays, zero respect for patients’ time and schedule.

I happened to visit my relative in Oakland And My glasses were accidentally broken! I tried to look for a place to have my glasses repaired but, no hope!!! Well, finally found a glasses store, East Bay Vision Center which is very closed to 12^st Oakland bart station, convenient for me :)) !!! To the point, they said my glasses would not be fixed any more because the leg was completely broken… The lady there said that they could help me look for affordable frames and use my old lenses. She was very nice and gave me a lot of good advice to look for a nice frames which fit good on my face! I finally found a pair of Mist frames, well I dont know wht brand it is but they was nice and in my budget!!! I am looking for my new glasses!!!
P/​s they gave me a really good deal on the frames :))))

They did an excellent job with my checkup and renewed glasses and contact prescriptions. Instructions were very clear, and they spent a good amount of time making sure I understood the process. Frame selection was a little sparse, but a family owned shop serving Oakland Chinatown residents is not going to have a huge range of expensive frames to peruse. Other Unilocal reviewers of this location are being waaay too particular, in my humble opinion (no surprise there). Regardless, I choose and review my medical professionals based on competence, which they have in spades. I’d happily come back anytime.

Pros:
— Optometrist is fairly nice
Cons:
— Staff is rude
— Opens later/​closes earlier than posted business hours. And not just by a little bit! Today I got off work early just so I could get there before 6:00 (the time they are SUPPOSED to close). Got there at 5:15, and they were closed for the day.
— When you call the business number and no one is there — like when they close early — there is no recording or way to leave a message
— Optometrist gave me a trial pair of contacts that did not match my prescription… and didn’t bother to mention this little detail.
— For the contacts I purchased, I was given trial boxes for my right eye; meaning that I only got half of the supply I paid for. — I didn’t notice while I was there bc I was in a rush to leave, since they opened late that day.
Once I get this trial box situation cleared up, I am never going back.

Okay, it took them a few visits to get my prescription for my contacts right, but they really tried hard to get it as close as possible. First I saw Dr. Lam, who tried rigorously to find my prescription. His first prescription was a bit blurry, so at the follow up appt, he suggested a different base curve (as I was losing faith). When I returned for a 3^rd visit, Dr. Lo fitted me the new trial lenses and they were great. Credit goes to Dr. Lam for the prescription. She fine tuned it and i’m getting them shipped. So it’ll take about 4 visits total, but I appreciate their efforts. I’m not sure if other places would just try to rush you out the door, but they do take their time with each patient, which is why you may have a waiting time. It’s a give and take, but great job in the end.

After my first review last week, I felt better for my appointment today since people there are getting more friendly. I was contacted by Dr. Lo and their manager. They showed care for patients and customers/​reviews. I also want to mention that Dr. Lo is patient and professional.

Short and sweet review
Doctors have your best interest at heart, and have been nothing but pleasant.
Receptionist are two words, money grubbing.
I renewed my prescription here several months ago and went from toric to non-​toric lens. At first the transition was fine, until allergy season hit. I’ve had minor complaints about dryness and blurriness when I first got them, but it was extremely minor that I figured it wasn’t a big deal and could be fixed with a little bit of eye drops. As my allergy worsened in March/​April, I noticed my contacts were sticking to my upper eyelids. Initially I assumed it was minor GPC so I stopped wearing them for a day or two to let things clear up before replacing them with new ones, again I wear them for 2 – 3 days and I’m noticing excess protein build up and the contacts are sticking to my upper eyelid, particularly in my left eye again. Once again, I stopped wearing my contacts for a few days and replaced them with new ones and it still didn’t resolve my problem.
I’ve been wearing one brand for almost 5 years before making the transition and never once did I have issues with my prior brand and allergies. I gave the receptionist my story, elaborated on my problem and requested an appointment to possibly change the brand back to something I was more comfortable with even if they were not toric lens. The receptionist went to the back and gave me some eye drops. Yes, 2 weeks of the same problem and some generic eye drops will fix the problem, do you honestly think it wasn’t the first thing I tried 2 weeks ago? These people run with the mentality that they know better than the customer. Why don’t you do the right thing and schedule me an appointment with the optician/​optometrist as I requested so I can talk to someone actually trained to diagnose my problem?
Next year, definitely elsewhere.

I see a lot of mixed reviews and can’t vouch for the eye exam/​lens fitting services they offer, but my quick transaction with East Bay Vision Center was efficient and courteous.
I walked in with a contact lens prescription in-​hand and inquired about discount options if I ordered a certain quantity of lenses in advance. Without skipping a beat, they offered $ 40-​off a year’s supply, which I agreed to. I placed the order and was told to wait one week, but within 48 hours I got the call to pick up my lenses. When I came back, they gave me some free contact lens disinfectant solution and a cute canvas carrying-​bag with my order.
The next time my prescription expires, I’ll return to get an eye exam and update my review.

I will stop coming here. And here is why: the store has some of the outdated style of frames that looks cheap, but yet still cost over hundred dollars. The doctors are not on time for appointment services. They booked me for a 12:00pm appointment. Then they had me waited for 30mins. It looked like the doctor tried to manage multiple patients at the same. So I thought maybe this happened sometimes. However it happened to my kid’s appointment and my wife appointment too. Their appointments were a month later, both on different dates. The worst was my wife appointment at 9:30am. When she got there, the store was not even open until 10:00am. No she didn’t get the wrong time. 3 for 3 they made you wait.
Shame on me if I still go back. It is time to find a new place.

I’m torn between one and two stars.
I write this as I sit here waiting for my appointment… which is now half an hour overdue and no one has said a word. And this seems to be standard… make an appointment and don’t expect to hear from anyone for an hour.
Rather, I got a dismissive «have a seat» after coming in early for an appointment. (I was looking at some of the brochures at the desk, which was why I didn’t immediately sit down once I announced I had arrived for my appointment)
The customer service here clearly needs work. Lots of work.
Also, I’ve seen two different optometrists so far from this business — an older gentleman (who was friendly but I question his ability as a medical profession) and a woman (Dr. Lo) — she’s great. Very patient and understanding.
But the shoddy customer service does NOT help offset a good doctor.

More like 3.5 stars!
After my initial review of East Bay Vision Center, I was contacted by Dr. Lo via email to discuss my review.
So I would like to note a few corrections Dr. Lo has made in response to my initial review.
1) the staff member in question is not a teenager– she’s just petite
2) Dr. Lo never advertised she specializes in autistic children — it’s just that she has experience with autistic children and works well with them.
after my second visit, I can tell Dr. Lo has taken the time to make some adjustments in her office. This time around, I worked with Dr. Lo who took the time to fix my contact lens prescription. She was really patient and thorough (so thorough I had to run out to feed my meter 4 times!) Plus, she was able to help my brother with his prescription & took the time to explain every step & what she needed to do to my parents (which is a PLUS!).
Overall, my second visit was definitely MUCH more pleasant than my first. If you do come to East Bay Vision, I recommend you see Dr. Lo, she’s much better than the other doctor there!

I don’t know why I stayed with EBVC for 7 years. Except I do know why, because I am a lazy a**, and I only needed to go once a year, and even though I had to wait longer and longer every time, I figured it wasn’t a big deal. Well, this year, when I showed up and I waited an hour before being seen, and then when I asked how much longer it would be, and they told me 45 minutes, I walked out and told them not to reschedule me.
Also, the optometrist was always «helping» me with my eye exam. That is one test I am not trying to cheat on, thank you very much!
Oh, and they overcharge, which I found out when I went to an actual reputable optometry practice (thank you Eyecare on Lakeshore!).

such a great service over there, they helped me find what I need. so many choices there for me to choose. and i got what i want!

The service of this place has steadily gone down over the years. I was forced to go to this place as my employer’s vision plan was very limited as to whom I could see. This was the nearest place.
When I first started going here, the service was pretty decent. There used to be a nice older lady who I think was the office manager. She was very courteous and helpful. I think she’s gone now and they are lacking in service these days.
On my second to the last visit i went for a glasses exam. I wanted a high index lens with transitions for my frame. The girl there tried to upsell me on all these things I didn’t want. I think not. Anyway, they called me the next day and told me that transitions don’t come with the high index and wanted and asked if I wanted the next index down. Fine. I knew it was cheaper so I was expecting a partial refund. Oh no. When I went to pick up my glasses they told me that they smoothed out the edges of the lenses and thats where the refund went to. Ummm, hello, did I order that? I guess your «sales lady» decided to do an automatic upsale without my consent.
So this latest time I got contacts. When my contacts were ready they told me to just show up without an appointment to get it fitted. OK, I show up to be kept waiting, and waiting. Oh and thank you for not acknowledging me when I come through the door. I like being ignored and being kept in the dark of whats going on EVEN WHEN I’M WAITING IN FRONT OF YOUR DESK.
The frame selections here are crap. They used to have some nice ones when I first started going here years ago. My last pair of frames I got from a optometrist friend of mine because the selection is really bad. But I did get the lenses filled here.
The doctors are pretty good. They had quite a bit of turnover of doctors here so I had 1 other doctor before, then it was Dr. Eismann, then my latest was with this asian girl. They’re ok, though the latest doctor seems a bit high strung. She’s nice and everything but seems like she’s on a time limit and is rushing.
Thank goodness my company is switching vision plans and I can go elsewhere. Unless they improve their service I am never coming back here. Which is a shame as they won’t have the chance to proove it to me. I am planning to go elsewhere from here on out.

I needed a new pair of glasses and wasn’t happy with my last visit to my previous dr. office because I felt like they are adding charges here and there w/​o letting me know, so a friend recommended East Bay Vision Center. The staff was very friendly and helpful when I called and made an appointment. When I had my eye exam and the doctor was very thorough and professional. I didn’t want to buy a new frame at that time because mine was fairly new, so I simply selected a pair of photochromic lenses with grey color. In addition, the price of lenses was very cheap as compared with the charges quoted by the other optometry offices.
I was told that my new glasses should come in less than a week, which I was quite happy because I had to wait almost a month at my last place. I got the call that my glass was ready for pickup in 3 days! When I came to the shop, the optometry assistant made sure the frame was adjusted properly to fit my face, and I was totally satisfied with all my additions to my lenses.
The only thing that I don’t like about his place is not easy for me to find a parking during lunch hour. However, when I had made such complaint to the optometry assistant, she told me that there was a big parking lot behind the dr. office. Therefore, my final concern was solved. To conclude, I was pretty glad with the whole experience. I will definitely refer this place to people I know.

I have been a patient here for a while now, partly as my mum chose the place when I was younger and I could not choose.
I find their service by their receptionists and staff to be completely rude and customer-​demeaning. They make me feel like I am wasting their time, when they’re actually supposed to be helping me. The optometrist are actually pretty good though.
I wished to see my personal eye examination records, and they just turned me away, telling me I cannot see my own records since it is old and that I must pay and have my visions checked again. I just don’t see why I cannot see what rightfully belongs to me. I personally feel that their business thrive on those they can push into thinking otherwise, like English non-​speakers. Well, I won’t be heading down there anytime soon.

They have an older white dude doctor who is pretty dang thorough with examinations. The downside is that because he is thorough, appointments tend to run late. But, they do get the stuff right and I have always had my prescription and contacts on time. It’s basic eye care and I have yet to see them set a foot wrong. I might try someone else necxt time to see if there is anything.

I made it soooo clear that I could not keep scheduling an appointment (that would be my 3^rd appointment) to get my contact lenses. They had told me that they had already ordered my contacts, which I had already paid for on my first visit,. When I questioned the women t the front desk about that fact… she told me «not my fault, I don’t know what the other girl told you». Uh… kinda rude… Ohhhhhhhh, I am sooooo changing my Optometrist. This is the second year I’ve used them… well, no longer!!! I so miss my Optometrist I had before my move to the Bay Area. AVOID THIS PLACE. There has to be a better place (OMG, there HAS to be a better place than this)… if you know anyone, please let me know.

I wish I could say I totally regret the day I first came to East Bay Vision– Fremont, but frankly, switching from clunky glasses to svelte contact lenses was too wonderful an experience, and cancels out some of the aggravation I’ve felt because of this place. I’ve been wearing glasses for more than a decade now, and was finally fed up with not having full 360 vision and just the basic discomfort; headaches, squinting, eye tiredness, etc.
At the first visit, Dr. Kha was friendly, and although rushed, I didn’t feel anything was amiss. I am near-​sighted, with an extremely common prescription, and thankfully do not have astigmatism. The doctor gave me a trial pair of what she said was good quality, high oxygen contacts, and told me how much a six month supply of them would cost– exactly the maximum of my VSP insurance for the year ($ 120). I thought that a little coincidental, but went with it, and paid for the exam and ‘fitting’ out of my pocket– about $ 100.
I was sent home with a couple pairs of the 2-​week disposables, with strict instructions on how to acclimate my eyes to wearing them, which I followed to the letter. When I got home, I used my new eyeballs to look up the importance of ‘high-​oxygen’ contacts as this was not explained to me worth a damn in the office and my questions were glossed over (as I said, the doctor was a bit rushed). I couldn’t find my brand mentioned anywhere, but assumed that they were good, since the doctor said they were.
Luckily, it only took two days to get used to putting my fingers in my eyes, and the difference in vision was breathtaking! I suddenly wanted to go everywhere and see everything all over again, although the first time I stepped out of the house in contacts, I missed my Transitions lens glasses something fierce.
My six month supply of contacts came just a couple of weeks later, and I happily joined the ranks of people who can actually frickin see the world they inhabit… but I couldn’t really see like I thought I should be able to. Things were fuzzy, detail wasn’t crisp, so I called the office and asked about it. However, no one in the office at the time could understand me, or answer me in an understandable fashion; native Chinese speakers with precious little English familiarity.
After several minutes of pure bloody frustration, I finally got «no, your vision with the contacts should be ²⁰⁄₂₀ or better, it is all in your head». And, I went with that. After all, I didn’t spend years in medical school, and I thought it was entirely possible that my expectations were too high.
Also, these Biomedics lenses were ripping– a lot. I am by nature a person who listens to the instructions given and follows them, and I’m just not a rough-​handler to begin with, but these things were ripping ON MY EYEBALL and even straight out of the package. Right before Christmas, I had a piece of contact jammed in my eye for two days that no one could see, but I could sure as hell feel. No amount of flushing, blinking, rubbing or even wiping with a sodden q-​tip could dislodge it. With all these crappy, tearing lenses, I ended up running through a six month supply in about four months, and called the office to ask for another brand of lenses.
That is where the –real– trouble started. No, they can’t just prescribe a new kind of lenses, I’d have to come in for ‘another fitting’. And since my VSP was maxed for the year I would either have to pay the $ 70 fee out of pocket, or wait until July of ’08. Eight months away, and I had two pairs of lenses left to go.
After some debate (with me explaining the problems I’d been having), the office gave me two extra pairs of lenses to tide me over and dropped the refit fee to 30 bucks, and without much other option, in I went.
That’s when I found out that the lenses this woman, who was very rude the second time around, gave me were some of the lowest-​oxygen rated ones on the market (rating of like 40, folks). Her rating chart from the early nineties did not exactly reassure me, either.
The capper, though, was when she casually mentioned that she had, despite taking one measurement of my left eye, *chosen* to give me a weaker strength prescription. Because she thought I «was fa… looked tired».
Well, gee. No wonder I’ve been squinting and suffering headaches since my first fitting! I was still straining to see right!
I’ve now got two different, vastly higher quality brands, in my eyes as ‘samples’, while I await my appointment with a totally new, Unilocal-​approved optometrist.