JEMS Optical

Jems is a real gem. (Pun intended)
This is not one of your cookie cutter optician shops with shops nation wide. This is one shop with highly trained people working here, every one of them knowing their line of work extremely well.
I had the pleasure of working with Sean Kirby, he is an excellent craftsman, and know’s what he is doing.
I recommend this place to anyone who is looking for professionals, and are sick of being upsold by amateurs.

Dr. Holley is a rare, great find. He listened carefully, did the most thorough eye exam I’ve ever had, and explained clearly so that I understood exactly what he had found and what he recommended. He even added an extra test at no extra charge, after the rest of the exam was done. His colleague (can’t remember her name, sorry!) was very helpful in choosing frames, but did not push me to buy them, and was honest about how long they would take to make (I was about to leave on a trip). This is a great place, all around.

I love this place. Dr. Holley is the best eye doctor ever. I recommend him to everyone. I have a really difficult prescription and he gets it right every single time. I’ve tried other places but in the last 10 years, he is absolutely the best eye doctor I’ve been to.

2 stars for the kind people and I’m sure they mean well, but coming to JEMS Optical caused more headaches than necessary.
Room for improvement: not creating false expectations for patients, not squeezing in walk-​ins over patients with appointments
My contacts were three weeks late. The wrong order was put in, mistakes happen, it’s fine. But I was told the contacts would arrive the following week and then was told the following week. I had to call each week for the status, to be told someone would get back to me (which never happened until I called back).
There’s only one examination room, which is not convenient when a walk-​in patient was taking time out of my scheduled appointment. It took almost an hour for an eye exam.
Lesson learned: Don’t choose an optometrist solely based on location.

I was really impressed. They saw me the same day I called and were incredibly accommodating (I’d lost my glasses the day before and was desperate). It was one of the most comprehensive eye exams I’ve ever had. Dr. Holley spent well over 45 minutes with me, which given that I have kind of wacky eyesight, was greatly appreciated. He has what can best be described as a unique ‘bedside’ manner, but he was entirely exacting throughout and absolutely went out of his way to find the right lenses. Further, his curious ‘bedside’ manner is entirely canceled out by his lovely staff. All in all, an excellent experience and I recommend them without hesitation.

I debated whether or not to write this review, but after the chilly response I got today, I decided to go ahead with it.
A while back my boyfriend (now-​husband) needed new contacts and asked if I knew of a good place near our apartment. I found this one on Unilocal and set up an appointment for him. He later went in for his exam, said it was good, and since it’s on my way home from work, I stopped in to pick up his contacts a week later. I was really impressed with how friendly everyone was. Now that we’re married and I’m on his insurance (my company didn’t offer vision benefits), I decided to make this my new go-​to place for eye exams also.
So…a few weeks ago, I came in for an eye exam and while I found Dr. Holley to be a little standoffish, I was really impressed with how thorough the exam was and he introduced me to contacts that I hadn’t tried before that fit great. So far so good. He then tells me the cost for the visit, to which I reply, «Got to love having insurance.» I said that because before getting on my husband’s plan, I had to pay well north of $ 150 for an eye exam and was happy that it was now only going to be $ 28. Dr. Holley then says, «Insurance isn’t always so great. But, well, you’ve got federal insurance — which throws a bunch of extra unnecessary perks on there because they know, we the taxpayers, will foot the bill for it regardless of how expensive it is.»
I“m sorry, but really, dude? Obviously this really rubbed me the wrong way. I find comments like that to be super annoying. My husband works super long hours at the Senate and pays almost $ 300 a month in health insurance premiums, so it’s not like we’re getting this for free — not that that matters. I get that we’re in a much better place than those that don’t have insurance, etc. but the whole «taxpayer v. federal employee» thing gets real old real fast. I used to work at the Senate too and I’d hear that from people, extended family, etc., all the time but never from my own health care provider. Also, hello! This is DC — which is obviously very dependent on government workers and their health insurance, so maybe you should keep your resentment to yourself. This little comment is the only small talk the guy made with me. Anyway, against my better judgement, I agreed to a follow up appointment where they evaluate the fitting, etc. even though I was still seething.
This brings us to today. After a few weeks of thinking about it, I decided to take my business elsewhere. I called today to cancel my appointment and to get my prescription so I could order my contacts from somewhere else. The front desk assistant asked why and when I politely told him that I didn’t appreciate Dr. Holley’s comments he said, «okay, I’ll email your prescription.» I explained further that I felt bad about it, but that it really just bugged me that he felt the need to comment on my insurance and he said «well sorry, I’ll email the script.» Nothing else, no sincere apology or anything. I guess you’d have to hear it for it to make sense, but I was surprised they didn’t make more of an effort to keep my business. Maybe this guy felt the same way. Anyway, too bad — this place is convenient and I felt the exam was good, but I’m really tired of the vitriol directed at federal employees, so if I have a choice, I’ll avoid it when I can.

Wonderful, professional and considerate team. Everyone at JEMS has been helpful and considerate. It helps that they’re in a great location, too. I’m glad to have found my new optometrist!

Boy, what a find in Dr. Holley and his team. Dr. Holley is thorough, informative and responsive to all questions. He gave me a fair deal on contact lenses, compared to an on-​line purchase and the glasses, while expensive, were perfect. I haven’t be able to see and read at the same time like this in a good while.

Dr Holley quietly concentrates on what he’s doing and isn’t rushed. Doesn’t chat during the exam, but does answer questions thoroughly with helpful advice. No hassle about using a Groupon which was great. To be picky, the office could use a spruce-​up, especially the row of crooked picture frames on the walls… things like that signal attention to detail — seems relevant when you’re dealing with vision and the artistic process of choosing flattering frames.

What a wonderful first-​time experience. The friendly and helpful staff made my entire visit seem genuine. No pressure to buy, buy, buy, just helpful customer service to fulfill the reason I came there. Dr. Holley provided the best and most thorough eye exam I’ve ever experienced. The help received picking out glasses was genuine and authentic. They provide a great selection of glasses to choose from. So glad I found this place.

Great, attentive and thorough service. A full glasses and contact lens exam is $ 164 together. You may be able to swing something cheaper at other places, but to me it was definitely worth it. They don’t cut corners, they don’t rush you through the process of the exam — and they care more about getting it right than anyone else I’ve had an exam with. Highly recommend.

I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Holley. He really is as good as it gets. He creates a very comfortable environment in the office His skill, manner and knowledge are all top notch.
I also had a terrific experience with Linda the optician. Choosing frames and discussing billing was clear and accurate.
I am happy I chose Jems and recommend that others give this place a try as well.

Attentive and skillful, the eye doctor here is great, and everyone here is friendly and accommodating. I recommend this place to any one who uses glasses or contacts in DC.

I went here for an exam and contact lens prescription, and Dr. Holley was fantastic. Very thorough and nice. And the price for the exam was less than other places I called around. Highly recommended!

I was tired of my previous eye doctor not showing much interest in fixing a double vision issue I’ve been having in my left eye, so I took to searching for a new doctor. Dr. Holley, a soft-​spoken gentleman, really knows what he’s doing. The store wasn’t too busy when I came in (around 2PM on a Monday) and I was able to be seen right away without an appointment.
He did a variety of tests on my eyes, including the typical Snellen chart («which is better, X or Y»?) as well as internal eye pressure, eye muscle movement, etc. As mentioned by J K. he even uses a red-​green color test to make sure everything’s fine. Never seen that before! He was also happy to explain any of the instruments and tests he was doing (what can I say, I’m a curious fella).
In all, the exam was $ 38 after a discount, I believe it’s about $ 50 without discount. I’ll have to schedule a follow-​up exam where Dr. Holley will be dialating my pupils after I get my new lenses, to make sure he’s taken care of all my vision problems. Very glad I’ve found this doc!

Dr. Holley is hands down the most thorough eye doctor … scratch that… doctors… that I have ever encountered! This does mean that your initial eye examine will require 2 visits — which includes dialating drops both times.
I have a doctorate in visual perception. He ran me through some tests that I haven’t even heard of (i.e. beyond the typical Snellen Acuity Chart). He even doubled checked his work with some sort of color test — this is so that he doesn’t over correct your vision.
I am so lucky to have found him. He will definitely take great care of your eyes. Highly recommend!

Dr. Holley is very thorough.
After the exam, he clearly knew what lenses my eyes needed to see things at different ranges.
He doesn’t offer up much information about the process, but if you ask him questions, he answers in detail. He also has frank advice on the types of lenses available.
The selection is reasonable – not huge. Once I decided on a pair of glasses, the turn-​around was quick. Less than a week.
But as the other reviewer mentioned: ask for an itemized bill.

Dr. James Holley is the optometrist in this office (as well as the location on C Street). In addition, there is also an on-​site optician, which is great if you wear glasses. Dr. Holley is thorough and soft-​spoken. I have been going to him for as long as I’ve lived in DC (8 years) and I really like him. Sometimes you have to remind the office staff that you need an itemized receipt for insurance or flex spending, but overall they are great.