Lawrence Phillips, OD

Absolutely do NOT come here. Like a previous reviewer stated, he got my prescription contact lense prescription AND my frame lense Rx WRONG 3 times! He looked at my other Rx’s from the past 4 years that have been perfectly fine and his numbers actually said I was way weaker than needed and that BOTH my eyes had stigmatisms which is not true! He is rude, not professional and not organized. He keeps «sticky notes» on charts and can’t read his notes correctly. Especially if you are a VSP member do NOT come in, he inflates VSP’s prices and tries to rip you off. He is old school and needs «time» to check your benefits when 99% of places have a desk clerk that can check your benefits in a minute online. He had me try on lenses for astigmatism even though I couldn’t see properly through them. And then he had the nerve to tell me that «I simply don’t like them». His machine must give bad numbers. I repeat spare yourself the wrong prescription, inflated prices and disorganization and don’t go here — he even tried to have the nerve and tell me to go back to my old optometrist and tell him that he was wrong. Not just 1 but 3!

I never use Unilocal unless I’m traveling, and when I do, I never review. I’m reviewing this place because of the contrast in reviews, as well as the service I had.
About the Reviews:
There’s definitely an entitlement problem with some of the reviewers here.
I understand a negative review if proper service wasn’t rendered (E.g.: Wrong prescription). What I Dont understand are comments about how messy the office is, who the doctor is, or how he runs his business.
I don’t blame the doctor if he didn’t play along and put a front to some folks here. One guy is having a cow because there isn’t «a HISPANIC assistant,» the other doesn’t like how he uses post-​it notes, or how expensive the collection is. I don’t know those people, but their emphasis on marginal stuff like race, and how the doctor chooses to run his business made me take their reviews with a grain of salt.
About My Experience: I had an eye exam, had my eyes checked for another problem and ordered contacts from the place. I was in and out in less than 20 minutes. I got a call the next day telling me that my contacts were in. He was more attentive than I expected, and even called me to clear up an issue he forgot to clear up.
I told the doctor what I wanted, and he suggested a better alternative. He answered all my questions about eye care and LASIK.
Granted, he wasn’t the most talkative person. He was civil and polite with my excess chattiness. I have no idea how others found him rude or awkward. If you are a person with realistic expectations about social interactions while doing business, you’ll find Dr. Phillips to be a pleasant man.
Final Word:
Reviews are a serious business. That’s what I’ve come to realize. In the interest of being fair, I felt obliged to put in my review. I’d recommend Dr. Phillips to anyone looking for eye care, not a friend.

He was wonderful. I don’t know what anyone is talking about below. He is absolutely NOT rude. Maybe a little awkward, but a really nice guy. He was so good with my 5 year old son. Made him feel special and comfortable. He also had a wealth of knowledge about the issues regarding my son’s eyes and his equipment was top of the line. I would highly reccommend this guy. It’s a very personalized hands on experience. I was very pleased.

I was referred to Dr Phillips through a friend 5 years ago, and I’ve enjoyed him being my eye doctor ever since. He’s caring, easy to make an appointment with, and has great follow up. He’s done lots a big and small favors for me over the years too! Just yesterday, I needed to get a few extra pairs of contact lenses when 800 Contacts messed up. He had them ready for me, when I stopped in! He’s done a good job educating me about my eyes and eye care and additional things I need to consider as I get older. He and I «click» and understand one another. As we all know, there are some very uptight, high drama, and strange folks in LA so decide for yourself if Dr Phillips is for you. Like any meaningful relationship, a relationship with your doctor takes more than 1 visit and should not be judged in the first 15 – 20 minutes.

Like others have stated… do NOT go here. Especially if you are VSP member. He sucks. I typically check for Unilocal reviews and didnt this time. BIG Mistake. If I would have read the bad reviews, I would not have visited this office and spared myself the WORST experience ever and a major HIGH blood pressure rush because it took a whole lot of patience trying to talk with this guy. He’s rude.
1– his office is a HOT MESS. papers everywhere. empty eyeglass cases. hot mess. totally disorganized.
2– he is extremely rude and outdated. told me my last optometrist had my prescription all wrong. umm… love the glasses from my previous doc & i still wear them and they work FANTASTIC.
3– extremely defensive. do NOT question him. the customer is never right with this guy… he is right, you are wrong.
4– did i mention how RUDE he is? answers the phone during the exam instead of focusing on you as the patient.
5– disrespectful. that’s all i say about that because god don’t like ugly & I’m not trying to ruin my karma.
Good Luck on your OD search and spare yourself a having to spend time writing a bad review on Unilocal because your experience was so horrendous w/​larry phillips.
By the way, my experience was so horrible, VSP re-​instated my benefits and gave me 60days to go somewhere else and not pay for a 2^nd office visit to a new optometrist.

Not recommended. If you know what you need and you want to buy overpriced frames that’s your place. The guy isn’t really giving any helpful advice and if things don’t work he gives you an I-​told-​you-​so even though he didn’t.

Dr. Phillips is a great optometrist and a genuinely nice guy. I admit I booked an appointment with him because I could come in the same day, but I really lucked out and found a great eye doctor. I’d been having issues with my soft contact lenses and was interested in switching to hard lenses. During my appointment and consultation, Dr. Phillips was very professional and knowledgeable, and was completely up front about cost (I have UCLA eye insurance by the way). He ordered my contacts and they came in the next day!
Now for those of you who haven’t worn hard contacts, the fitting process is a little frustrating and drawn out. Dr. Phillips was very patient and helpful during the whole process, and endured a lot of phone calls from me complaining that my eyes still didn’t feel right. He had me come in a few times to look at how the contacts were sitting on my eyes, as well as to try out an adjusted pair to see if they were more comfortable. The level of service was outstanding (I could usually come in the same day I called, and he always took the time to talk to me and answer my questions), and I’m seeing better than ever now.
I would absolutely recommend Dr. Phillips to anyone. He does have a strong personality and a dry sense of humor, but as long as you’re assertive and ask all the questions you might have, you will have a great experience.

Both times I went to see Dr. Phillips, I had great experiences. He was very understanding of a specialized visual issue and very helpful in addressing my needs. He is great with lenses as well, never an issue with 3 different pairs of glasses and 4 pairs of lenses installed. He has a type-​A-​ish personality, so he may come off a little strong at first. But I think he is great at what he does, which is all that matters. I would, and have, recommend him to anyone in need of an OD in the area.
He also has a lab on site; I’ve never waited more than 24 hours from receipt of Rx to finished glasses.

Horrible experience going to this «OD.» I hated going to the dentist and doctors office as a kid but always looked forward going to the optometrist. This man is a terrible optometrist — he avoids questions and brushes anything you say off RUDELY. When I say «anything,» I mean it!
My girlfriend went in for a pair of glasses and to update her prescription and was 1. Given an incorrect prescription 2. Given incorrect lenses for glasses 3. Told that she would get her glasses by a date TWO WEEKS later and they still have not come in.
This man is lazy and irresponsible. He blames machinery for his own errors and will not answer any questions you have which makes me wonder what type of institution would certify someone like this. Go somewhere else.