Site for Sore Eyes

I had to visit another store because the glasses fit horribly. They were able to adjust them so they at least stayed on my face a few minutes before slipping down on my nose. I was informed that the frame did not fit my face. In addition the frames and lens were considered extremely out of date. I paid 115 $ but also found the same frames being sold at another Site for Sore Eyes for 60 $ (no wonder they both cut the original prices and said I was getting a great deal; the frames were not even worth the discounted amount). Needless to say, I will never ever again give these people my business.

Once you get passed the aggressive behavior of the Asian lady on reception this place is a very good place to get your eyes tested. The opticians are very knowledgable and not pushy and help you pick out the glasses best suited for your face.
Ask for Tom he is very nice and professional.

This continues to be the best place to get your eyes checked out. The Doctor and staff are very nice, helpful, and knowledgable.

I love Jennifer who I believe is the main receptionist at this Site for Sore Eyes. She’s very friendly and is very knowledgeable about the latest and best products in Optometry. When you first see her she might seem a little put off-​ish but it’s only because she’s always busy helping out with patients, either from the back of the office or customers browsing through frames in the front. One thing I do remember about her is how she complimented on how a great grandson I was when I brought in my grandma with me for my annual checkup. I like how she gets things done fast and make it as easy and breezy as possible. Remember to ask for Jen when you stop by this «sight.» — Tommy S.

This place is great. The way service should be for eyes. I have needed glasses for 30 years and so have a lot of experience dealing with getting the right glasses both here and in Europe. The Dr Here is great. She is efficient with up to date tech. The staff at the front who are separate work well to get you what you need. They chose a great set of frames for me to try listening to what I wanted and matching it to what would also look good on me. Even when I made a mistake of thinking I didn’t need transition lenses they took it in their stride and it was just the difference in lenses to upgrade within the cooling off period.

About a year ago I started a full-​time desk job. I began noticing that I was squinting at the computer all day and my eyes are dry and painful. I’ve never actually had a real eye exam, so it seemed like it was about time! I came to Site for Sore Eyes and was seen by Dr. Lisa. She was great. The exam was super fast and thorough. Turns out I did need glasses and she said it would help a lot with the eye fatigue caused by so many hours on the computer. So that makes me happy! The only reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5 was because I didn’t feel like they had a great selection of frames. Also, this being my very first pair of glasses, I wasn’t aware that I could take the prescription elsewhere to find frames that I liked better. I wound up with an overpriced pair of frames that I didn’t love because I felt a bit uninformed/​pressured into buying a pair from their store. Otherwise, I’d highly recommend Dr. Lisa at this location.

Yet again, shopping here was the easy and friendly. Love working with Jenny. She’s honest and helpful when I was looking for glasses since it takes me awhile to choose. She helped explained my glasses options and I never felt pressured to buy. Ask for Jenny when you go!

Wow! As a science/​biology nerd, I LOVE Dr. Lisa. She enthusiastically explained everything we were doing, including all the little variations and strategies she was testing out for my vision. Even how my height affected when my astigmatism became noticeable to me. So cool! I really like her new innovative equipment that replaces some of the older, uncomfortable machines in other offices. She was even attuned to my tiny wince about excessive packaging for daily contact lenses — she pulled out the box to show me that it was actually less packaging than what I’ve been using. She is really on top of everything!

Jenny and Kevin were both very apologetic. Sounds like the root of the issue is that they are currently training new staff. They were both very receptive to the feedback and Jenny offered me a generous refund for the trouble. Kevin called me after that and definitely righted the situation here. I’m confident they’ll work to improve and I’ll return the next time I need some glasses. Thank you Jenny and Kevin, for taking the time to work to a resolution.

I’ve had two eye exams there and one recently to update my prescription for contacts. My eye sight is not the same in both eyes (although not a big difference) and it has been so for over five years. So when I finished my exam with her, I was surprised that she gave me a prescription that was the same for both eyes. Even when I walked out of the appointment and had the trial contact lenses in, I told her it wasn’t right but she insisted that she was correct and that the difference in each eye was so minor that it didn’t make a difference. Annoyed but hopeful, I walked out and tried the new prescription for a few days but I knew it wasn’t right. So I came back after two days to tell her again that my prescription isn’t right that my right eye has a higher prescription than my left but again, she managed to explain that there is no fault in the prescription. I was surprised that when I told her she immediately told me off, she didn’t even do the examination again which would take less than 10 minutes.
Now I’m stuck with a year’s supply of expensive contact lenses with the wrong prescription. I don’t appreciate her giving every excuse to tell me that there is no fault in her exam. If she would’ve just checked my vision again, I would’ve saved money and the time of traveling to Oakland.
Despite this incident, I always have a good and memorable experience with Jenny.

Jennifer is always very attentive and patient. I am writing this review specifically because I had submitted a rebate from Bausch and Lomb, and they kept rejecting it. I dealt with that aggravation for months trying to resubmit the proper papers just to get it rejected again. Finally I reached out to Jennifer at Site for Sore Eyes, who did her magic and I got the rebate in the mail shortly after. Very pleased for the rebate, and grateful for Jennifer who followed through with everything she said she would do!

Jennifer was extremely helpful and patient. She helped me find the right pair of eye glasses to maximize my insurance dollars. I like that this place doesn’t rush you, they answer your questions honestly and they provide great customer service. I would recommend it. The selection isn’t high end, so if you’re expecting Versace and Prada, this isn’t the shop. They will find the frames you’re looking for if you have a reference or model number, so that’s a plus. Overall, way better than any LensCrafter.

I first came to this store because the prices were better than elsewhere. That was over ten years ago, and now I go because the prices are still the best and because the service is unbeatable.
If an eyeglass screw is loose or a nose pad needs replacing, I bring it in and it’s fixed right away, with a friendly smile. The personal touch really makes a difference.

I have been coming here for years and always have a great experience. Jennifer is always so helpful and friendly, and she always takes care of me! She gives great advice and knows which frames look good on your face (and which ones don’t). If you’re looking for a place to get your eyes checked, grab a new pair of glasses, or get advice on which type of contact lenses would work best for you, talk to Jennifer!

Everyone was very friendly. The visit was really easy to schedule online and there was virtually no wait throughout the entire appointment. I have already recommended this place to several friends.

Kevin was very kind and fixed the issue I was having with vision. I left a couple of places before dissatisfied with how my vision was with my glasses on, but since Kevin my prescription feels spot on. Jenny was also very kind, patient, and knows overall customer service. Great prices as well. Looking forward to going again soon to have this prescription put into another pair of glasses!

Went to this location even though two others are closer to my house, because this one had such great reviews and the other locations had horrible reviews. And I’m SO GLAD I did! Dr. Lisa Kharrazi was freaking amazing. She gave me so much useful information about the eye health issues I have, what causes them, and how to work towards making it better. She got me into some new contact lenses that are so much comfier and so much better for my eyes than the ones I’ve been wearing for years. She even talked with me about the kinds of long term changes in vision I can expect to see and how that will be handled.
I’ve never before gotten such comprehensive feedback about my vision, and it’s a welcome change from years of stoic, unhelpful, and sometimes downright rude optometrists. For the first time, I feel like I know how my eyes work and what I need to do to take care of them. And I’m 36! Why has it taken so long to get an eye doctor who will tell me about my eyeballs? Thank you Dr. Kharrazi! You’ve definitely earned my loyalty.
The lady who works up front was very helpful as well. I called in with tons of questions about my exam beforehand, and she was very patient and took her time with me. Same thing today after my exam – she worked with me to figure out what I could afford in terms of contacts and glasses, was very patient, and since I couldn’t use the deal I was hoping to use she found me a $ 50 discount for my glasses. And I got the Unilocal deal that was $ 100 for a $ 200 coupon, so I ended up saving $ 150 total. Eye exam was just over $ 100, so the rest went to eyewear. Oh, and they threw in a handful of trial lenses so I can test these before I open the new boxes.
Minor details:
I got street parking right away, and there was no wait time. I arrived a couple of minutes before my appointment and they saw me right away. I browsed frames after my appointment and didn’t see anything I liked, but had a pair I wanted lenses put in anyways so it didn’t matter. They didn’t at all try to pressure me into buying new frames from them, which I really appreciated.

I would highly recommend this particular optician, but not necessarily for the usual reasons.
I purchased two pairs of glasses from them in 2010 and was very happy with the service I got. The woman who runs the store was extremely helpful, the glasses were created very quickly, and I thought the fitting was excellent.
Unfortunately, about a year later I noticed that some of the reflective coating on the lenses of the long distance glasses was flaking off. It didn’t negatively affect my vision that much, just was somewhat irritating. Not wanting to go through the trouble of getting them replaced, I just wrote it off. About a year later, the spring and one of the arms of the frame broke and so I had to take them back. Unfortunately, they said they couldn’t fix the frames, and I’d have to buy new ones. So I did. Just a couple of weeks ago, the same thing happened again. I really didn’t want to have to buy the frames again, so I scheduled an appointment with another optician here in Alameda. But, because I really did not want other people to go through the same problems I did, I wrote the first negative review I’ve ever written in Unilocal.
Within a couple of hours, I got an email from the owner of the store asking if I would call him and give him a chance to make things right. When we talked on the phone, he explained that he understood the frustration I had gone through, and would be willing to have my eyes tested, and get me fitted with new glasses for free. He said the reason behind this wasn’t the negative review, but the fact that he really wanted to keep my business. He was very sincere in this and I believe him.
So, today I went in, have my eyes tested, and got fitted with some very nice new frames. Both the owner of the store as well as the manager would help me before were very apologetic and understanding of my frustration.
To be honest with you, this chain has an extremely good reputation and I was so impressed that they really value by business. Most chains would just write it off.
So, if you’re looking for some really good glasses, and fantastic support, check this place out. They’re fantastic.

After feeling uncomfortably pressured to purchase $ 300+ frames during my last exam down the street at Oakland Vision Center, I decided to «see» what my other options were. Site for Sore Eyes had an entire days worth of appointments on the Thursday I was available so I decided why not.
Here’s what I experienced:
1. No wait time, arrived right on time for my appointment and was seen immediately.
2. Professional and courteous young eye doctor who explained everything to me in layman’s terms.
3. Easy breezy checkout — they took my insurance and said everything was good, they would bill them directly.
4. No pressure frames up-​sell! This was by far the most important part of my visit. Although as expected, I was shown their selection of frames and questioned about what I was looking for — when I explained I’d like some time to think about it (in all honesty, I had a pair online already in mind), they backed off immediately and did not give even the slightest bit of attitude. Very much appreciated!
It’s true it may not be the most sparkling or super cool & edgy eye frame shop you’ll walk into but what they lack in hipness they make up for in efficiency and excellent customer service. They’ve definitely got a repeat customer in me.

Purchased the $ 100 for $ 200 deal to use for contact exam and contacts. At first I was a little iffy of the place because it does look a little run down. Also, the prices for eye exam and the contact fittings aren’t very clear. Not listed on the website either.
My only real complaint is the fact that the doctor gave me a trial contact lenses that was expired.
However, my whole order hadn’t come in yet so the receptionist/​assistant made sure I at least got some of my order to get me through and then offered to mail me the rest of my order! She fully made up for whatever bad feelings I was feeling about the place. She sent me extra trial lenses and cases and also gave me lots of goodies the day of my exam. This place may not look top notch but the customer service here is excellent. The prices are also pretty decent if you don’t have insurance like me.
I will use them again when it comes time to get new glasses.