Berkowitz Lisa, OD

I have been coming here for years and have written positive reviews. I am giving it 2 stars now because Lisa is a decent optometrist. As for her services and the experience, I would give it 0 stars.

I came in for my yearly contact examine, I was given a new lens prescription and in addition, I needed to change the type of lens I was using.
Normally after a contact exam you are given the brand sample packs containing 5 pairs of lenses in order so to fully test the lenses over a few days. If you are trying multiple new lens brands or a different prescription it takes at least 5 days to properly choose the right lens. How is anyone supposed to decide which contact lenses they are going to spend approx $ 700 dollars on after having just 1 day to sample the lens.
You can’t, which is why I was told that I could get the REST of my samples IF I AGREE to purchase my lenses next door. Whaat!!! I should be able to receive the proper amount of samples regardless of where I will purchase my lenses a/​o eyeglasses.
Also, my appt overlapped with another client and my care was good until the other client showed up and then I was rushed out of the office. I will give Lisa the benefit of the doubt that she may have been having a bad day, but that does not excuse being told where I need to purchase my lenses in order to get sample contacts. If that is their «new» policy, clients should be informed ahead of booking the appt that they are required to purchase lenses next door in order the get the appropriate amount of contact samples necessary.

I found Dr. Berkowitz curt, bordering on impolite. I endured, but then she wrote me a prescription that was virtually indecipherable (seriously, I could not make out the numbers with 100% certainty — a real problem). When I asked about whether something was a 7 or a 5, an innocent question – I got push back from her and from her assistant. I would not recommend this optometrist.

The service at this clinic is terrible. I have been a patient with Dr here for a long time. When I went up to pick up my contacts after a purchase order, I asked the nurse whether she can teach me how to wear the contacts. She refused me and said I need to make another appointment with the Dr in order to help me. I know wearing contacts and taking them off is not hard, but I also know that I would not have to spend extra fees in an effort to learn to take them off either. While the nurse may have been in the middle of typing something, it would be helpful if at least she told me to wait a bit so that she can help me later rather than rejecting from the get –go telling me to make an appointment to learn how to use my contacts. This is a horrible experience and it goes to show either the nurse is not well trained, or lazy. Very disappointed at this clinic esp since I’ve been a long time patient of Dr Berkowitz.

Dr. Berkowitz speaks very rapidly, but she’s one of the sweetest and most efficient optometrists I’ve ever worked with. Her eyeglass prescriptions have always given me terrific vision. For choosing contacts, Dr. Berkowitz is very good about explaining the pros and cons of each brand, helping me to make an informed choice.

Great place, friendly staff. Dr Berkowitz made me feel welcome and did a good job with the exam.

I went to Dr. Berkowitz’s office and had a terrible experience. First, they have changed their office space and took out the reception area. The result is a completely unprofessional, cramped environment in which all of their patient records are completely visible, and in which there is no place to really conduct business.
I was also given soft contacts that were the «closest thing they had to my prescription» and told to wear them leaving the clinic. I thought that my vision was really blurry at the time, but I had just had my eyes dilated, so I thought it would clear up. It did not. I was virtually blind the whole day and, being new to soft contacts, I couldn’t get them out of my eyes. After the 40^th try, and scratching my cornea, I gave up and had to get my husband to help me get them out.

My return visit wasn’t as friendly. Will likely still return since her optometry skill is good. Maybe caught her on a bad day?

Dr. B is great. Yes, she talks fast, but she listens well. I feel like she is giving me lots of options and explaining things well.

I’m reviewing Lisa Berkowitz’s business, not her skills as an eye doctor. I never got in to see her because the office staff didn’t handle the appointment schedule well. The receptionist booked me for an appointment at 9am, when they open. She also booked another patient for the same time. The one doctor on duty can only see one patient at a time. So either the office staff is either inept or they double-​book patients deliberately to get the additional sales, even if it means inconveniencing the patient’s schedule.

Great folks. I hadn’t gotten glasses in many years, so searched Unilocal pretty thoroughly. Lisa Berkowitz did the exam – she’s wonderful, been there twenty-​something years, and you can see why folks like her so much; plus her staff is delightfully friendly. I was happy to find that the folks in the adjacent glasses half of For Eyes were also wonderful (and there for many years). Been very satisfied with my glasses; good price too. I don’t write many Unilocal reviews, but wanted to for this one. Thanks, all!

I’ve been going to Dr. Berkowitz for many years. It’s true, she does have a nervous-​sounding, fast way of talking, but that’s just her style. She IS listening, she answers questions, she explains carefully, she gives good advice… and she does a thorough exam.
It’s also true that some of her assistants don’t come across as totally professional, on the phone and in person, but this is common in Palo Alto. Good help must, as they say, be hard to find. What I care about is the quality of the care I’m getting, and I’m very satisfied with that.
On request, she will recommend opticians other than the one next door, which is very helpful. For Eyes is relatively inexpensive, and they will always repair glasses that come apart, but I’d rather pay more and not have anything fall apart.

I’ve seen Dr. Berkowitz once for an eye exam and as far as I could tell, she’s fine (not had a lot of eye exams). Seemed knowledgeable and friendly. However, after a recent job switch I called there to see if they took my new insurance. They refused to tell me until I gave them a boatload of personal information (including asking for a social security number – which thankfully I declined to give) before she would tell me if they were in or out of network. Surprise! They are not in network.
She knew that from the beginning, clearly, but wanted to get me to give the investment of time (and spelling my name which is a pain) perhaps so I would continue with making an appointment even when I found out they were out of network?
I don’t know, but my interaction with them was poor customer service at best.

Dr Berkowitz is a very friendly and knowledgeable optometric. She knows how to make you confortable and doesn’t have the condescending attitude of some doctors. She got her license from Berkeley in the 80’s and has quite some experience.
I like the fact that she didn’t make me come back for a contact lense trial since I was happy with my current contacts. She simply checked how my current ones fit.

I’ve been going to Dr. Lisa for quite a while now (7 years). What I’ve appreciated the most about Dr. Lisa is her willingness to make time for me when I needed to see her as I had run out of contac lenses or when my schedule was busy and I needed an appointment. I’ve continued to go to her, even traveling down from San Fran for appointments when I was living up there. While some might think she talks too fast and is rushed, I really enjoy her energy and always leave the office with a smile.

My experience with Dr Berkowitz has been great. She is pleasant, knowledgeable and didn’t hesitate to refer me to an ophthalmologist when she saw something that concerned her.
Now Dr. Berkowitz does talk fast and seems to be impatient, but I have learned that really is just her personality. As when my daughter was trying to start on contacts, she let my daughter doing it in her office about 4 times for hours and was really great about it.
I don’t know what people are referring when they say she doesn’t have modern equipment, because I actually go to here because she can do a computer eye test that many opticians don’t have.
And when I asked here where I could get higher grade lenses than what was sold next store, she referred me to multiple stores that sold premium progressive lenses.
I have been to Dr Hu also and she is clearly an extraordinary nice person with a nicer looking office. But my exams with Lisa were more thorough and significantly cheaper (I don’t care, but if you had 3 kids you might), so if you want the better exam go to Dr Berkowitz.

I went to Dr. Berkowitz after being referred by a family member. I saw her associate for the intitial exam and it was a standard visit.
A few months later I had been experiencing some dryness with my eyes and they were getting pretty irritated and red from my contacts so i decided to visit the optometrist for extra measure. I called Dr. Berkowitz to see if i could come in on an emergency visit. Luckily they had some time and made some room for me.
Dr. Berkowitz was nice but she also talks really fast and I found that I couldn’t ask all my questions cause she seemed to be in a rush. My visit didn’t bother me much until I realized that the sample contact lens (for ONE eye) was charged to my insurance for $ 40. I was told i was to just pay $ 35 for the exam, which I was happy to. But when I found out my insurance was charged for $ 40 for one one-​day contact lens, I was upset. I can buy two months supply for one eye for $ 40. And I remember asking if i could have a few more days worth to try it out and she referred me to the store next door.
I’m currently looking for a new optometrist. One that will spend more time with me, rather than rush me through.