Uptown Optometry

I have been a customer for a decade; never going anywhere else (at least not until Dr Larsen retires). They are fast, responsive, punctual, and very professional. But the best part about the practice is Dr Larsen himself. He takes immense pride in what he does, is incredibly detail-​orineted, has a great personal manner. He’s also totally willing to entertain and answer all my geeky questions (and I have a lot). The one anecdote that describes Dr Larsen is that when I went to have a LASIK surgery, and they found out that Larsen was my doctor, I was told that nobody else does a better and more diligent measurement for your surgical prescription that is always spot on (and it was for me).

Great doctor, he is awesome BUT … jeez, the front desk girls have ZERO clue what they are doing !!! 3 weeks for a pair of glasses and there still freaking wrong !!! BEWARE !!!

This was my first visit to Dr. Larsen. The staff was friendly and welcoming. Dr. Larsen was thorough and explained everything very clearly. I learned some new things about my eyes. I had called a couple of days before to check on my insurance coverage so I knew what fees I would be responsible for. That was exactly how it went. I did purchase some glasses through his office and found them to be quite reasonable. All in all a great experience. I would recommend this office to my friends.

Really great optometry practice. Polite and always conversational, taking the time to meet his patient’s needs.
Parking can be difficult, but the #11 bus runs right by here and walking or bicycling is a breeze.

My husband and I have been going to Dr. Larsen for about 10 years and it dawned on me that I never gave credit where credit was due. Dr. Larsen is amazingly kind, down to earth and smart. He really cares about his patients and you can tell he loves what he does for a living.
Just today he got my husband in for a same day appointment because he had an eye issue that had been going on for weeks. His staff is well trained and friendly to boot.
If I could give Dr. Larsen 6 stars I would!

I love coming to visit Dr. Larsen for my annual exam. He’s always high energy and cheerful, joking around and relaxed. The exam is thorough and professional, and I never feel rushed. Dr. Larsen is incredibly thorough with answering all my questions about things I might be experiencing or the reasons behind a recommendation. He also lets me feel that I have a say in my experience — whether or not to go up or down a quarter in the power, pros and cons of different brands of contacts, etc. We discuss context and I feel confident with the final decision. He’s also very generous with letting me try out an option at home before writing the scrip. Every year, I learn something new about keeping my eyes healthy.

This was my vision place back when I lived in San Diego and based on prior experience I figured I could wrap it into a San Diego trip. Definitely a great place with good service, an excellent doctor & nice choice of frames

Not pleased at all. The doctor is friendly and competent (hence the one star), however the front desk staff is not (which is why four stars are missing). For my first pair of contacts a couple of years ago, they took four weeks after the exam to arrive – apparently the order was misplaced. This year, I decided to try one more time. The second pair of contacts arrived and were incorrect; apparently one of the women at the front desk can’t read the doctor’s prescription and misread an 8 as a 5. Another week went by, the contacts arrived – and are still incorrect, but trying to get a follow up appointment was impossible due to various excuses – «no openings», «vacations». Six weeks on from my original appointment, I still don’t have functional contacts. That’s inexcusable service, and I’m taking my business elsewhere. I recommend you be very wary if you choose this optometrist.

I’ve been coming here for around 8 years, and I’ve never had a bad experience. The doctor is very nice and thorough, and the staff are always friendly and helpful. Over the years I’ve purchased contacts, frames, and lenses from them.
There’s not much to say about the contacts. They did there job and were an average price. They have a decent selection of frames, at a variety of prices. The selection of cheaper frames is limited, which I think is the only drawback here. There is a decent selection of moderate to expensive designer frames.
The first set of frames I got here have lasted me 8 years. I’m only now getting my second set. A few years ago, after my appointment, my prescription changed a bit and I was having a hard time choosing new frames. The helpful staff told me I didn’t have to get new frames, and they could just have new lenses made for my existing frames. It’s probably stupid, but I didn’t realize that could be done. I really appreciated that information, and was happy that I would be saving money by not buying new frames.
The glasses I’ve purchased here have been expensive, but not expensive because of this business. They’ve been expensive because of the frames and options that I wanted. I’ve tried cheaper frames and lenses in the past (from other places), and have gotten frames that fell apart and lenses that weren’t quite right. I would rather pay a little more for glasses that last me a decade, than less for glasses that I have to replace every couple years.
My prescription has always been dead-​on, and the contacts & glasses have worked perfectly for me. I have VSP insurance, and I’ve never had an issue.
Another note about the helpful staff… Last time I was in, I spent a little time looking at frames before my appointment and wasn’t really finding anything I liked (I am very picky). After my appointment, one of the young ladies there offered to help me look. I told her what I was looking for, and she pulled frames that matched. Being so picky, it took a little while. She was patient and pulled probably 20 pairs before I finally found one that I really liked.
Anyway, I’ll stop rambling. In short, I can’t recommend this place enough.

So far so good! Office was cute and clean, I like their selection of glasses. The workers explained my costs so I didn’t have any surprises. Dr. Larson is very nice and I really liked him, more personable than other optometrists I’ve seen. I have been to awful places with horrible customer service, and this is not one of them. I will be ordering a specialized pair of glasses from here, and am confident they will be just what I need! The space is also VERY cute, much more comfortable than the more clinical feel in a standard medical office.

I must give these guys a crappy review for customer service. I had my Rx read at Sharp and using their prescription, I went to Uptown. They were obscenely priced, my expensive glasses came with a «ding» out of the left lens!!! They said «they could not see it!» But, sent my glasses back to their lab to be fixed.
When they gave the glasses back to me, the ‘ding” was still there. They could again not see it. I could! They finally offered me a full refund ($ 728) and will NEVER see my face again, which they shrugged off, as not being important to them!
I run a business and that is not the way to make and keep clients! I have had some of my customers for 24 years and I know customer service. You will find NONE at Uptown Optical!!!

RIP-​OFF! BEWARE! The negative reviews below are true. I came here last year for an eye exam for contact lenses; overall, I was satisfied with my experience. I was told AT THE END of the exam that I could not apply my VSP insurance to the eye exam itself and only to the purchase of contacts. I was never told before my exam any prices or what my insurance did and did not cover. Given that it was my first time using VSP, I complied, thinking what was said to be true and gave the secretary my payment (around $ 100) for the eye exam.
I have been ordering my contact lenses via
b/​c the contact lenses sold at Uptown are ridiculously overpriced. Recently, when i tried to re-​ordering my contacts, was made aware that my prescription was expired. I called Uptown. As expected, I was told by the secretary that I needed to come in for another exam for an updated prescription. I politely asked if they would please rewrite my prescription b/​c my eyesight has not changed. The secretary told me that she could NOT do that, however, SHE could sell me contacts I needed w/​o a current prescription. That is HORSE S**T!
HERE’S THE KICKER:
Upset by what she said, I ran to Wal-​Mart Optical. I would NEVER choose Wal-​Mart for the care of my eyes, but b/​c all I needed was an updated prescription, I chose Wal-​Mart thinking prices would be cheaper. AND INDEED they were! Wal-​Mart Optical ran my insurance and told me my co-​pay for the exam was only !!!$ 10!!! Yes, $ 10! Plus, I had $ 110 credit to purchase contact with.
I never thought I would be praising Wal-​Mart, but after experiencing the schemes of UPTOWN, how can i not praise Wal-​Mart Optical?
If you want to get ripped-​off, please choose UPTOWN OPTOMETRY!

Most eye doctors I’ve been to throughout my life have been either weird/​creepy or dull, but not here! Dr. Larson is totally personable, fun/​funny and great at what he does. He took the time to explain things that no other doctor has to help me better understand some of my vision issues. What’s more, it’s a cute little office and the front office staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommended!

My husband and I are new patients and we both really like Dr. Larson. He was very friendly and we can tell he’s very passionate about his career. He explained everything thoroughly and truly cared.
Dr. Larson seems very down to earth and introduced himself as Steve. I love that! took his time with us and we never once felt rushed. He listened to my husband’s concerns and again explained things. He’s a really friendly man and made the appointment very pleasant.

I had been going to the same optometrist for 25 years, and once he retired I knew I needed to find an office closer to home. Stopped by Uptown at almost closing time one afternoon just to scope out frames, and the staff was friendly and helpful. I made an appointment, got a nice reminder call, and even though there was an issue with my insurance they resolved it right away without involving me. Loved Dr. Larson, loved that he introduced himself as Steve. Great exam, nothing unusual. Glasses took less time than they had expected, and they are perfect.
If I might say, the folks who complained about being charged for an eye exam also need a head exam. Why on earth would you not expect to pay for any kind of medical service???
I have found my new optometrist – loved the experience and will highly recommend!

This office is shady. They don’t explain charges ahead of time. They asked me about getting a contact lens prescription in which I agreed to. However, they did not tell me that my insurance doesn’t cover it. After my eye exam, they just dropped a bombshell and gave me an invoice for 70 dollars. I was shocked and said W-​T-​F in my head. So we had a debate on the charges and their customer service. The representative was rude to me and did not give me a logical reason why I owe them 70 dollars. They did not admit it was their fault for not explaining charges to me ahead of time. They directed the blame at me by telling me that I did not ask the proper questions. This is piss poor customer service. However, they finally relented and did not pursue settlement for the bill.
At any service establishment, prices are given ahead of time or explained to the customer. Restaurants have prices on menus. Auto repair places give prices on estimates. They tell you ahead of time if the estimate is free or not. All charges are explained and you sign it before they begin work. I wonder why Uptown Optometry does not adhere to traditional service standards.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Larsen for several years now, and he he is by far the best optometrist I’ve ever had — and I’ve had glasses since I was 4, so I know what I’m talking about!
After my last optometrist told me that I needed bifocals at age 27, I decided I wanted a second opinion, so a friend referred me to Dr. Larsen. He told me that he could understand how the other doctor could draw that conclusion, but thankfully he was wrong… which was great news considering there was no way on earth I was going to get bifocals at age 27!
He’s friendly and knowledgeable, but I think what I like the best is that he’s practical. He’s a straight-​shooter about if/​when lasik would make sense, whether the more expensive contacts are worth it, etc.
Like him a lot.

:-)
I highly recommend…
If they served me sushi and champagne in the waiting room, I would have given them 5 stars. until then, they get 4.5.
You won’t be disappointed. Dr. Larsen is personable, knowledgable, THOROUGH and quick. What more can you ask for from your eye doctor?
Oh yeah. sushi and champagne. (but who does that?)
I made my appointment. Told them I needed to use my work insurance. they checked it out. kept in constant communications with me via my cell phone, and did a fine job. I’m sending my partner to him as well.
Not only did I get my prescription, and eyes checked, I got an education on the status of my vision. He actually told me why I don’t do well with contacts. and what types of glasses I should get (yes. it all makes sense.)
My wait time was short, the service and front desk person «LACY» was very friendly and attentive… I was told to expect my glasses in 2wks… (cons: they have a small selection at their office.)
4.5 Woofs. It’s all good at Uptown Optometry.

Let me just say, Unilocal you let me down this time! I needed to find a good optometry office in San Diego and well, Uptown Optometry was not it.
Why one star?
1) The appointment took an extremely long time (1.5 hours) and no, it was not because the doctor was «thorough». The doctor kept talking about how great laser surgery is and how I should get it done. Damn, I didn’t want to hear about laser surgery, I just wanted a contact lens exam! He was very pushy and conceited.
Well, after all of that time that he spent talking, the contact lens prescription that he gave me was WRONG!
Unfortunately, I went to Costco and ordered a six-​month supply for both eyes. When the contacts arrived, I was excited to try them. Strange, I thought. The left eye is all blurry; WTF?! I cleaned the lens, tried another one, called the office and asked them to verify the prescription but all seemed right…
2) When I called the office the second time to let them know that there was still something wrong with the prescription, they discovered that yes, the prescription in my file DID NOT MATCH the prescription given to me! It was over –1 off! I explained that I lost a lot of money by ordering contacts. All they did for me was offered one free (correct) contact lens. Arghhh! This meant that I was stuck with boxes full of the incorrect prescription (which of course Costco would not take back).
3) About a year later, I went to a different doctor (Invision on 1^st Ave) and had a completely different experience. It turned out that the prescription from Uptown Optometry was way TOO STRONG for my eyes. After changing my prescription, my eyesight is great.
Bottom line: the worst experience that I ever had at an optometrist! It was a waste of money and time. DO NOT go here.

I was sad to discover that my new vision plan, Spectera, is not accepted at Dr. Chesner’s office, but at least Unilocal came through for me on this one, because I’m really happy with Uptown Optometry.
The office is in a very cool older building and some of the original quirks have been kept, mostly in the exam room. I arrived early, prepared for a deluge of new patient paperwork. Fortunately, that was not the case. I was helped promptly, and only waited a few minutes before Dr. Larsen saw me.
I must have subconsciously remembered Michelle’s review, because I asked Dr. Larsen a ton of questions and he enthusiastically answered every one. I really cannot emphasize enough how pleasant this man is.
There are only a couple things I didn’t like. During the exam, he would ask, «This one or this one?» while very quickly alternating between to lenses. I had to time things just right and announce «this one!» as there was no real way to distinguish between the two choices.
I also am not so into the guided selection of glasses. Some places will have their glasses separated by broad price range, and have the individual glasses labeled. At Uptown, Lacey (receptionist? administrative assistant? I don’t know her title, but if you call in, you talk to her) had me sit at a table with a mirror and she selected glasses based on my feedback. It’s definitely a smart tactic, from a sales standpoint, because then customers try on the glasses before knowing the price. I have no idea if she actually showed me anything covered by my insurance (although my insurance is low on frames, so I was actually prepared to go higher). I had to ask specifically about the price of the glasses I liked.
In the end however, I found a pair I really liked that weren’t ridiculously expensive. I also purchased a six-​month supply of contacts (I don’t wear them much). They had enough contacts in stock for me to take half at the time of my visit, and the other half were available the following week when I picked up my glasses. They gave me a couple contact cases (always good to have a spare) and three cleaning clothes for my glasses (again, always good to have a spare).
Overall, I really appreciate the friendliness and enthusiasm of everyone at Uptown Optometry.