Urban Optics Optometric Center

The boyfriend and I were visiting some family in sb and he needed some sunglasses. Very clean nice shop and he was able find a quick sunglasses that he loves which is rare, he is quite the picky buyer lol

Stopped in for an eyeglass repair while traveling on vacation. The repair was made very quickly by the courteous people there and there was no charge. Very nice!

First the good: Dr. Zucker and his staffers are very friendly, and Urban Optics carries a great selection of frames in a location that can’t be beat. Now the bad: Dr. Zucker and his staffers are young and inexperienced. Don’t expect a professional eyeglass fitting: my new glasses were simply handed to me to try one, while I was STANDING UP. When I determined that my frame needed adjusting, I had to ask. I came back numerous times to get the vice-​like frames adjusted, and I was the one who had to figure out where the frame was hurting me and why. Also, my lens originally had the Sharpy marker dots still on them, which should have been my clue that my anti-​reflective coating was not applied… Numerous headaches later, I figured this out and called to complain… then the omission was discovered. Really? No checking or quality control before you hand them over to the customer? And finally, don’t expect a phone call when your glasses arrive; you get one email only and one text notification if you give your cell phone number. So if your computer spam intercepts the auto-​mailer, it may be a while before you figure it out and call; they do not call you. I’m hoping the new staff works out the bugs.

Let’s see: they changed doctors and I never got the information even though they said they emailed (nope), mailed (nope), and I called to make the appointment (nope). Got there and was informed it was a different doctor. No kidding. I waited 20 minutes after my appointment time to see anyone, when that never happened before. Then it was the receptionist who did the diagnostic tests. She also took my glasses when I walked in to ‘check the prescription’ — which was the same one in my file — and didn’t give me back my glasses until I had to ask. Seriously? You can tell from the prescription you left me sitting there blind. That’s what playground bullies do. Not okay. The fee is also now higher, which no one informed me of until halfway through my appointment (after I asked). They did lessen the fee as a courtesy in the end, but it was the end of a series of unfortunate events. I left with the bare minimum of a prescription and general eye exam. Nothing more, even though I had planned to ask for a contact lens fitting and would have liked to have the full tests that I have gotten for the past 7 years. It was very disappointing and I won’t be back.
To compare, the past 7 years, I walked in, was greeted by the office person by name and the optometrist who was ready and waiting, and out in 30 – 40 min with a full exam and prescription. Simple and I was happy to pay full price for my visit since I have almost never had insurance. They did this on visit #1 to the last one. I recommended them to many, many people in town. Not anymore, now I need a recommendation.

Dr. Zucker and Urban Optics is very impressive. He personally conducted 100% of my complete eye examination. He is professional yet friendly. He is quite knowledgable and answered all of my questions thoroughly. Urban Optics is spotless, and offers the top names in eyeglass/​sunglass wear. Staff is very friendly Santa Barbara natives, not at all pushy. Make an appointment if you want to see the doctor– this ain’t Lenscrafters. I noted a few walk-​ins who expected an optometrist to appear on demand. The price of my exam was reasonable, and they accept VSP insurance. Great SB location, park in the structure on Figueroa and it is a short pleasant walk.

Urban Optics is the place to go for amazing eye care and eye wear in Santa Barbara, CA. My fiancé and I are from Maine and she was having some discomfort in her right eye. We got to Urban Optics just as they were closing and Dr. Zucker was so kind and willing to stay late to take care of my fiancé. He was very knowledgeable and helpful — he is the reason the rest of our trip enjoyable for my fiancé. I ended up purchasing some very stylish Ray Bans that I have never seen before. Highly recommend Urban Optics and Dr. Zucker.

Dr. Zucker is super professional and communicative. I strongly appreciate the openness as he details with you what he is doing and how it is going. Great frame selection! I also really love that I can bring my glasses in anytime if they need adjusting.

As the product of two nearsighted nerds who met at a library, I never stood a chance at having good eyesight, and, as such, I’ve seen more than my fair share of eye doctors over the years. I’ve had some bad experiences.
I’ve just gotten new insurance and moved to the area and made an appointment here.
My appointment was at 10, and I was paying and leaving 25 minutes later. (I’m sure it didn’t hurt that I was the first appointment of the day, but still. Awesome.)
I know my prescription, I knew what I wanted (i’ve had so many doctors get pushy with new fancy contact lenses and shopping for glasses frames in a place has never gone well for me — these decisions take time! (plus, I mean, the internet is 700% cheaper for frames, always)) but today was just exam/​and contact ordering and Dr. Neel was friendly and SUPREMELY EFFICIENT which, to me, can’t be ranked highly enough. It’s an errand, and as doctor’s offices go, it’s not a painful one by any means, but still. I don’t want to spend my whole day there.
So, it was awesome. There’s free parking in the garage on Figueroa up to the first 75 minutes and then i think it’s 1.50 an hour after that? Not bad, says I, having just moved from LA. Plus, did I mention how long I was there? NOT LONG! It was definitely a free parking scenario for moi.
Be aware if you’ve never been before (ie, me) that the address is on State Street but it’s in one of those offshooty areas with a bunch of shops in it. Look for bronze Ben Franklin.
ps — they gave me a free fancy chocolate!

Really great experience! Dr Neel and his staff were helpful, thorough and polite. Office located in shopping area made it a little out of the ordinary but once I found it, the office was quite comfortable! Style selection was current and the seemed to have frames for everyone. Check them out.

So I’m wondering who gets help first? Person in front of you or someone who is wanting to make an appointment when you are still talking to the receptionist, Alison? I’m pretty shocked that she didn’t put the person on hold to finish what I needed. First time I’m disappointed here hopefully it will be the last time.

I can’t say enough about Dr. Neel and his staff. And the reason why I say staff is due to the fact that I was been a patient since about three of his office assistants. Dr. Neel makes everything very easy and painless. The experience there is always very pleasant. He is willing to go the extra mile for his clients and I am very grateful. Above and beyond any other optometrist I’ve ever had. Would definitely recommend him to my friends!

This place was awesome and very accommodating. Great selection of frames and beautiful location! Just happened to walk by with my fiancé and stopped in to see if they took my insurance. Not only did, but had an exam that minute! In & out in less than hour. The optometrist is a young gentleman who is down to earth and made my experience an excellent one.

Love Dr. Neel!
Awesome doctor. Awesome staff. Awesome selection of frames and merchandise. I finally found an all in one shop for my eyeballs. I’ll be going back at least once a year to get new frames. Plenty of good looking designer brands to fit your head.

Yes, 5 stars, as good as it gets! Great location, very modern office. Greeted as I walked in the door by both Robin and Dr. Neel like I was an old friend. Hi-​tech professional equipment and a doctor that was top-​notch in the knowledge department. Having recently moved to the area, I did research on Unilocal for doctors on my plan and prior reviews were spot on. Thank you, Unilocal,and thank you Dr. Neel and Robin.

Fantastic experience! Dr. Neel was great, easy to talk with and knowledgeable, and the whole experience was relaxed but efficient. They knew all about my insurance, including what would be covered and for how much, which is the opposite of what I usually find with other healthcare providers. Oh, and the thank you bag was a great touch; the chocolate was out of this world. Thank you Urban Optics!

Great Experience, actually had a ton of fun at a Dr. Office… who woulda’ thought. Both Robin and Dr. Neel greeted me with a smile when I came in and Robin immediately welcomed me by name. Not bad for a 1^st visit. The office /​showroom are very comfortable and nicely decorated. Dr. Neel was a really cool guy and easy to talk to, seems to know his business pretty well too! Very efficient and comfortable exam. Loved the selection of Glasses and I had glasses to choose from at every price point. In the end, their 2^nd pair offer allowed me to go with the Tom Ford glasses I loved and pick up a 2^nd pair that I also loved. I have never walked out with 2 pairs of glasses before, I am very happy. I look forward to going back and taking advantage of their 30% off on additional glasses within my first year. Thanks for Everything Urban Optics Team, had a blast and looking forward to the compliments on my new glasses and will see you again soon.

A great experience. Friendly, clean, and though. If your looking for a smart person with a friendly, and patient bedside manner this place is for you.

Amazing doctor! Always there to listen. He went out of his way to make sure my glasses and contacts came in on a timely
manner. I’ll keep coming back just due to the stylish frame selection.

Dr. Neel and Robin are excellent! He’s a great doctor with top of the line equipment and technology, but he doesn’t try to sell you on the next big thing.
Their selection of frames is the best I’ve seen, and I’ve bought over 7 pairs of glasses from them and several boxes of contacts over the past few years. They always let me know when my order is ready for pickup, and they even love helping me pick out frames. The shape of my face requires that I wear glasses with nosepieces, and they comb the websites and vendor selections to stock glasses that are cute and that would work for my fit.
Both Dr. Neel and the front desk staffer Robin have great memories and even remember what types of frames I have at home– what service! Can’t recommend them enough– they are the best part of La Arcada.

I wanted to weigh in with a very positive experience here. Dr. Neel is very friendly and personable, and he uses cutting-​edge equipment (did lenses for a friend that helped his night vision using a computerized retina-​surface image). The boutique-​sized frame selection has fashionable men’s Tom Ford, Varvatos, D&G, Calvin Klein and a few other small designers, as well as Ray-​Ban, Maui Jim, and the like (I found a pair of Fords I really love). I had some issues with dizziness and headaches (on fairly standard lenses) after about a week, and they were very friendly about it – he did a thorough check, adjusted my frames, rechecked my old and new prescriptions, and said they’d redo the lenses at no charge if the adjustment on the frames didn’t fix it. The semi-​open-​air downtown location is very pleasant as well, right across State from the free 75 minutes lot at Chapala and Figueroa.