optician/eye doctor? (and/or tag search help)

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

I know the topic of eye doctors has come up and I tried doing various searches but the LJ UI is a little unintuitive...

so. can anyone reccommend a good eye doctor for getting an exam/prescription - or help me figure out how to search for the past discussions?

tx!

Comments

[aspasia02.livejournal.com]

I think I asked a similar question last year, though couldn't tell you what time or where to go looking for it other than trolling through all previous entries.

The recommendation I ended up going with - just for a general exam & contact lens supply - was Dr. David Luria (just called David) at EyeQ Optical in Harvard Square. He's a nice guy, the staff there is really friendly, and he did the full package for me for something like $250 - a lot less than I found elsehwere. Plus, they're a cool independent business!

[closetalker11.livejournal.com]

I go to Dr. Scott Sylvia in Porter (General Optical). He's very nice, friendly, patient, etc. Their frams selection is decent, but if you're looking for really wild stuff, it's probably not the place to go.

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

Looks like people are suggesting closer options for you, but if they don't work out, I go to Dr. Karen Lewis at Central Square Eye Care, and she's fantastic.

Good luck!

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

Dr. White at Central Square Eye Care is also good, and you can't beat the location--stone's throw from the T.

[miraclaire.livejournal.com]

I go to the Boston Eye Group in Brookline and I really like them.

[ron_newman]

I like Dr. Bonny Weingarten at Parrelli Optical in Porter Square.

[jennyelfenmass.livejournal.com]

I'm happy with them too.

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

I also really like Parrelli Optical. They've always been very professional and reassuring about my weird questions, and every time I've called them to make an appointment, I end up getting one for later this afternoon. Which, in my other health care experiences, Never Happens.

[seaweedgirle.livejournal.com]

I fourth this rec!

[xangel21.livejournal.com]

Where in Porter Square are they?

[ron_newman]

on the second floor of the little mall with Pizzeria Uno and Blockbuster Video.

[bex77]

I like Dr. Duane Smith, who has an office in the Lenscrafters at the CambridgeSide Galleria.

[ron_newman]

I tagged your post health care. If you click on the tag, you'll find some previous posts about eye doctors.

[ron_newman]

And now I'm retagging it eye care, since there are so many other posts about opticians and optometrists.

[joylewis.livejournal.com]

There's also the opticians in the Harvard Vanguard Building. I've been going there for years.

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

thanks for all the replies. I made an appointment at Parelli.


fwiw - I used to go to Saragas on Highland but started to wonder about their scheduling me for 4 appointments a year - when all I needed were reading glasses. I left when they wanted to test one eye in one visit and my other eye in a followup visit (the test where they take a picture of your retina). That seems like a total scam (earlier saga here: http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/567227.html)

So I call them to fax my records over to Parelli and the pissy office manager (another reason I left) said they needed the request in writing and $20. I called Parelli back to ask if that was their policy too and the person laughed and said "no, they're your records. we would just give you copies".

Saragas claimed it was due to the Health Info Protection act but with my prior experiences with them, my feeling is they just wanted to scam more $. I mean, I live 2 blocks away and could pick up the records if they were uncomfortable faxing them. I am not going to give them $20 for 5 xeroxes so I guess I don't have access to my records.

[ron_newman]

That makes no sense. When I left a doctor's practice that was affiliated with Winchester Hospital, and joined one at Harvard Vanguard, Winchester's office just had me sign forms and then handed me the records to deliver to Harvard Vanguard.

[keshwyn]

I had a similar experience with Saragas - there's a reason I don't go there anymore.

The final straw was when I was informed that I had to buy my contacts through them, and that I had to sign a form to disclose my prescription information to anyone other than them. And kept demanding I come back every six months, even though nothing was wrong with my eyes.

And the receptionist is unbelievably rude, and treats everyone she interacts with like a small, stupid child.

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

wow - tx for the reality check: mirrors my experience there completely.

I've been thinking of going in and just asking for my records "sans" there grubbing $20 "fee" and not leaving until I get them... though I don't feel much in the mood for stupid, needless confrontation.