Dr. Zipporah Balete was absolutely wonderful! She was thorough and professional, but also genuinely kind, warm, and such a joy to talk to. She somehow manages to make the entire appointment feel relaxed and enjoyable without sacrificing an ounce of professionalism. Truly a breath of fresh air. I originally chose this practice because it was conveniently located inside Costco and the hours were so user-friendly. But after seeing Dr. Balete, the convenience is just a bonus. I would follow and visit this particular OD to an eye clinic located in the basement of the DMV on the last Friday before a three-day weekend. Absolutely wonderful experience. I'm so glad I found her and would recommend her without hesitation! read more

Dr. ZIPPORAH BALETE was awesome! Very helpful and made this visit a good one. I am normally not a big fan of appointments or doctor visits. But chopping it up with her was nice. read more

Dr. Ali is the best optometrist I've ever seen. He went above an beyond including making evidence based suggestions to improve my vision long term, accommodating my requests, and setting up referrals with multiple timely follow-ups. He cares about the wellbeing of his patience based on his actions. Thanks to Dr. Ali I have a permanent solution, bittersweet because it means I will no longer go back to Dr. Ali. read more

I have had my eye exams at Ali Patel for years. Dr. Ali did the follow-up for my cataract surgery. Their office is inside Costco, Santa Maria and has been made larger recently, ask for Dr. Ali. read more

I've been a repeat client of this office (between this location and SLO). The offices are located inside the Costco optometry dept although they are not affiliated with Costco. Upon arriving for my scheduled appointment, I was immediately greeted and taken through the various initial machine tests. Once those were completed, I was asked to wait outside for my appointment. Given that it was already my scheduled time, I inquired if the optometrist was running behind schedule. To my surprise, I got a stern response - "we do not provide estimates, it can be up to 45 minute wait." At that point, I was basically being shoved out the door to wait outside. In the end, I ended up spending a little over one HOUR for the appointment. At the time of scheduling, I was told they usually last 15-30 minutes. I am extremely put off my the attitude I have encountered from the assistant. She could have delivered the same information in a polite manner. I would have appreciated the information up front as well. I have utilized this office due to it's convenient location and the desire to save time. Given the complete lack of regard for my time given by the staff, I am inclined to return to a regular, less volumous practice that honors appointment times. read more

The front desk person was amazing, but other than that it was not great. I declined one of their services that checked for retina health/detachment, which was optional, and was asked/told three more times that I should do it. When I said no for the fourth time, the assistant was very short with me and said I needed to sign a paper saying they had no liability for my retina detaching. Which was odd and aggressive for no reason. The eye doctor didn't do a thorough eye exam and also mentioned me being at higher risk of retina detachment, but couldn't explain what causes it. I've been wearing contacts/glasses for 25 years and have never had any issues with an eye doctor. This just had tones of aggression and hostility for no reason. read more

Dr balete is great, very thorough but Dr Patel IS AWFUL - he needs to retire. I went back 3 times and he got my Rx completely wrong for progressive bi-focals. He told me it was good enough. I had to refuse to see him and see Dr balete who I had to see twice and my Rx has been ok, but not amazing. I'm starting to think I will go elsewhere. I've had slightly double vision for a year now. Everyone I have talked to said Dr Patel is rude, unprofessional, and gets their prescription wrong. It gives Costco optical a bad name. Even the eye glass department says they know he is terrible and tries to help but they can't get rid of him - idk read more

Amazing! Dr. Ali is nothing short of exceptional. They have the state of the art equipment (literally- an OCT for testing for complex ocular disease) and an Optos to avoid the hassle of dilation. As the previous CEO of an Opthalmology practice... I chose Dr. Ali because of his outstanding clinical skills, state of the art equipment, and dedication to providing his patients the best care. I would give more than five stars if I could!! Thank you Dr. Ali!!! read more

I went to see Dr. Patel today to have my contacts prescription updated. I was very pleased with my experience! He reached out to me personally to discuss my concerns regarding my prescription. He took his time because I was concerned my contacts prescription was not quite right. I especially appreciated that since I am new to the area, he took time to share with me some of the highlights of living here in Santa Maria and talked about how much he loves this community. Overall, it was a very pleasant surprise to have such a great visit to the optometrist. read more

Waited for forever to get an appointment because of the holidays then 30 minutes before my appointment time they said the dr who takes my insurance won't be in today. They wouldn't get me in until next Thursday, more than an entire week later. So frustrating, I planned my whole day around it. Obviously my business and health doesn't matter to them. read more

I must of caught Dr. Patel on a bad day because my experience was horrible. I went for an exam and ended up getting a very strong prescription from never before wearing glasses. He gave it to me and sent me on my way. DID NOT EXPLAIN ANYTHING. Even the extra exam that your insurance doesn't cover that they charge you $25 to check if you have cancer, nada. I'm assuming I don't because he didn't tell me if I did. I left not knowing that my prescription was only for glasses. I needed a different one if I wanted contacts. I had no idea! So now I have these glasses that apparently I truly need but they are so strong and make me nauseous. I see things distorted. I finally called them to see if he can help because something has to be wrong but it's been 60 days so I have to pay for a new exam. You bet I'll never go to him again! People go somewhere else. He seems too busy to care! read more

My first experience with them a year ago was great. This year I called to make my annual appointment. I called 3 times, left messages and never received a call back. When I went in to get a refill on my prescription I waited a "hour" for my prescription to be sent over to find out the office just had it sitting on the printer the whole time. The front desk ladies were not helpful and a little rude. read more

This place has all the latest technology. Didn't even know they could estimate your vision based off your prescription glasses! This place like Costco was packed. Definitely would recommend having an appointment prior to arriving. The staff was extremely attentive and willing to go out their way to help you out. I was out of state but they worked trying to see if I had eye coverage. Overall pleasant experience. Happy my first place was a good one coming from the South. read more

I had an appointment with Zipporah Balete. She is AMAZING! i had the best experience with her. She throughly explained everything & answered any questions or concerns I had. Gave great recommendations of eyedrops & offered me coupons. Very different experience than a prior OD i visited at the same office. If you are looking to make an appt here ask for her specifically she is hands down the best! You can genuinely feel she loves her job! read more

I called to schedule an appointment and after 6 minutes on hold I gave up and went somewhere else. Such poor customer service that I couldn't even tell you if the doctors where good or not read more

Amazing service here. The ladies who work here are super sweet and welcoming. The doctor was super informative and caring. Recommend this place 100% read more

Professional, courteous, state of the art equipment, friendly staff and top-notch doctors. If I could I would give them six stars. Highest possible recommendation. read more

In and out very quickly. Friendly staff. Ali is very knowledgeable and gave me information on a medication that I've been on for years that not one of hand full of doctors I've had prescribe it to me ever touched on. read more

I went here to get my eyes checked after years of not having it checked and the lady who did my exam was so impatient and you can see her losing her cool while I asked her questions and concerns about my eyes. She would lose her cool and try to save face multiple times and it just wasn't a good experience. It was a rush job, she just wanted to finish quickly and wanted me to not ask questions, really awful experience. read more

This is a long overdue 5 star rating for this practice. I've been in a couple of times for eye exams and prescriptions but yesterday I was afraid I'd got a detached retina and they got me right in! It was a relief to learn that my eye is OK. They are very efficient and even though it's a busy office, there was almost no wait, even during covid times. The medical assistants are fantastic too. The "eyeball closeup" is super cool, although not covered by insurance. Highly recommend. read more

I've been going to see Ali and Patel for many years now. They take the extra time to look at everything thoroughly. There staff is always friendly and quick to respond to your needs. read more

Drs. Ali and Patel have been my Optometrists for many years. I take both my kids to them as well. They really take time in explaining everything to my kids which I really like. I had an emergency situation, I could have had permanent damage to my right eye, but Dr. Ali's Staff were able to get me in almost immediately and everything worked out for the best! So grateful to have these wonderful Optometrists serving the Central Coast! read more

Dr. Patel has always given me the right prescription for my eyes. He has been my OD for the past five years and I have been more than satisfied with his capabilities and customer care. read more